ZF Appoints Ramiro Gutierrez as Head of North American Unit
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Ramiro Gutierrez is to become the top executive in North America at component manufacturer ZF, the company said June 4.
Gutierrez joined ZF from Howmet Aerospace, where he was president of engineered structures, but previously worked at ZF in sales from 2005 through 2017. He also has worked for automotive component manufacturers Aptiv and Dalphimetal.
Gutierrez will be based at ZF’s North American headquarters in Northville, Mich., and report to Peter Holdmann, a member of the German company’s management board.
“ZF has experienced an impressive transformation from a world-class provider of transmission technology to one of the largest global technology companies,” Gutierrez said. “We are helping make mobility safer and cleaner for everyone. I’m excited to be back with this team and to continue to strengthen our ability to help our customers with the future of mobility.”
Part of the ongoing changes at ZF, which bought Wabco Holdings in 2019, involve an expansion of commercial vehicle component production in the U.S. Some $500 million of capital expenditure at ZF’s Gray Court factory in South Carolina is underway, including ramping up output of commercial vehicle transmissions.
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ZF’s first PowerLine eight-speed automatic transmissions for commercial vehicles rolled off the production line at Gray Court in late 2023.
Powerline is an eight-speed automatic transmission designed for Classes 5-8 trucks. Almost 50,000 square feet of space at Gray Court is dedicated to PowerLine production. It was first produced for internal combustion engine vehicles and is now ready for hybrid engines.
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Meanwhile, serial production of the company’s AxTrax 2 electric axle platform for light-, medium- and heavy-duty vehicles is expected to start in the U.S. in 2025.
Gray Court is likely to see an expansion of the manufacturing of products for commercial vehicles in the coming years, Christian Feldhaus, vice president of commercial vehicle solutions, told Transport Topics in January.
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