100 Years of ZF Friedrichshafen
The (almost) unknown global leader in Friedrichshafen is celebrating its 100th anniversary.
German brands enjoy a good international reputation. ZF Friedrichshafen has demonstrated how it is possible to become a global leader even without a big name, and in August 2015 the automobile supplier is celebrating its 100th anniversary. “No matter whether it’s Porsche, Maserati, VW or Toyota – nowadays almost every car in the world has parts made by ZF Friedrichshafen,” says press officer Andreas Veil with a slight hint of pride. But only a few car owners know this. And they are equally unaware of the connections between the gear transmission in their car and the history of airship aviation.
On 2 July 1900 Count von Zeppelin’s first airship rose from its moorings in Manzell near Friedrichshafen accompanied by the applause of the onlookers. But the technology in the “flying cigars” was still incomplete. The first prototypes broke up in gusts of wind, the engines went on strike and the airships were difficult to steer. In 1908 prototype No.4 took off and travelled unharmed from Lake Constance to Mainz. But whilst anchored to the ground in Echterdingen it was hit by a storm and burned out entirely, fortunately without any human casualties.
Nevertheless, at the beginning of the 20th century there was huge enthusiasm for the airships in Germany, and a major donation campaign began following the Echterdingen incident. These funds became the start-up capital for Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH in Friedrichshafen. The head of the testing department, Count Alfred von Soden-Fraunhofen, hired the Swiss engineer Max Maag, an expert in ground tooth gears. And with his help, the aim was to overcome the technical problems in airship aviation.
From airship construction to car supplier
On 20 August 1915 the Swiss engineer and the director of Luftschiffbau Zeppelin, Alfred Colsman, founded the independent tooth gear factory based in Friedrichshafen, and this marked the birth of the present-day company ZF Friedrichshafen. It gradually strengthened its position in the world market by developing gear transmissions for cars, utility vehicles and helicopters. After the oil crisis of the 1970s had sensitised car owners and manufacturers to the importance of fuel-saving technologies, these became the focus of technological innovation. The company also displayed an early pioneering spirit when the question of globalisation arose, and in 1958 the plant in Brazil was opened. ZF is currently involved in its largest ever merger. With the acquisition of the US American company TRW Automotive, ZF Friedrichshafen is now one of the world’s three largest automobile suppliers with 134,000 employees at 230 locations in 40 countries.
