ZF sets the course for further technology acquisitions – SÜDKURIER Online

The automotive supplier establishes a subsidiary company interesting companies to strengthen the group’s eye –

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Friedrichshafen, Germany – On the way from the conventional auto suppliers to diversified experts in mobility technologies, ZF has made a further organizational step forward: The Foundation, the group founded a society for the involvement of ZF technology companies. Like ZF, the telling, the so-called future Ventures GmbH, based in Friedrichshafen, Germany, in September their work. The company is to identify companies that are in for ZF interesting technology fields, and participation to implement. Thus, ZF follows a much broader Trend in the industry. Also, companies such as Volkswagen, Porsche and Trumpf had recently launched similar models, in order to make themselves fit for the digital age, also known as industry 4.0. Common to these approaches is the attempt to complement the established but difficult-to-maturing business model through a more agile, digital innovation-oriented concept outside of the narrow boundaries of the parent group.

“With the founding of future Ventures GmbH, we are able to fill technological gaps faster and develop new business fields”, says ZF CEO Stefan Sommer. ZF offer today all the technologies required for the Autonomous Driving of Cars and commercial vehicles is necessary. To maintain “this Position and permanently expand, we need fast access to innovative technologies,” said Sommer. “With the flexible and fast Instrument of the future Ventures, we make sure that the speed of innovation in the company is maintained.”

model of Silicon Valley

The holding company have no fixed Etatvolumen. “We are open at the top, if opportunities arise,” says Torsten Gollewski, managing Director of future Ventures GmbH. The automotive expert was last in the service of Audi, and in June 2016 Director of advanced development at ZF Friedrichshafen AG. There he is responsible for the strategic extension of ZF expertise, including through investments. Gollewski: “The corporate responsibility remains with the respective companies, because we do not want to take from the market.” The company had neither technologically nor geographically boundaries. Technological investments in key technologies of the future, the existing fields of business innovation or disruptive processes accelerate. “We look at why companies around the world, in Silicon Valley, in Asia, in Israel, but also in Berlin or elsewhere in Europe,” Gollewski.

Only recently has participated in ZF at various technology companies, with 40 percent of the Hamburg company Ibeo. The Friedrichshafen-based Software company double slash, ZF has acquired a stake of 40 percent.