ZF Friedrichshafen AG, also known as ZF Group, originally Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen, and commonly abbreviated to ZF, is a German car parts maker headquartered in Friedrichshafen, in the south-west German state of Baden-Württemberg. Specializing in engineering, it is primarily known for its design, research and development, and manufacturing activities in the automotive industry.

It is a worldwide supplier of driveline and chassis technology for cars and commercial vehicles, along with specialist plant equipment such as construction equipment. It is also involved in rail, marine, defense and aviation industries, as well as general industrial applications. ZF has 188 production locations in 31 countries with approximately 158,000 (2021) employees.

(Wowtimes) ZF’s history and achievements

• 1915: The company was founded in Friedrichshafen, Germany by Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH, to produce gears for Zeppelins and other airships.
• 1919: ZF had moved into the automobile market, a move consolidated by the terms of the Treaty of Versailles.
• 1921: The company went public as the Zepernicker Zahnradfabrik
• 1927: Zahnradfabrik moved to Friedrichshafen and changed the name to ZF Friedrichshafen
• 1932: ZF launched the steering systems production under a license

• 1961: ZF developed a fully automatic transmission for passenger cars. The 1960s saw ZF supplying transmissions to major German automakers (including DKW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, and BMW) as well as Peugeot and Alfa Romeo.
• 1977: Start of volume production for automatic transmissions for commercial vehicles. Worldwide subsidiaries and factories were opened in the 1970s, and the company moved into India and South Korea.
• 1980s: ZF started operating in Asia
• 1986: Start of USA transmission production in Gainesville, Georgia, for pickup trucks. ZF became a major supplier to Ford in the 1980s.
• 1994: Development of an automatic transmission system for heavy commercial vehicles. The company expanded into China in the 1990s.
• 2002: ZF presented the world's first 4-point link – a newly developed chassis module for trucks and buses.
• 2003: First deliveries of the Active Steering systems for passenger cars.
• 2005: The 10-millionth airbag casing, the 5-millionth passenger car axle system, and the 2-millionth 'Servolectric' electric power steering system are delivered.
• 2006: ZF produced the 10-millionth passenger car automatic transmission.

• 2013: ZF Opened Passenger Car Transmission Plant in the U.S.
• 2020: ZF Friedrichshafen AG entered a partnership with Aeva Inc to put Lidar sensors, a sensor for self-driving vehicles, into production.

According to Wikipedia