Dr. Stefan Sommer, who took office as CEO of ZF Friedrichshafen AG on May 1, 2012, gave a positive outlook for the North American market in 2012. The automotive supplier's 2011 sales grew by 46% in North America; and in the first quarter of 2012, sales increased by another 46% compared to the first three months of 2011. For the total 2012 business year, ZF expects a North American sales increase of at least 12%, to more than €2.4 billion ($3.105 billion*).
As the demand for ZF products continues; ZF is positioned for growth in the North American market through expansion of manufacturing capacity in new and existing locations to meet the needs of the regions manufacturers.
At ZF’s annual results press conference on April 27, 2012, Dr. Stefan Sommer and his predecessor, Hans-Georg Härter, reported ZF’s record sales of €15.5 billion in 2011, which is 20% more than the previous year. The North American market saw a particularly positive development, with sales of €2.318 billion, exceeding the previous year by 46%; two-thirds of these sales were achieved in the U.S.
Dr. Stefan Sommer assessed this trend as a stable one: "The capacities we are building up at our transmission plant in Greenville, S.C., have already been fully allocated to projects. We are intensively engaged in planning an increase in capacity to meet the demand for energy-efficient 8- and 9-speed automatic transmissions, which we will begin delivery of in 2013". The cost for building the Greenville transmission plant is expected to be €300 million.
ZF has also been successful with other products and product segments in North America, including axles and transmissions for construction machinery and gearboxes for wind turbines. In September 2011, ZF opened a new production location for wind turbine gearboxes in Gainesville, Ga. In total, ZF has 17 production locations in North America, with a total workforce of 6,100 (previous year: 5,060); 12 of these locations are in the U.S., where ZF has 3,170 employees (previous year: 2,400).
Dr. Stefan Sommer, a 49-year old PhD mechanical engineer, has worked for ZF since 2008, first as a member of the Board of Management, Suspension Division, of the former ZF Sachs AG in Schweinfurt. In 2010, he was appointed as a member of the Board of Management of ZF Friedrichshafen AG, where he was in charge of Corporate Materials Management. The ZF Supervisory Board appointed him successor of former ZF CEO, Hans-Georg Härter, in July 2011. Sommer's previous careers included working for ITT Automotive Europe GmbH at the Frankfurt, Germany, main location, and Continental AG, where he worked last as the senior vice president, EBS Customer Center.
