Large-scale casting as a location strategy: ZF strengthens Nuremberg plant with new facilities

The Nuremberg site currently produces transmission housings and aluminium assemblies for mechatronic units for various transmission variants. In future, the new lines will be used to produce housings for the successful latest-generation ZF 8-speed automatic transmissions used in passenger cars and light commercial vehicles. The transmission housings will then be delivered to ZF plants in Germany, Europe and the USA. The Nuremberg site will thus assume an important role within the group-wide production network.

Transmission housings are among the more demanding die-cast components in the powertrain. In addition to high requirements for dimensional accuracy and surface quality, integrated functional areas such as cooling and oil channels as well as subsequent mechanical processing play a central role.
 

To this end, ZF is investing in several new production lines in Nuremberg. Each line consists of a die-casting machine with a clamping force of 3,500 tonnes, an interlinked pre-processing system, fully automatic testing and integrated palletising. Although this takes ZF into new dimensions in die casting, the planned size of the casting cells remains well below what is technically possible today. The company therefore deliberately refers to ‘large-scale casting’ rather than megacasting, which is apparently not currently an issue.

Vertical integration

The concept is well advanced. ‘The technical details of the new plants are being worked out together with selected suppliers. This process is currently in its final phase.’ ZF did not want to say who would be supplying the new casting cells.

Another component of the future concept concerns vertical integration. It has been agreed to examine possibilities for integrating previously external processing steps. The design of the new lines follows this approach. ‘The design of the new production lines is value stream optimised, which means that we consider and design all production and logistics processes holistically,’ reports Oswaldo Linguevis. ‘In practice, this means that we are examining whether certain mechanical processing, assembly and testing processes that currently take place outside can be mapped within the new lines in the future.’ The outcome of this examination is still open. Whether and which steps will be integrated in concrete terms is being evaluated as part of ongoing economic and feasibility analyses.

Die casting and e-mobility

Die casting remains a key manufacturing process for the ZF Group in the context of electric mobility. ‘Aluminium die casting will continue to play an important role both for classic products and in electric mobility. In e-mobility, as in classic combustion engine technology, many aluminium parts are required, for example for electric axle drives, hybrid transmissions or range extender solutions,’ says Oswaldo Linguevis. 

The investment in new large-scale casting facilities shows that the Nuremberg site retains its industrial prospects despite structural restructuring. ZF is not entering the megacasting market but is instead focusing on highly automated series processes for complex components.