ZF celebrated the opening of its Guangzhou Technical Center in Huadu, Guangzhou, and announced the commencement of its Guangzhou Electronics Factory. This signifies ZF Group's accelerated shift towards "Next-Generation Mobility" and a rapid expansion in the South China market.
The ZF Guangzhou Technical Center is the fourth research and development center of ZF Group in China and the first in the South China region. It possesses core engineering technology R&D capabilities, focusing on software development, electromechanical integrated design, and system integration. It offers comprehensive technical solutions such as active safety systems, passive safety systems, autonomous driving, and electric drive systems.
The Guangzhou Technical Center will be developed in stages, including facilities like office buildings, laboratories, workshops, and test tracks. The unveiled phase is equipped with advanced labs and software and hardware testing environments. Future phases will feature test tracks for high-speed, dynamic, and autonomous driving scenario testing.
The ZF Electronics Factory located in Guangzhou's Huadu district is the second automotive electronics factory of ZF in China. This facility will continuously enhance the production capacity of products related to intelligent driving and software technology. Designed as a highly automated and intelligent global benchmark factory, the first phase covers an area of 12,000 square meters. It includes an industry 4.0 electronics manufacturing workshop that meets 100,000-level cleanliness requirements, storage, IT and other auxiliary production facilities, and modern offices in line with ZF's Office3.0 standards. The product lines cover ADAS, high-performance domain control, safety electronics, and chassis control. The factory is scheduled for mass production by 2025.
Stephan von Schuckmann, a director of the ZF Group, commented, "The establishment of these two institutions marks another significant advancement in our 'In China, For China' strategy. In China, one of the world's most cutting-edge, competitive, and rapidly evolving automotive markets, we will continue to invest in innovation and the future. We will further refine our strategic deployment in China, promoting the robust development of next-generation mobility."
The Pearl River Delta region is one of the country's largest automotive industrial clusters, complete with supply chains for traditional automotive manufacturing. The activation of the ZF Guangzhou Technical Center will inject energy into the R&D strength of Guangzhou's automotive industry. Utilizing the talented resources and strong technical prowess of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, ZF aims to further enhance its systemic solutions in autonomous driving and software technology, meeting the growing demand for its advanced technologies and boosting the development and upgrade of South China's automotive industry cluster.
Wang Runyi, Executive Vice President of ZF Group, President of China Region, and President of Operations in the Asia-Pacific region, remarked, "Guangzhou, especially Huadu, is the innovative center of the automotive industry in South China. The opening of the Guangzhou Technical Center and the laying of the foundation for the Guangzhou Electronics Factory reflect ZF's commitment to localized R&D and comprehensive supply chain localization. We aim to effectively utilize both global and local resources, continuously increase our investments in the Chinese market, and strengthen our core R&D and technical application capabilities. We will also enhance our software development capabilities and system integration capabilities, accelerating the process of localization, especially of key components, to meet local market demands and support the historical transformation of the Chinese automotive industry."
Leaders from the Guangzhou and Huadu districts stated, "Guangzhou is dedicated to the industrial-first strategy, fully supporting the innovative development of automotive enterprises, and striving to build an efficient automotive industry supply chain. We look forward to ZF playing a leading role in the industry, attracting more global partners to settle in Guangzhou. The city will continue to provide high-quality services, creating an excellent development environment, and collaborating with leading enterprises to elevate the development of the automotive industry."
Amidst the new wave of electrification, automation, and software-oriented shifts in the global automotive industry, the inauguration of ZF's Guangzhou Technical Center and the commencement of the electronics factory will undeniably bolster localized R&D, customer service, and outreach capabilities, hastening ZF's execution of its "Next-Generation Mobility" strategy in the Asia-Pacific region.
