ZF Group Aims to Create Latin American Engineering Hub

ZF Group, an international technology company supplying technology systems commercial vehicles and industrial technology, announced the start of operations at its new manufacturing plant and the construction of a R&D center, both at the Finsa Industrial Park in Guadalupe City, Nuevo Leon. The company said its projects will ensure Nuevo Leon becomes a key Latin American engineering hub.

According to the company, the construction of the 8,000m² manufacturing plant concluded in March 2022. The construction of the R&D center is planned to start this in May, to be fully operation by 2H23. More than 1,000 people will be required for the industrial park. Iván Rivas, Nuevo Leon’s Minister of Economy, mentioned that FZ’s project required an investment of over US$300 million.

“We are building a campus which consists of three parts: a factory to produce electronic products, an engineering center to develop programs and an administration center,” said Martin Fisher, President, ZF Group North America. 

“This is the first ZF center in America that handles multiple developing technologies. As the newest key location, it will soon grow to be important for the company,” added Jorge Vázquez, Leader R&D, ZF Group. 

Vázquez said that ZF chose Nuevo Leon for its friendly business environment: “The government has done a great job to make [Nuevo Leon] advance. The quality of public and private universities is excellent. People here are open to take on major challenges, and this is a huge challenge,” he added.

ZF Group will produce advanced steering assistance systems, such as sensors that detect people and objects to activate an anti-accident system. It also bets on self-driving car technology and electric vehicle applications at its new Nuevo Leon operation.

ZF Group is a German company. Historically, it has produced airbags, seat belts, steering wheels and brakes, among other products for automotive industry. Currently, Tesla is one of its most important clients. The company has had a presence in Mexico since 1965, with more than 25,000 employees. This makes Mexico ZF’s second-largest base, after Germany. It is also the German company with the biggest Mexican presence