LAS VEGAS (Jan. 17, 2017) — Vehicle parts supplier ZF Friedrichshafen A.G. is combining its ZF Services and TRW Aftermarket units into one division — ZF Aftermarket — in a move designed to improve customer service, the company said.
ZF Aftermarket will market the TRW, Sachs, Lemförder, Boge and Openmatics brands of driveline, chassis and active/passive safety products.
ZF acquired TRW Automotive in 2015 and at the time integrated the operations in its Active & Passive Safety Technology Division. The combined company reported sales of $29.2 billion in 2015 and has a global workforce of about 135,000 with 230 locations around the world.
Tim Corcoran, managing director ZF Services, Region North America, will assist in the transition of the new structure as director, strategy and vision at ZF Aftermarket until his retirement on July 1, 2018.
Helmut Ernst, in charge of ZF Services, will become CEO of ZF Aftermarket.
As part of its plans for positioning the TRW brand, ZF is launching a multi-media campaign in North America to promote TRW as a "True Original,"
The company said it is using focused messaging aimed at all levels of the North American supply chain—distributors, technicians and the end user—"to generate a new wave of interest in the brand."
"TRW's Original Equipment credentials are vast, with over half of the world's vehicles equipped from new with the brand's products," said Mark Thorpe, vice president, TRW Aftermarket North America. "Over time we felt the acronym 'OE' had become distorted, generic and overused. This campaign strikes new life into the term 'original' by refocusing on its true meaning. Our intention is that when the market hears the term, it thinks of the TRW brand and all it stands for.
"By stating that TRW is the 'True Original,' we mean the total package; the way we act, everything we say and do as well as the passion and commitment we inject into product development."
The media and POS materials will convey the brand's more than 100 years experience as an OE supplier and how this translates into the aftermarket products, the company said.
The next phase of the True Originals campaign will explain the bigger picture of TRW Aftermarket's global Corner Module offering. The Corner Module refers to TRW's core areas of expertise: braking, steering and suspension and how they are manufactured to work in harmony within the corner of the vehicle, ZF said.