ZF Lifetec in WEDZ. [Photo/WeChat account: whkfq]
Liu Ziqing, Party secretary of the Wuhan Economic & Technological Development Zone (WEDZ) administrative committee, met with Andreas Schachtner, global R&D and testing head of ZF Lifetec, on Feb 24 to discuss enhancing collaboration and advancing the zone's industry innovation corridor.
Liu emphasized the authorities' commitment to fostering a market-oriented, law-based, and international business environment to support the development of the ZF Lifetec industry innovation laboratory, aiming to build a new ecosystem for automotive intelligent safety and R&D testing.
Schachtner highlighted the advantages of WEDZ, including its rich pool of educational and scientific talent, robust industrial ecosystem, and world-class business environment.
He added that the company plans to expand its R&D presence in Wuhan, deepen collaboration with local universities and research institutions, and transform its laboratory into Wuhan's first city-level industry innovation laboratory led by a foreign enterprise.
ZF Group, a global Fortune 500 company and one of the top three global automotive parts suppliers, offers an extensive range of products, including chassis systems, components, safety technologies, electronics, and sensor technologies.
ZF Lifetec was established in 2024 as a specialized branch focusing on automotive safety belts, steering wheels, and airbag solutions. It invested an additional 150 million euros ($177 million) in WEDZ that same year to build the largest airbag production base in the Asia-Pacific region, complete with an R&D center that serves the global market.
ZF Lifetec, in collaboration with Hubei University of Automotive Technology and the WEDZ, also established a laboratory dedicated to automotive intelligent safety in 2025.
