First Injection Plastic Assembly stabilizer link SOP in Zhangjiagang Plant

To better meet the demand for lightweight new energy vehicles, ZF has achieved a technological breakthrough in the lightweight design of IPA stabilizer link, by introducing IPA ball joint and FRP (Fiber-reinforced Plastic) rod. This further reduces product weight and significantly optimizes the costs.

The IPA ball joint replaces metal housing, ball race and metal end cap with a full plastic housing, bringing multiple advantages: fewer components to simplify the management and assembly during production, reduced components weight for vehicle lightweighting, and streamlined production processes to further improve efficiency.

The FRP rod further reduces weight and cost while maintaining good performance by introducing a new composite material made from polyester resin and glass fibers. According to calculation, the IPA stabilizer link can provide above 15% weight reduction compared with the traditional steel design, strengthening its competitive position in the market for new energy vehicles that prioritize low energy consumption and long range.

As part of localization strategy in China market, ZF has always focused on localizing cutting-edge technologies and products. Through innovative initiatives such as introduction and mass production of IPA ball joint and FRP rod at the Zhangjiagang plant, the demand for lightweighting in new energy vehicles has been accurately met. ZF has not only realized the localization of advanced technologies, but also built an agile supply chain system, proactively engaging in the fierce competition of the new energy vehicle market, which fully demonstrates ZF's strong innovation vitality and excellent market adaptability.

"The new IPA design for our stabilizer links is an important step in the expansion of our product portfolio as well as in the continuous improvement of our production processes," said Steffen Reichelt, Head of Product Line Chassis Components.

"Zhangjiagang plant is a key production location for Chassis Components Asia Pacific, ZF Group," said Ken Si, Head of Product Line Chassis Components AP. "The first IPA stabilizer link with a composite material design for Zhangjiagang CC plant, is first localized and the first stabilizer link with IPA and composite material of our customer - an important European car manufacturer."

Leveraging the synergy between ZF global and Asia-Pacific region, Zhangjiagang plant only took 14 months to complete the automatic round table construction, pass a series of customer audit and get final PPAP approval. The designed capacity of IPA line is around 1.6 million pieces. More other projects are undergoing busy trial runs, and will SOP in 2026. This not only marks a significant progress in the development of the Zhangjiagang chassis components plant but also fully demonstrates ZF's leading position in lightweight technology and intelligent manufacturing, which will further consolidate ZF's leadership in the global automotive parts supply chain. ZF will continue to innovate to provide high-quality products and services for customers.