OE Quality Remanufacturing

A new brand will be arriving in the UK in the first quarter of 2007. ZF Trading UK will be launching the ZF parts brand of steering racks and pumps. This will complement the existing range of powertrain, suspension and steering products already sold under the company’s SACHS, LEMFÖRDER and BOGE brands. The new range will include power-steering mechanisms such as rack-and-pinion systems as well as a comprehensive list of steering pumps. With experience and expertise gained from supplying the Original Equipment (OE) market, the range is also able to cover the latest developments including the Servotronic speed-dependent steering system. Expertise from first hand experience ZF Parts is the latest brand from the ZF Group, one of the world’s leading suppliers to the automotive industry. ZF Lenksysteme GmbH, a joint venture between ZF and Bosch, develops and manufactures state-of-the-art steering gears and steering pumps for all major automotive manufacturers. This technological expertise is now also available in the replacement parts market. ZF Parts steering components for cars and commercial vehicles Ideally steering should be lightweight and comfortable to use, not require too much effort when parking – and of course it should respond as directly as possible at high speeds. But that is not everything: a good steering system also smoothes out any shocks and gives the driver a good feel for the road surface. Behind this system increasingly lies cutting-edge technology which relies more and more on highly advanced electronics. From this it is possible to appreciate that remanufacturing of steering parts is a process that requires rigorous quality control and procedures to ensure that the remanufactured component reaches the same construction, safety and performance levels as the original equipment item. This was uppermost in the minds of ZF engineers when putting together this new range of steering components. As good as new – thanks to our professional remanufacturing scheme At ZF the same principle is applied to all components: any parts which cannot be remanufactured to within the tolerances specified by the vehicle manufacturer for the original equipment are replaced with new parts from series production. There is a direct link between the remanufacturing process used for ZF Parts steering components and the manufacturers’ quality norms that govern production in ZF Lenksysteme GmbH’s plants. These same high quality standards apply to both new and remanufactured parts, drawing upon the technology and know-how that have been accumulated as an OE manufacturer. ZF refurbishes every component according to the strictest quality standards including certification under VDA 6.1 and QS 9000 and the environmental standard DIN EN ISO 14001. In addition regular audits of production facilities are carried out in accordance with automotive manufacturers QS systems. To ensure consistent quality standards, ZF believe that a part should only be remanufactured once. To ensure this, every component is marked to identify it and should it be returned it is immediately withdrawn from circulation. All components that cannot be refurbished to tolerances prescribed by automotive manufacturers are replaced by new original equipment parts and all seals and plastic parts are always renewed. These stringent procedures are the only way to ensure the consistent quality, safety and performance required to match that of a new OE part. Once the carefully controlled remanufacturing process is finished, the units are then subjected to the strictest testing. The ZF Parts range is supported by a brand new 200 page catalogue, which lists more than 750 original replacement parts in a clear and user friendly structure.