The joint venture between ZF Friedrichshafen and Kamaz, Russia’s largest commercial vehicle manufacturer, has officially opened its new production facility in Naberezhnye Chelny to assemble the Ecomid and Ecosplit commercial vehicle transmissions.
It is part of an investment package totalling EUR90m (US123m) which the partners are using to further expand capacities at the site by 2016.
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Stefan Sommer, ZF’s CEO, said: “With the expansion of production we laid an important foundation for the future. We are firmly convinced that this key market will develop positively.
Founded in 2005, the joint venture, in which ZF has a 51% share and Kamaz 49%, currently produces manual ZF transmissions for the Ecosplit (16-speed version) and Ecomid (nine-speed) product families – more than 95% for Kamaz, but also for other Russian manufacturers and trucks produced locally by importers.
The new building expands ZF Kama’s plant grounds from previously 4,000 to around 20,000 sq m, approximately by five times. This also significantly increases the volume produced by the joint venture. In 2016, up to 50,000 Ecosplit and Ecomid transmissions will come off the line in Naberezhnye Chelny a year, up from 20,000 units.
Headcount is to rise from the current 350 to at least 550 employees within the next two years.
