The ZKW Group’s revenue was maintained at a high level of €1.25bn despite the difficult conditions in the international automotive industry. At the end of the year, the ZKW Group employed around 10,000 people at 10 locations in eight countries.
The plant in Silao, Mexico will be expanded with 19,000 m2 of new production space by the end of this year, and there are plans to double the staffing level by 2023. High-quality headlamps for premium car manufacturers such as BMW, Daimler, Ford, GM, Navistar, Nissan, VW, and Volvo are produced there. ZKW are investing a total of €67m at the site. The current area of the ZKW plant in Silao, Mexico, will be expanded from 22,000 to 41,000 m2. The extension will be equipped with state-of-the-art technologies for the manufacture of innovative automotive lighting systems. Completion is scheduled for this October, and the start of production is scheduled for August 2021. The number of employees is to rise from 700 at present to around 1,400.
The past financial year did not bring ZKW new record revenue due to the automotive crisis. Nevertheless, the signs are pointing to growth: Since last year, they’ve added a branch in Incheon, Korea. The former location of LG Electronics serves the development and distribution of rear lamps for the Asia-Pacific automotive market. The LG site in Ningbo, China, where rear lamps are produced, was also integrated. Furthermore, ZKW expanded plants in Slovakia and Mexico with additional capacities. Altogether, more than €210m will be invested.
Sensors and cameras are integrated into the headlights as part of “Project Dragonfly”, to make vehicles fit for autonomous driving. Thanks to artificial intelligence, the sensors can recognise other road users and road signs, calculate distances and speeds, and generate control commands for the vehicle. Digital light from ZKW supports the sensor technology.
With high-resolution lighting systems, solutions for AV and innovative styling, ZKW are developing into a dynamic, globally active group. “Our goal is a 360° offering for the automotive industry. The expansion of the product range to include the rear lamps business is a milestone for ZKW”, KKW CEO Schubert said.