IN FOCUS
VOLVO-ZF PARTNERSHIP
VOLVO-ZF BUS PARTNERSHIP CELEBRATED
Innovation, safety and reliability underwrite Volvo Bus and ZF’s decadeslong partnership in producing a gamut of quality buses together for the Australian market, the companies retrospectively concur.
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ith 2021 marking the 50th anniversary of Volvo Bus Australia (VBA), the company has reflected on its long-standing partnership with industry leading global parts supplier, ZF. Not long after Volvo Bus reached Australian shores in 1971, the company established itself as an automotive pioneer of quality, safety and environmental care, and became a well-connected industry original equipment manufacturer, it explains. Volvo Bus prioritised finding trusted and reliable industry partners to support its operations and customer success – with ZF being one of its earliest partners, it confirms. 24
Established in Friedrichshafen, Germany – 12 years prior to Volvo’s conception in Gothenburg, Sweden, in 1927 – ZF and Volvo both share European heritages and have, “...maintained similar visions since the beginning, in creating innovative, safe and reliable transport solutions,” they state.
LED ZEPPELIN Originally established to provide gears for Zeppelins and other airships, ZF became an agile manufacturer throughout the years in expanding its production across parts for a range of automotive vehicles and for industrial, marine and aviation applications, it says. While ZF officially opened its first office in Australia in 1987, VBA and ZF’s partnership
dates to the beginning of Volvo’s history in Australia in the early ‘70s. Throughout these early years, Volvo’s beloved B58 chassis was primarily fitted with ZF’s two-speed automatic transmission (2HP45) – providing comfort and safety in a city driveline, it explains. Throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s, ZF gearboxes evolved from four-speed to five-speed automatic transmissions and were worked into various other Volvo vehicles, including the B6 and legendary B10M. ZF later introduced its impressive six-speed transmission in the early 2000s, which Volvo quickly adopted into its proceeding models, including the B7R and B12.
ABC August 2021 busnews.com.au
ABC_408_024-25_InFocus_Volvo ZF FC.indd 24
16/08/2021 2:40:28 PM
