ZF Wind Power Plant Celebrates Ten years of Innovation in India
ZF Friedrichshafen AG – Having started its operations in India in 2006, ZF’s Wind Power plant today celebrated a new milestone with the completion of 10 years of operational excellence. On the occasion, customers, suppliers and employees who have demonstrated their passion and commitment toward the growth of the plant in India were felicitated.
Global demand for renewable energy is increasing day by day and wind power is the most attractive alternative in terms of energy costs, demonstrating continuous improvements. The importance of the Wind Power Technology business unit is subsequently continuing to grow within the ZF group.
ZF Wind Power Coimbatore Pvt Ltd., (ZF WPC) today is a lively operation that employs more than 800 people and stretches across 98,000 sq.mtrs of built up area in 61 acres of land. This is the only fully integrated wind turbine gear box manufacturing facility in the country and has significant market share in India.
Dr. Klaus Geissdoerfer, Head of ZF’s Industrial Technology Division said: “India has a young, diversified talent pool with high levels of technical skills and competencies which makes the state favorable for business and investments today. We have harnessed the skill set present in the country to develop world class technology solutions for our customers across the world. ZF plans to increase its development capability in India which will aid in accelerating product development for local and global applications along with digitalization products and processes.
Commenting on the occasion, Jan Willem Ruinemans, Head of ZF’s Wind Power Technology Business unit, added, “At ZF Wind Power, our focus is to provide fully-integrated intelligent products for the demanding market and be the number one choice for our customers. The main parameter for success in the segment is its low operational cost and minimum downtime of the equipment for which ZF has weight and size optimized wind turbine gearboxes. These are powerful and cost effective at the same time and gives us a clear advantage over our competitors. The goal of ZF is to work very closely with our customers and have a very good relationship with them. Customers are the main focus and cost-awareness is the main priority for ZF. The company places a high priority on partnering with its customers in every aspect of wind turbine gearboxes, from design to manufacturing to after-sales service. We believe the world deserves renewable energy for a more sustainable future. As a technology leader we are passionate to help our customers reducing the Levelised cost of electricity(LCoE) of wind energy and make wind the leading renewable energy source. Therefore we are really happy that top international manufacturers of wind turbines have selected ZF WPC as their supplier.”
A significant portion of production from this plant is destined for globally demanding wind markets like the US, Europe, Korea, China and South America. This plant supplies gearboxes to various manufacturing locations of leading manufacturers of wind turbines like Gamesa, Suzlon, GE Energy and Vestas. The plant also supplies transmissions and axles to major CE manufacturers like JCB, Hyundai Heavy Construction, Tata Hitachi and more.
Machining of castings, gear cutting and gear finishing, heat treatment including nitriding, assembly, testing and painting are all performed under one roof providing more flexibility and control over quality.This milestone of the ZF Wind Power Plant reinforces ZF’s role as a global player and its commitment of having a strong footprint in a growth region like India”, said Mr. Suresh KV, country head for ZF in India. “We are proud that the Coimbatore plant is one of the most important and best-in-class manufacturing units of ZF today. We look forward to Coimbatore plant (ZF WPC) developing on its performance and addressing the demanding global environment.”
