German driveline and chassis technology developer ZF Friedrichshafen AG is venturing further into wind energy industry after receiving final clearance from antitrust authorities to acquire industrial gears and wind turbine gearbox segment from Bosch Rexroth.
ZF officially took over the segment from Bosch Rexroth on December 1. The two companies have agreed not to disclose the purchase price.
“We are extending our portfolio with large transmissions for industrial applications and mobile machinery through to tunnel drilling machines, and 600-ton mining excavators. The product range will also be extended in the Wind Power Technology business unit with gearboxes for turbines generating up to eight megawatts,” said the ZF Chief Executive Officer Dr. Stefan Sommer.
With this transaction ZF is taking over the two production locations of Bosch Rexroth AG in Witten, Germany, and in Beijing, China, as well as the service location in Lake Zurich, USA.
Two newly founded companies will be added to the Industrial Gears business unit in the guise of ZF Industrieantriebe Witten GmbH and the ZF Powertrain Systems (Beijing) Co., Ltd. Witten is the headquarters for the business unit, which is home to the company’s development and sales departments for large gearbox technologies, including wind turbine gearboxes.
Witten is also the production location of ZF’s existing Wind Power Technology business unit which is headquartered in Lommel, Belgium. Gearboxes for ZF’s wind power segment are produced in the Beijing facility.
“We see ideal future opportunities for the Industrial Technology division, especially in wind power technology,” said Wilhelm Rehm, responsible for Corporate Materials Management and Industrial Technology on the ZF Board of Management.
“Strengthening ZF’s non-automotive segment is an important objective of our long-term corporate strategy. We are supplementing our industrial technology portfolio optimally, while also opening up access to new markets and customer groups.”
Image: ZF