Tobias Brugger, Vice President and Plant Manager, ZF Gray Court

Tobias Brugger is the Vice President and Plant Manager for ZF Gray Court and has served in a dual role as Operations Lead for the North America Region for ZF’s Electrified Powertrain Division since 2022. This includes all North American plants (three in the U.S., two in Mexico) for operational and strategic topics within the division.

Mr. Brugger started his professional career as an industrial mechanic apprentice and worked as a Machining Operator after completion of his apprenticeship in Germany. He started his professional career in 2006 at ZF Group as Manufacturing Engineer in Friedrichshafen, Germany.

In 2012, he moved to ZF do Brasil in Sorocaba, Brazil and became a Senior Production Manager for Machining and Heat Treatment. In 2015, Brugger moved to the U.S. to ZF Transmissions Gray Court in South Carolina, as Senior Operations Manager for Machining and Heat Treatment.He held various management positions and in 2019 was named Director of Operations for the 8HP transmission at the Gray Court facility.

Mr. Brugger earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Applied Science in Ravensburg-Weingarten. In June of 2022, he completed his master’s degree at the University of Stuttgart, Germany.

Since May of 2023, he has served as South Carolina’s Chapter Director of the German American Chamber of Commerce (GAAC South).