ZF Friedrichshafen AG (meaning Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen Aktiengesellschaft which was until 1992 the name of the company) is a leading supplier of automobile transmissions. The company was founded in 1915 in Friedrichshafen, Germany to produce gears for zeppelins and other airships but moved into the automobile market by 1918. The company helped produce the airship Hindenburg as well as truck parts for Hitler's war effort. ZF is also known for designing and, amongst other firms, manufacturing the transmissions for most German Panzers of World War II. ZF's most famous World War II-era transmissions are SSG 76 and 77 Aphon synchromesh transmissions used on tanks in the 20 tonne range. War-time transmission production also icluded the Panther tank's AK 7-200 synchromesh. After the war, the company was allowed to resume business producing automobile transmissions and other parts. The German term Aktiengesellschaft (IPA /aktsiÉ™ngÉ™zεlʃaft/) (abbreviated AG) means a corporation which is limited by shares, , owned by shareholders. ... Karl Benzs Velo model (1894) - entered into the first automobile race An automobile (or motor car) is a wheeled passenger vehicle that carries its own motor. ... Image:Gearbox. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Friedrichshafen is a town on the northern side of Lake Constance (Bodensee) in southern Germany, near the borders with Switzerland and Austria. ... Spur gears found on a piece of farm equipment. ... Painting of the famous Zeppelin Hindenburg. ... USS Akron (ZRS-4) in flight, November 2, 1931 An airship or dirigible is a buoyant aircraft that can be steered and propelled through the air. ... Karl Benzs Velo model (1894) - entered into the first automobile race An automobile (or motor car) is a wheeled passenger vehicle that carries its own motor. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... Hindenburg may refer to: Paul von Hindenburg (1847 – 1934), German general in World War I and president of Germany (1925 – 1934) Oskar von Hindenburg (1883 – 1960), son of the former Carl Hindenburg, mathematician Named after Paul von Hindenburg: Hindenburg in Oberschlesien, from 1915 to 1945 the name of the city... Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945, standard German pronunciation in the IPA) was the Führer (leader) of the National Socialist German Workers Party (Nazi Party) and of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. ... PzKpfw V-D, a Panther tank   Panzer? is German for armour. ...

In the 1960s, the company began supplying transmissions to the major German automakers, including DKW and BMW, as well as Peugeot and Alfa Romeo. A popular automatic transmission (the 3 HP 20) was introduced in 1969 which was designed to be an easy swap with the company's manual transmissions. In 1972, the company acquired Borg-Warner, a major competitor. Worldwide subsidiaries and factories were opened in the 1970s, and the company moved into India, South Korea, and became a major supplier to Ford in the 1980s. The company expanded into China in the 1990s. The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... DKW Auto Union logotype Dampf-Kraft Wagen (German: steam-powered vehicle) or DKW is an historic car and motorcycle marque. ... BMW AG (an acronym for Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, or in English, Bavarian Motor Works), is an independent German company and manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles. ... Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën. ... Alfa Romeo is an Italian automobile manufacturing company, founded as Darracq Italiana by Cavaliere Ugo Stella, an aristocrat from Milan in partnership with the French automobile firm of Alexandre Darracq. ... An automatic transmission is an automobile gearbox that can change gear ratios automatically as the car or truck moves, thus freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually. ... 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ... A manual transmission (also known as a stick shift, straight drive, or standard transmission) is a type of transmission used in automotive applications. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... BorgWarner is a U.S. automotive parts supplier, known for its automatic transmissions and turbo chargers. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... Ford Motor Company is an American multinational corporation and the worlds third largest automaker based on vehicle sales in 2005. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... See also 1990s, the band Germans dancing on the Berlin Wall in late 1989, the symbol of the cold war divide falls down as the world unites in the 1990s. ...

The company is also known for its truck and bus automatic transmissions. ZF gearboxes are the among the most commonly used in buses. Among the most popular products for buses is the Ecomat series automatic transmission, introduced in 1980. An automatic transmission is an automobile gearbox that can change gear ratios automatically as the car moves, thus freeing the driver from having to shift gears United States since the 1950s have had automatic transmissions. ...

With the rise in popularity of the semi-automatic transmission in trucks and buses, ZF has also introduced one of its own, named the ASTronic. Semi-automatic transmission, or also known as clutchless manual transmission or automated manual transmission, is a system which uses electronic sensors, processors and actuators to do gear shifts on the command of the driver. ...

Lemförder, ZF Sachs, and Boge are all divisions of ZF specializing in original equipment and after-market solutions for the auto industry.

See also

• List of ZF transmissions

ZF Friedrichshafen AG transmissions. ...

External links

• Official website