Bernd Habersack is more bullish than most supplier chiefs these days. That's because ZF Group North America has been on a roll. The German driveline and chassis systems giant (2001 sales worldwide: $7.6 billion) has seen 30-percent annual growth in this market Its also on track to launch its continuously-variable transmission (CVT) joint venture with Ford Motor Co. in Batavia, Ohio, in 2003. Initial volume will be 350,000 units, ramping up to 1 million annually.
Habersack is president of ZF's North American Operations. He's also CEO of the company's Chassis Technology Division and head of Lemforder AG's (the chassis systems group) management board. He recently spoke with Editor Lindsay Brooke in Dearborn, Mich. (For a complete transcript of the interview, go to www ai-online.com).
Q: What's your business outlook for 2002?
A: There might be some problems. But we still expect to be in double-digit growth figures through 2005. Our forecast for North American light vehicle production is 15.2 million units. We see a bigger decrease in sales in the beginning of the year and a recovery in the second half of 2002.
Q: ZFs new 6-speed automatic, launched in the 2002 BMW 7-Series, seems like a natural for American light trucks and SUVs.
A: There is a lot of interest in it from the OEMs. It's smaller, lighter and the same price as our 5-speed automatics.
Q: Limited torque capacity continues to be a CVT issue for automakers.
A: Not just with the Mr, but with normal step-type automatics, too. In Europe it's absolutely terrible the torque capacity we're having to offer them - 550 to 590 pounds-feet for passenger cars! VW's 10-cylinder diesel requires a transmission capable of handling 590 pounds-feet
Q: The belt is the limitation?
A: Yes. We're starting to work with LUK's chain system, as used on Audi's new CVT, which it produces in house.
Q: Will CVTs eventually offer lower cost production than conventional automatics?
A: That's a good question, but we cannot answer it today. We will need volume to bring costs down. Currently our CVT is on roughly the same cost level as a regular automatic. But because its aimed at mid-range (B/C class and some D class) cars, which are more cost sensitive, we have to bring costs down further.
Q: What's driving your chassis-systems business?
A: Modules, including independent reardrive axles for both cars and trucks.
Q: What's ZFs supply-tier strategy for modules?
A: We want to be very flexible. We want to be No. 1 as a Tier 1, 2 or 3 with our corner modules or components.
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