ZF Group North American Operations, based in Northville, MI, today announced that ZF Sachs has been named the sole supplier of heavy-duty shocks for suspensions manufactured by The Holland Group, based in Holland, MI.
According to ZF, after significant testing under "severe" conditions in China and Mexico last year, The Holland Group began converting all of its truck and bus suspension systems to ZF Sachs shocks and expects the process to be completed within the next six months.
"This change clearly benefits our customers through increased durability of this important suspension component," said Roger Elkins, Holland product manager. "We have seen a substantial decrease in shock warranty claims through the change-over to Sachs. Our customers report increased shock life especially in our more severe-duty truck and bus applications."
"We're very pleased with this program, and will continue to work with Holland to make our products even better," said Jim King, sales manager, heavy-duty suspension for ZF Sachs, which describes itself as the world's largest manufacturer of OE shocks for commercial vehicles holding nearly 30% of the market.
King stated that ZF Sachs "works toward a goal of a 300,000-mile lifespan for every shock” and works directly with OE customers to establish very tight tolerance levels of performance and safety. He said that, over the long term, this reduces maintenance costs of the shocks themselves as well as tires and other more complex chassis components.
ZF Group North American Operations is a unit of ZF Friedrichshafen AG, a worldwide supplier of driveline and chassis technology headquartered in Friedrichshafen, Germany. The Holland Group, also a global supplier, specializes in coupling, lifting and vehicle suspension system products.
