ZF Friedrichshafen AG

ZF Friedrichshafen AG (meaning Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen Aktiengesellschaft which was until 1992 the name of the company) is a leading supplier of automobile transmissions. The company was founded in 1915 in Friedrichshafen, Germany to produce gears for zeppelins and other airships but moved into the automobile market by 1918. The company helped produce the airship Hindenburg as well as truck parts for Hitler's war effort including the transmission for the Panzer tank. After the war, the company was allowed to resume business producing automobile transmissions and other parts.

In the 1960s, the company began supplying transmissions to the major German automakers, including DKW and BMW, as well as Peugeot and Alfa Romeo. A popular automatic transmission (the 3 HP 20) was introduced in 1969 which was designed to be an easy swap with the company's manual transmissions. In 1972, the company acquired Borg-Warner, a major competitor. Worldwide subsidiaries and factories are opened in the 1970s, and the company moves into India, South Korea, and becomes a major supplier to Ford in the 1980s. The company expands into China in the 1990s.

External links

• Official website