With a range of gearboxes or transmissions to accommodate power inputs ranging from 10 to 12,000 kW, the ZF Group, from its headquarters in Friedrichshafen in southern Germany, supplies the maritime world through its global network of branches and dealers.
Renowned for its German engineering precision and top quality, ZF Marine products cover every imaginable marine transmission requirement. In addition to gearboxes, ZF manufactures control systems, pod drives, surface drives, azimuth thrusters and hybrid systems. It is no wonder that ZF is the world’s biggest manufacturer of transmission systems.
"We supply a wide range of lightweight and robust transmissions suitable for all types of engines and propulsion systems, covering various applications such as motor yachts, watersports boats, and sail boats, but also patrol boats, ferries, and other commercial vessels," Massimiliano Cotterchio, Head of Marketing and Sales at ZF Padova, told Baird Maritime.
"These also cover a wide variety of transmissions for engine outputs, for all installation configurations – vertical offset, down-angle, coaxial and vee-drive. All the gears are calculated and optimised for minimum noise and maximum strength, and case hardened with precisely ground gear teeth for long life and smooth running."
Cotterchio said the company's product portfolio is continuously enhanced and adapted to market conditions. Safety, a long product lifecycle, comfort, and customers' interest are the top priorities as the portfolio is updated.
"One example of key market condition is the demand for the reduction of greenhouse gases," added Wolfram Frei, Head of Sales Commercial and Fast Craft at ZF Friedrichshafen. "To achieve this goal, ZF offers a broad portfolio of hybrid transmissions as well as transmissions for electric drives, hybrid modules, and complete hybrid drive solutions."
As a systems supplier, ZF can also provide electric and hybrid-capable thrusters, electric motors, power electronics, and control levers. Shipbuilders and fleet operators benefit not only from the already coordinated drive system from a single source, but can also reduce emissions and fuel consumption. In addition, operators of hybrid ships can continue to sail in electric mode in harbours and waters that are off-limits to vessels with conventional propulsion systems.
"The ZF Hybrid Module is one of the latest additions to the hybrid portfolio and is a real novelty," said Frei. "With the Hybrid Module, ZF combines its established ZF 3300 PTI transmission, which can cover a power range of up to 1,940 kW at 2,450 rpm, with an application-specific electric motor in the options 150 kW, 200 kW, and 300 kW. The key feature is an all-new supporting frame.
"The combination of these two technologies in one propulsion system ensures adequate interaction and optimum power output in a comparatively compact design.
"This plug-and-play approach, which is unrivalled in the market, simplifies the installation of the module and the maintenance of the e-motor," added Frei.
Another highlight introduced recently by the company is the new propulsion control family ZF TotalCommand, which includes advanced functionality to complement ZF’s transmission technology, including improved clutch responsiveness, optimised control of proportional valves, and adaptive gear engagement.
"It provides boat skippers with improved control and precision with smooth shifting and seamless transitions between operating modes," Cotterchio told Baird Maritime. "It also features control levers and a joystick designed by Italy's Giorgetto and Fabrizio Giugiaro."
Cotterchio said the demand for marine propulsion solutions was booming in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, and so ZF was compelled to significantly increase its production capacity over the last three years. The year 2023 was the company's record year in terms of sales, and 2024 shows promise for businesses to return to pre-Covid levels. This would be especially true for operators of small vessels impacted by interest rates and inventory increases.
"The next year will tell us more about new marine market trends thanks to an expected reduction in interest rates and the normalisation of boat dealers' stocks," added Cotterchio.
Both Cotterchio and Frei believe gearbox technology and shaftline installations will continue to support mobility in marine sector in the coming years. However, integrated propulsion systems, like ZF's POD systems, will become popular among operators of recreational and professional vessels.
"The ZF POD system offers integrated propulsion and steering systems for large vessels of all types," said Cotterchio. "It ensures unprecedented propulsion efficiency, easy manoeuvrability, an increase in available onboard space, and enhanced comfort and reliability, no matter what application."
The POD is compatible with a broad selection of main marine OEM engines. A key feature to help boat builders during installation is the simplified installation procedure (both tunnel and deadrise design supported), which allows for positioning of the drives inside the engine room from either top or bottom.
"The system also offers an extremely compact design, and the electro-hydraulic steering unit is highly reliable," said Cotterchio. "State-of-the-art mechanical solutions and integrated sensors ensure ease of maintenance and reliability over the lifetime of the vessel."
There are also interfaces with the main navigation systems and thrusters, while the joystick system provides the helm operator with simple and intuitive vessel control. Engines and PODs are automatically controlled together, allowing greater operator control during 360-degree rotations and complex pier-side manoeuvres.
"The joystick regulates engine speed while automatically compensating for current, wind, or other external forces to provide the precise speed needed for smooth manoeuvring and easy docking," Cotterchio told Baird Maritime. "This means operating boats becomes less stressful, in addition to being much simpler and safer."
"As propulsion systems are gravitating from purely IC engine drives to hybrid or purely electrical driven vessels, our gearbox technology also evolves," said Frei. "We were already prepared when the market was requesting gearboxes for parallel hybrid applications, and we have updated a large model range of gearboxes for such propulsion systems. We can also offer other components in addition to the transmission, such as electric motors, control units and power electronics."
Frei added that, in a year's time, ZF will also have a new range of gearboxes that are redesigned to fit easily in purely electrical driven vessels. The first version of those new models will already be available by the third quarter of 2024.
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