As of Jan 1, 2022, ZF united its Commercial Vehicle Technology division and Commercial Vehicle Control Systems (formerly Wabco) divisions into the broader reaching Commercial Vehicle Solutions (CVS) division. This move folds Wabco, founded in Pittsburgh in 1869 as Westinghouse Air Brake Co., completely into the German company’s operations. This streamlines ZF’s stated mission to “significantly advance solutions for safe, sustainable and digitized transport.”
ZF anticipates better solutions and customer service across the globe as a result. The CVS division leverages around ZF 25,000 employees based across 61 locations in 28 countries. Fleet assets served include truck, trailer, bus, and light commercial vehicle.
“With the new CVS division, ZF is now positioning itself as the world's largest component and system supplier for the commercial vehicle industry,” said Wilhelm Rehm, member of the ZF Board of Management now responsible for the new division. “Thanks to our broad technological positioning and global market presence, we can offer our customers the key solutions they need to transform their product portfolio from a single source. Leveraging our regional structure, we offer significant advantages and close customer proximity for truck, bus and trailer manufacturers as well as fleet operators, wherever they are in the world.”
The move is expected to accelerate ZF’s 'Next Generation Mobility' corporate strategy as well.
“The global launch of ZF’s Commercial Vehicle Solutions division powerfully combines all of ZF’s commercial vehicle technology expertise and capabilities within one division and successfully concludes the integration of WABCO,” explained Julien Plenchette, senior vice president, Americas, CVS Division, ZF Group. “With our 100+ years of technology expertise, as well as a comprehensive CV aftermarket portfolio, ZF offers North American customers an unparalleled portfolio of fully integrated solutions to support truck, bus, coach and trailer OEMs and fleets across the full commercial vehicle lifecycle.”
A hint of what ZF is planning for the future was dropped at the 2021 American Trucking Associations' Technology & Maintenance Council Fall Meeting.
They include both advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and smart trailer solutions:
OnGuardMAX
An autonomous emergency braking systems that combines data integration with camera and radar sensors to detect, classify and react to moving and stationary vehicles and objects. OnGuardMAX goes into series production in 2022.
OnSideALERT passive lane change assist
A radar-based blind-spot detection system that supports drivers who are merging into adjacent lanes by checking the lanes for clearance to mitigate crashes. This covers the entire side of a standard Class 8 truck and 53-ft. trailer.
TailGUARD
A collision avoidance system for trucks similar OnGuardMAX, but in reverse. The brakes automatically activate if not applied by the backing-up driver when two feet from the object.
ReAX adaptive steering
Adapts to signals from the vehicle and analyzes driver input to provide smoother, more precise steering, helping to improve performance and reduce driver fatigue. ReAX launched with OnTraX lane keep assist last fall
TrailerCAST
Trailer telematics engineered to interpret and broadcast critical events enabling deeper fleet intelligence and delivering real-time vehicle insights to help maximize uptime. Powered by ZF cloud connectivity, TrailerCAST enables GPS position tracking and critical issue alerts. It also supports fleets with optimized planning of maintenance cycles. TrailerCAST is now available with TrailerFIT.