ZF LIFETEC opens first Asia Pacific headquarters in Shanghai

The passive safety system division that spun off from the ZF Group announced the official opening of its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Shanghai.

An opening ceremony was held on Thursday for the first phase of ZF LIFETEC's Asia-Pacific headquarters in Anting, Jiading District.

On March 25th, 2024, ZF Group, a global technology company providing mobility solutions, announced that it was spinning off its passive safety system division and naming it ZF LIFETEC to increase the division's independence and market appeal.

The nine-story building integrates functions including research and development, sales, purchasing, and finance, aiming at providing automotive occupants with safety systems such as steering wheels, airbags, and seat belts, in the Asia-Pacific region and globally.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the laboratories of the second phase of the headquarters was also held. The second phase is expected to contain a wide range of testing capabilities including an ignition laboratory and an electromechanical laboratory.

It is expected to be completed by June of next year.

Rudolf Stark, executive vice president of ZF LIFETEC, stressed China is the core market in the Asia-Pacific region, and the choice to site the Asia-Pacific center in Shanghai was spontaneous.

He praised the fast-developing Chinese original equipment manufacturers and hoped to keep up with their pace.

"Development speed matters a lot in China, and that's why we want to be close to our customers, with a test and development center soon to be constructed here," Stark said. "I believe that we can adapt to the quickly changing auto models here, with our research and test center directly in Shanghai."

ZF has a presence in most major cities in China, with over 50 production locations, nearly 240 after-sales service outlets, and approximately 20,000 Chinese employees.

It is also located in Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Australia.