AWARDS 2024 | Best Gearbox Supplier – ZF Group
The Friedrichshafen, Germany-headquartered ZF is the world’s largest manufacturer of gearboxes or transmissions. The company dominates the maritime market for which it also provides advanced propulsion systems.
Gearboxes, obviously, involve intensely precise engineering and require endlessly reliable strength and durability. And, as engines and propulsion systems continue to evolve, refine and improve, so must the gearboxes and transmissions that link them. ZF products do exactly that.
"All the gears are calculated and optimised for minimum noise and maximum strength, case hardened with precisely ground gear teeth for long life and smooth running," Massimiliano Cotterchio, Head of Marketing and Sales at ZF Padova, told Baird Maritime when asked what makes the company's gearboxes preferred by vessel owners and builders.
As Cotterchio explained, ZF supplies a wide range of lightweight transmissions suitable for all types of engines and propulsion systems, covering every application from motor yachts, watersports boats and sailboats to patrol boats, ferries and other commercial vessels.
There is a variety of transmissions for engine outputs, for all installation configurations – vertical offset, down-angle, coaxial and vee-drive.
"Besides transmissions, the ZF product portfolio includes propellers, steering systems and CAN-bus-compatible electronic control systems, azimuth thrusters, tunnel thrusters, sail drives and pods as well as transmissions for hybrid and electric applications."
"The product portfolio is continuously enhanced and adapted to the market conditions," added Wolfram Frei, Head of Sales Commercial and Fast Craft at ZF Friedrichshafen. "Safety, a long product lifecycle, comfort as well as the customers' interest [are the] first priority."
One example cited by Frei is the demand for the reduction of greenhouse gases. To achieve this goal, ZF began offering a portfolio of hybrid transmissions as well as transmissions for electric drives, hybrid modules and complete hybrid drive solutions.
As a systems supplier, ZF also supplies electric and hybrid-capable thrusters, electric motors, power electronics, and control levers.
"Shipbuilders and fleet operators benefit not only from the already perfectly coordinated drive system from a single source but can also reduce emissions and fuel consumption," said Frei. "In addition, captains of hybrid ships can continue to sail in electric mode in harbours and waters that are closed off to purely conventional ships."
Frei added that the ZF hybrid module is one of the latest additions to the hybrid portfolio and is, "a real novelty". The module combines the company's established PTI transmission, which can cover a power range of up to 1,940 kW at 2,450 rpm, with an application-specific electric motor in the options 150 kW, 200 kW and 300 kW and with an all-new supporting frame.
"The combination of these two innovative technologies in one propulsion system guarantees perfect interaction and optimum power output in a comparatively compact design," said Frei. "This plug-and-play approach, which is unrivalled in the market, simplifies the installation of the module and the maintenance of the e-motor."
Another product introduced in 2023 and 2024 is the new propulsion control family that includes advanced functionalities to complement ZF’s transmission and pod technology, including improved clutch responsiveness, optimised control of proportional valves, and adaptive gear engagement.
"It provides captains unprecedented control and precision with smooth shifting and seamless transitions between operating modes," Cotterchio told Baird Maritime. "The control levers and joystick were designed by the Italian designers Giorgetto and Fabrizio Giugiaro."
Cotterchio remarked that the demand for marine propulsion solutions was "booming" in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and ZF had been requested to significantly increase its production capacity.
"The year 2023 was our record year in terms of sales with an unprecedent amount of product supplies," said Cotterchio. "In 2024, we saw a return to pre-covid business levels especially for small vessels impacted by interest rates and inventories increase."
Cotterchio believes 2025 will reveal more about new marine market trends as impacted by an expected reduction in interest rates and "normalisation" of boat dealers' stocks.
"Gearbox technology and shaftline installations will continue to support mobility in the marine sector in the upcoming years," Frei remarked, "but more and more integrated propulsion systems, like our pod systems, will increase popularity both for recreational and professional vessels."
Frei explained that the ZF pod system offers integrated propulsion and steering systems for large vessels of all types, ensuring, "unprecedented propulsion efficiency, easy manoeuvrability, more onboard available space and top comfort and reliability, no matter what application."
Frei said one pod product is compatible with all main marine OEM engines, and that a key feature to help boatbuilders during installation is the simplified installation procedure (both tunnel and deadrise design supported) that could be arranged by positioning the drives inside the engine room from top or bottom.
"Further advantages are the extremely compact design and reliability of the electro-hydraulic steering unit, while state of the art mechanical solutions and integrated sensors ensure ease of maintenance and high reliability over the lifetime of the vessel. Interfaces with main navigation systems and thrusters are also available."
Frei said the joystick system will provide the helmsman with simple and intuitive vessel control, while the engines and pods can be automatically controlled together to provide ease of control.
"Moving parallel to the dock, 360-degree rotation on the spot, and other complex manoeuvres are now easy operations," Cotterchio told Baird Maritime.
"The joystick will regulate engine speed while automatically compensating for current, wind or other external forces to provide the precise speed needed for smooth manoeuvring and easy docking. This means driving a pleasure craft becomes less stressful as well as simple and safe."
Cotterchio said that as propulsion systems are developing further from purely IC engine drives to hybrid or purely electrical driven vessels, ZF's gearbox technology changes at the same pace.
"We have been prepared when the market was requesting gearboxes for parallel hybrid applications, and we have updated a range of gearboxes for those propulsion systems. ZF can also offer other components in addition to the transmission, such as electric motors, control units and power electronics."
"So far, ZF has sold more than 150 gearboxes for vessels with hybrid drives, and the number is growing all the time," added Frei.
"Around one year from now, we will also have a new range of gearboxes that are redesigned to perfectly fit to purely electrical driven vessels. The first version of these new models will already be available in the third quarter of 2024."
For a list of the 2024 "Best Of" award winners, please click here.
