Meet Britain's Makers: ZF Lemforder

ZF GROUP — 11/10/2023

In the heart of Solihull, where the spirit of British engineering has thrived for decades, we find ZF Lemforder, a tier-one automotive supplier known for its commitment to excellence. Recently, Made in Group CEO Jason Pitt had the privilege of visiting their state-of-the-art facility, shedding light on a company that epitomises innovation and precision in the automotive industry.

Driving Excellence in Automotive

ZF Lemforder is no stranger to the world of automotive manufacturing. They are renowned for their work with some of the globe's leading automotive brands and their contribution to the aftermarket. This visit, however, was more than a cursory tour; it was part of the Made in Group's ambitious plan to showcase the best of British engineering through a series of plant tours in 2024.

Hosting the visit was none other than Adrian Chell, the Plant Director of ZF Lemforder UK. Adrian is not only an expert in his field but also a passionate advocate for the sector. His more than six-year membership in Made in the Midlands and his upcoming delegation to Westminster illustrate his commitment to promoting the manufacturing and engineering industry.

Best Practices for Sustained Success

Adrian Chell shared valuable insights into the practices that have enabled ZF Lemforder to maintain a prominent position in an industry known for its ultra-lean operations. The moment one steps into the facility, the immaculate shop floor, operating with a just-in-sequence system and overhead lines, reflects a well-planned and organised plant.

Walking along the elevated platform, Adrian takes pride in showcasing the "fundamental skills room." This room, although condensed compared to the larger shop floor, contains many essential tools and components. What makes it unique is the presence of spinal diagrams and a 3D printed model of a person lifting heavy objects. It's a room that wouldn't be out of place in a chiropractor's office. The model serves as a visual demonstration of the consequences of incorrect lifting and offers solutions to improve ergonomics in various tasks.
Interestingly, the idea for this "fundamentals room" was inspired by a best practice visit to another business, which ZF Lemforder then adapted and enhanced to suit their own needs.

Challenges and Strategies

During the visit, Adrian discussed the challenges facing the sector, particularly regarding automotive OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers). Many larger automotive companies diversified their business during the pandemic to mitigate risks. However, this diversification posed challenges in maintaining lean production while accommodating the flexibility often required.

Adrian also shared ZF Lemforder's strategy towards achieving Net Zero emissions. He emphasised the importance of two standards, ISO 14001 and ISO 50001, which, when combined, cover a significant portion of the groundwork required for environmental preparedness.
Recruitment is another challenge that Adrian addressed. He highlighted the scarcity of skilled individuals with the right aptitude for the sector, even in a central location like Solihull. Adrian called for governmental leadership to bridge the skills gap and prepare the workforce for the manufacturing and engineering industry.

With a surge in customer orders, ZF Lemforder is creating new permanent roles, alongside their successful agency model. This flexibility, especially in the automotive sector operating a just-in-sequence line, proves invaluable when customers need to halt production for various reasons.
ZF Lemforder's commitment to excellence, innovation, and sustainability makes them a beacon of British engineering. Their willingness to share their knowledge and practices with industry peers through initiatives like the Made in Group's plant tours ensures that the legacy of British manufacturing continues to shine brightly.

The Made in Group organises monthly industry meetups online and in person. For details about joining on of our best practice sessions visit www.madeinthemidlands.com or www.madeinyorkshire.com

cubiX: Start of production for new ZF automotive software

ZF GROUP — 10/03/2023

Intelligent networking of all chassis systems for optimally controlled longitudinal, lateral and vertical dynamics
“Over-the-air” software update and upgrade capability
Lotus Eletre electric SUV is the world's first production vehicle with the new ZF software

For a pleasant driving experience, the longitudinal, lateral and vertical dynamics of a vehicle must be harmoniously coordinated. This is especially true for automated driving, when the driver turns away from active driving and the focus is on comfort. This is where ZF's cubiX software comes into play: It controls all chassis systems and ensures harmonious acceleration and braking, precise steering, and balanced damping.

In the beginning of 2023, the first production vehicles with the new ZF cubiX software have been rolling on the roads: The Lotus Eletre electric SUV from the Geely Group has been delivered to the first customers since February. From the middle of the year, the vehicle will be available in Europe. ZF's software controls all chassis functions such as brakes, front and rear axle steering, and active roll stabilizers as well as the electric drive of the new sports car. Further production start-ups of the innovative ZF software will follow from 2023.

"With the series premiere of our cubiX software, we impressively demonstrate our system competence for vehicle dynamics of software-defined vehicles," says André Engelke, Head of the Vehicle Motion Control System House at ZF. "We can harmoniously control the entire longitudinal, lateral and vertical dynamics of the vehicle according to Lotus' specifications. The system know-how from the entire ZF Group meets decades of experience in the fields of braking and steering systems, active dampers, and driveline technology."

Conductor for Vehicle Dynamics

The cubiX software optimizes driving behavior with a view to comfort, dynamics and efficiency and also forms the basis for progressive driver assistance systems. As ZF's first pure software product, cubiX offers another decisive advantage: The platform is compatible with various actuators such as dampers, brakes or rear-axle steering – regardless of the manufacturer or the specific design. This gives manufacturers the flexibility to implement different model series with one and the same control platform without additional integration effort.

Future updates or upgrades to the software can be carried out "over-the-air" – i.e. wirelessly without a visit to the workshop. In this way, the software remains up to date throughout the vehicle's life, meaning that additional functions can always be added after the vehicle has been delivered.

Architecture Change in the Software-defined Vehicle

cubiX is an example of a decisive trend on the way to the software-defined vehicle: away from the many individual controls of hardware components, towards overarching domain and zone architectures. This development takes into account the increasing complexity of automotive control software. Until now, dampers, brakes or rear-axle steering have each had their own control unit that has had to be integrated into the overall architecture of the vehicle.

The new electrical and electronic vehicle architectures bundle all the software for a specific functional area of the car – known as the domain – on a central control unit. "This overarching control saves vehicle manufacturers effort as well as compromises in fine-tuning and driving dynamics in terms of vehicle performance, comfort and efficiency. At the same time, it gives them the chance to combine complex assistance systems," explains André Engelke. "With cubiX, we have such software that can be perfectly integrated into the new architectures."

cubiX was developed at multiple ZF sites globally (Germany, Czech Republic, Romania, UK, India, and China), the application project driven out of Region Asia Pacific.