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p ZF's frst U.S.-based transmission plant in South
Carolina will build 8- and 9-speed transmissions.
ZF Opens First U.S.
Transmission Plant
German supplier ZF Friedrichshafen AG (zf.com) has
opened its frst transmission plant in the United States,
where the company plans to build more than 1-million
transmissions per year.
The nearly 1-million-ft2 facility in Gray Court, SC, will
produce 800,000 9-speed automatic transmissions and
400,000 8-speed transmissions each year, expanding ZF's
global transmission production by 50%. The facility
currently has 140 machines running and expects to
have full production online by 2014. The Gray Court
plant will employ 1,650 at full capacity. ZF invested
$385-million in the facility and plans another $21-million
investment in the future, ZF CEO Stefan Sommer said.
This makes the plant the biggest-ever single investment
by the German company.
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MADE IN THE U.S.A.
The 9-speed (9HP) transmission debuts this year in Land
Rover's Range Rover Evoque. When compared to 6-speed
automatic transmissions, the ZF 9-speed ofers fuel savings
of up to 16%. The savings are due to a high total gear
ratio spread (9.84), which means the engine is running in a
more-optimal gear depending on conditions. At a highway
speed of 70 mph, the Evoque is in 9th gear and the engine
runs at less than 2,000 rpm.
The ZF 9-speed transmission is designed specifcally for
front-transverse drive engines. The transmission provides
smooth shifting by leveraging the direct synchronization
of two interlocking dog clutches, which are typically found
in manual transmissions. These clutches eliminate slippage
between gears. ZF tailored the transmission control
software for OEMs to adapt according to their needs.
ZF's 8-speed transmission is already in vehicles made by
Audi, BMW, Chrysler and Jaguar-Land Rover.
Given the benefts of the higher numbers of gears—
especially the improvements in fuel efciency gained—
ZF anticipates increasing use of its 9-speed and 8-speed
transmissions in the near future, company ofcials
said.—ZP
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