ZF to begin PowerLine production in the U.S.

ZF has announced that its PowerLine eight-speed automatic transmission production line has been installed and testing is underway. The new production line is part of a $200 million investment in the ZF Transmissions Gray Court, S.C., manufacturing facility. Production is slated to begin this fall and will primarily serve North American customers and markets.

ZF said its PowerLine eight-speed automatic transmission production line has been installed and testing is underway, with production scheduled to begin this fall. (Photo: ZF)

“The ZF PowerLine transmission, with its efficiency focused architecture, provides outstanding performance and comfort, and helps commercial vehicle manufacturers and fleets meet tough CO2 targets in a cost-efficient way,” said Christian Feldhaus, director Commercial Vehicle Driveline Systems, Americas, ZF Group. “We are pleased to announce the launch of the largest production capacity for PowerLine worldwide, serving our North American customers.”

Available to North American customers since 2021, the PowerLine transmission was introduced in Europe in 2020 and was initially produced at ZF’s global headquarters in Friedrichshafen, Germany. The

The ZF PowerLine transmission is designed to be used in trucks, buses, and other commercial vehicles and is based on ZF’s 8-speed automatic transmission family. (Photo: ZF)

Gray Court manufacturing facility, which opened in 2012 and has to date produced more than 7.3 million automotive transmissions, will be the first in the U.S. to produce the PowerLine transmission. Today, the 1,687,000 sq.ft. facility employs roughly 2700 people.

The new PowerLine project will employ more than 500 people and has the capacity to produce more than 200,000 transmissions per year. “PowerLine is full of great attributes focused on what matters - safety, total cost of ownership, efficiency, and reliability,” Feldhaus said.

The ZF PowerLine transmission is designed to be used in trucks, buses, and other commercial vehicles, up to some vocational Class 8 applications. It is based on ZF’s 8-speed automatic transmission family. The patented design provides a wider-spread gear range with fewer moving parts, reducing friction and improving fuel efficiency, the company said.