As of: February 9, 2024, 3:39 p.m
By: Patrick Freiwah
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Advertising zeppelin from ZF Friedrichshafen: The supplier is planning mega investments in the US location.
© IMAGO / Arnulf Hettrich
In its German homeland, ZF Friedrichshafen is planning to cut thousands of jobs.
The situation is different in the USA - half a billion dollars are being invested there.
Friedrichshafen/Munich - Challenging times for the German automotive industry and its suppliers: ZF Friedrichshafen recently made headlines due to the planned job cuts at German locations.
The increased costs in connection with the electrification of the industry as well as the collapse in orders are causing the traditional company (founded in 1915) to reduce the number of jobs.
ZF Friedrichshafen recently announced that the entire industry is undergoing a “transformation” and global production of passenger cars has fallen.
ZF Friedrichshafen: Job cuts in Germany - investments in the USA
A look at sales and profits shows that the numbers at the southern German transmission manufacturer have increased in recent years.
However, recent developments in terms of energy and demand are apparently forcing the Friedrichshafen gear factory to reorient itself geographically:
According to
Handelsblatt,
the company is spending half a billion US dollars in the USA to make massive investments to expand the Gray Court location in the state of South Carolina.
It is about a comprehensive modernization of production capacities “for the next generation of drive technologies for cars and commercial vehicles,” according to a press release.
ZF produces new transmissions for combustion engine models in the USA
As a result, the plant is the first ZF location in North America “where both conventional and electrified drive systems are produced.”
The production of the fourth generation of an eight-speed automatic transmission, which was developed for models with combustion engines including plug-in hybrids, plays an important role.
Contrary to the job cuts in Germany, jobs in the United States are being increased: ZF Friedrichshafen is reportedly planning up to 400 new jobs at the site, which opened in 2013.
Meanwhile, production is currently ramping up for a new type of commercial vehicle transmission, for which $200 million was invested.
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ZF Friedrichshafen is reducing jobs in Germany due to e-mobility
What played a major role in the shift of capital from Europe to the USA: While the course has been set for electrification in the EU, other markets such as North America are still relying on combustion engines.
As the
Handelsblatt
explains, ZF Friedrichshafen is also prepared for the eventuality should Donald Trump move back into the White House in Washington and e-mobility in the USA suffer a setback.
A spokesman for ZF told
Bild
: “In Germany, employment will inevitably decline by 2030 due to the introduction of e-mobility.
Where two workers produce a transmission today, tomorrow there will only be one producing components for e-mobility.”
(PF)