SACHS Clutches announced Wednesday plans to move manufacturing stateside to a facility in Gainesville, Ga.
The company, which manufactures the ZF brand, cites an increase in the popularity of automated manual transmissions in North America as the driving factor for the move.
“With the new plant, we are pursuing the strategy of covering the growing demand for our products by localizing production in the market region itself,” says Rolf Lutz, member of the Board of Management of ZF Friedrichshafen AG, responsible for the Commercial Vehicle Technology division.
Production of clutches, clutch actuator systems and dual-mass flywheels for mid-size and heavy trucks started in March 2013.
The product range comprises of twin plate clutches with diameters of 14 and 15.5 inches for manual commercial vehicle transmissions. ZF also produces 17 inch clutches and the ConAct pneumatic actuator system – both products are suitable for automatic commercial vehicle transmission systems. The new plant has a production capacity of approximately 100,000 clutches per year for the North American market.
ZF says it plans to invest 700 million dollars (EUR 540 million) in North America by 2015.
The number of ZF employees in North America increased by approximately 700 in 2012, the company says.
An additional increase of more than 600 is planned in the U.S., ZF says.
NOTE: An earlier report incorrectly listed the state as Florida. The site of the new manufacturing facility will be in the State of Georgia.
