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www.marinelink.com 15phy is to not be foolish and make huge investments that can?t be stopped when the tough times come. We always try to be ready for what the market throws at us?So ZF today, a disciplined investor with a long-term outlook on the markets it serves, is targeting the commercial marine industry to power its growth.Commerical Maritime ExpansionPrevious to his eight years with the marine division, Schmid spent a decade on ZF?s automotive side of the busi-ness, a business which cumulatively ac-counts for nearly three quarters of the company?s annual intake. ?The Marine business unit within ZF was always the most international and global thinking of all divisions, and that?s really what at- tracted me to the position,? Schmid said. ?There are many differences (between auto and marine), starting with the way the business is handled; on the marine side it is more on a personal level. Here you?re dealing with smaller businesses, and today it is still more of a ?handshake? business. There is a lot more trust still here that seems to have disappeared in automotive.?ZF?s Marine business is a part of the Industrial Division of ZF, a division that includes marine, rail, aviation, off high- way and special driveline transmissions, a division that garners approximately 11% of the company?s annual sales. But while marine is still a relatively small part of the big picture, Schmid, who had just returned from annual man-agement meetings in Friedrichshafen, said that ZF?s board of directors has laid a clear mandate to invest in and grow the commercial marine business starting now. ?We have focused more heavily on the commercial activity, backed by our ac- quisition of a thruster company, which signaled that we really want to become a major force in that market,? Schmid said. In step, the company is in the process of expanding its product portfolio to the commercial marine sector, and Schmid was succinct in sizing up his company?s approach. ?At ZF, when we put our mind to it, we get it done. And the objective is clear: Become the dominant player in workboat transmissions for the foresee-able future.?Perhaps best known for its transmis-sions, ZF Marine Propulsion Systems offers a family of products to the mari- time sector, including transmissions, pod drives, steerable azimuth thrusters, con-trols, propellers and surface drives and tunnel thrustersStrength in Numbers The breadth and depth of ZF global engineering and R&D is a strong card in ZF Marine Propulsion Systems? deck, and there are some early signs that the company is well positioned for a strong run at signiÞ cantly increasing its com- mercial maritime business.First and foremost, it is backed by a Þ s-cally strong parent company that is not shy to invest heavily in R&D. ?A signi Þ -cant percentage (5 to 6%) of our prof-its are plowed back into Research and Development, but last year that number was signiÞ cantly higher,? Schmid said. Being held by a foundation also has its advantages, as Schmid said the company is not beholden to shareholder whim and expectation on a quarterly basis, allow-ing it to take and maintain long-term strategies. Another advantage is the ZF organization itself, as the Marine Pro- pulsion Systems division has access to a depth and breadth of industrial know how and R&D that is hard to match.?Certainly our advanced technology is a strength, but let?s keep it in perspec- tive: we?re talking about reversing trans-MR #9 (10-17).indd 15MR #9 (10-17).indd 159/5/2013 10:13:56 AM9/5/2013 10:13:56 AM
