ZF Group inaugurated its Electric Park Brake (EPB) production line at its Oragadam manufacturing facility in Tamil Nadu on Monday, marking the company’s expansion into complete industrialization of electronically controlled braking systems for passenger cars in India. The line has an annual production capacity of 800,000 units at peak and is supported by an expanding Indian supplier ecosystem for precision mechanical and electronic components.
The EPB systems are currently being supplied to leading Indian original equipment manufacturers and are integrated in recently launched all-electric passenger vehicles. The inauguration positions India as a manufacturing and engineering base for safety-critical, electronically controlled braking technologies within ZF’s global network.
Speaking during the inauguration, Akash Passey, President ZF Group India mentioned: “This localisation effort advances ZF’s ‘Make in India for India and the World’ strategy. This is a start of our growth story in India for serving domestic OEM demand while strengthening India’s role as a global supply hub for advanced braking systems. This line at Oragadam brings together our cutting-edge technology with our local manufacturing competence and deep engineering footprint to sever domestic and global markets. This is also a reflection of our long-term commitment to India as a hub for innovation and value driven manufacturing.”
Dr. Peter Holdmann, Board of Management member at ZF and head of Division Chassis Solutions highlighted: “As vehicle architecture evolves, braking systems are transitioning from mere mechanical assemblies to software-enabled safety technologies. ZF Group’s Electric Park Brake replaces conventional mechanical parking brakes with an electronically controlled system optimised for electric and software-defined vehicles. The system delivers low-drag performance to improve fuel efficiency and extend EV range, while significantly reducing noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH). All of which are critical for a smooth experience for the end user.”
Andreas Moser, Member of the Board of Management for the Commercial Vehicle Solutions and Industrial Technology Divisions and the India Region stated, “The future of mobility is being built in places that combine scale with innovation, and India is a key growth market. This Electric Park Brake line in Oragadam is a clear step forward on how ZF addresses local demand with global technologies, making mobility fit for the market and ready for the advent of the electric age. It signals a shift from volume to value-based requirements from leading OEMs and showcases our engineering depth. At ZF Group we count on India as a critical factor in shaping the next generation of global mobility and ZF Group’s role in it.”
The EPB technology replaces conventional mechanical parking brakes with electronically controlled systems designed for electric and software-defined vehicles. Integrated into the broader braking architecture, the EPB enables functions such as dynamic actuation, emergency braking support, and brake pad wear sensing.
The Oragadam facility is ZF’s tenth manufacturing site in Tamil Nadu and serves as an expansion plant for light commercial vehicles. The facility is central to ZF’s India growth roadmap but is not part of ZF Commercial Vehicles Control Systems India Ltd or its subsidiary.
ZF has deployed over 250 million EPB callipers across vehicles worldwide. The company reported sales of €41.4 billion in fiscal 2024 and operates 161 production locations in 30 countries with 161,600 employees worldwide.