Passau works to double capacity
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THE NAME OF ZF has become synonymous with transmission and steering technology to such an extent that the activities of the group in other sectors have been overshadowed.
However, with the recent completion of Europe's most modern gearbox assembly building at the main Friedrichshafen plant, the focus of interest has now shifted to Passau. A DM190m (£44m) investment programme was launched here last year to double manufacturing capacity of the original ZP (Zahnradfabrik Passau, a wholly owned ZF subsidiary) plant on the bank of the Danube.
The awkwardly shaped site between steeply rising ground and the river prevented further extension of production facilities and a new location was selected at Patriching, about five miles away. Construction work is now in full swing on the site for completion of the first phase by the spring of 1983, and of the entire scheme by 1985.
ZP employs around 4,200 and had an output in 1981 of 40,000 axles and 28,000 transmissions for agricultural tractors, forklift trucks, construction plant and other off-road vehicles. It is also the group's main supplier for more specialised products, such as auxiliary transfer boxes and hydrostatic hub drives as used, for example, in combine harvesters. Truck mixer drives are also made at Passau, The group's export ambitions are high, for it is expected that by 1983 — with the exception of the US maker's programme — all such equipment fitted in North America will be sourced from ZP.
As pressure on the manufacturing capacity at the riverside plant is eased by the phasing in of the new works at Patriching, ZP intends to place a greater emphasis on axle production. The current programme includes planetary steering axles, rigid axles and tandem axles, as well as nondriven steering axles for many applications, such as for dump trucks and crane•carriers. Already, Kassbohrer in Germany and Menarini in Italy are among users of ZP psv axles.
The expansion programme provides for the introduction of the AV130 portal axle which has been designed by ZP specifically for city and inter-urban buses of the new "low floor" type. The arrangement of the lightweight axle casing and offset driveline enable rear-engined vehicles to have a door (which may serve as the main boarding access • depending on operating practice) behind the drive axle, while a level floor may betaken through to the main saloon. Clearance of the drop centre portion between the wheel carriers is 934mm.
The new AV 130 design is suitable for rigid or artic buses up to a gvw of 24 tonnes, an axle load of 13 tonnes and engine ratings of up to 235kW, but it can also be specified for midengined vehicles. Other options are listed for electrically powered buses (trolley or battery).
There is, additionally, another variant, which gives a tantalising glimpse of what may be seen on the bus of tomorrow. This dispenses with the differential and has independent drive shaft side entries for each wheel for use when hydraulic motors are specified as part of a hydrostatic power transmission system.
ZP axles for psv use also include the A 130 direct-drive type for a maximum axle-load of 11 tonnes and a gvw of up to 21 tonnes, depending on the diff/final drive ratio selected. The bevel drive can be supplied in an alloy housing to give weight savings of up to 34 kg.
Backed by the research and development facilities of the parent company's Friedrichshafen base, the systematic extension of wellproven axle technology to the psv sector will eventually make E major contribution to the financial results of the Passau works. Current estimates provide for the turnover of ZP to double to around DM 850 millior in the six year period 1980-1986.