ZF has announced that its first Integrated Plastic Assembly (IPA) stabilizer bar link rod has entered mass production at its chassis components factory in Zhangjiagang, China. This milestone was achieved in just 14 months. The innovative lightweight design and advanced manufacturing processes not only expand ZF's product portfolio but also provide a new solution for the upgrade of chassis components in new energy vehicles (NEVs), demonstrating ZF's technical innovation capabilities in the face of market competition in the new energy sector.

To better meet the urgent demand for lightweight components in NEVs, ZF has introduced IPA ball joint designs and composite material link rods. These innovations have achieved breakthroughs in the lightweight design of IPA stabilizer bar link rods. The new design not only further reduces the weight of the product but also significantly optimizes production costs.

The IPA ball joint design replaces the traditional metal ball joint's multiple components, such as the metal shell, ball seat, and metal base cover, with a full plastic shell. This design change brings multiple advantages: reducing the number of parts simplifies part management and assembly in the production process; the reduction in part weight directly contributes to vehicle lightweighting; and the simplification of the production process further improves production efficiency.

The composite material link rod, made of glass fiber and polyester resin, achieves the dual goals of weight reduction and cost reduction while strictly ensuring product performance. It is estimated that the IPA stabilizer bar link rod is more than 15% lighter than traditional products. In the context of the growing trend towards low energy consumption and long-range driving in NEVs, this product has significant market competitiveness.

As an important practice in the Chinese market, ZF has always regarded the localization of advanced products and technologies as a core strategy. By implementing IPA technology and promoting the mass production of composite material components at the Zhangjiagang factory, ZF accurately meets the lightweighting needs of China's NEV industry. This not only realizes the localization of core technologies but also builds a supply chain system that can quickly respond to market demands. It actively addresses the fierce competition in China's NEV market and fully demonstrates ZF's strong innovation vitality and excellent market adaptability.

Steffen Reichelt, Global Head of Chassis Components Production at ZF, said: "The IPA process for stabilizer bar link rods is an important step for us to expand our product portfolio, continuously improve production processes, and maintain our competitiveness."

Jianfeng Si, Head of Chassis Components Production for the Asia-Pacific region at ZF, said: "Zhangjiagang is an important production base for our chassis components production line. The IPA stabilizer bar link rod, which uses composite material design for the first time, is the first domestic production project for one of our major European automotive customers. It is also their first use of IPA and composite material stabilizer bar link rods."

Relying on the global and Asia-Pacific resource coordination of ZF, the Zhangjiagang chassis components factory completed the project from initiation to mass production in just 14 months. The IPA production line has an annual design capacity of approximately 1.6 million units, and more projects are expected to enter mass production in 2026. This is not only an important milestone for the development of the Zhangjiagang chassis components factory itself but also fully demonstrates ZF's leading advantages in lightweight technology and intelligent production. It will further consolidate the group's core position in the global automotive components supply chain. In the future, ZF will continue to innovate and provide high-quality products and services to customers worldwide.

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Editor : Lucy

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