(JW Insights) Sep 6 -- ZF Group will continue its innovation and investment in the Asia-Pacific region, especially China, reported China Daily, citing a senior executive of the leading German auto parts supplier on September 3.

"ZF is committed to China, as we have been here for more than four decades achieving win-win with our partners and the local community…One thing is clear: decoupling cannot be the approach," said Stephan von Schuckmann, a member of the board of management of ZF.

He said ZF has nearly 50 production locations, four R&D centers and nearly 240 after-sales service outlets in more than 20 cities in China.

It has over 20,000 employees in the country and its sales in China accounted for nearly 20 percent of its global total.

In the first half of the year, the company's sales in the Asia-Pacific market, mainly in China, reached EUR5.276 billion ($5.693 billion), an increase of 16 percent year-on-year.

Since its entry into the Chinese market in 1981, ZF went through the stages of "Sold in China", "Made in China" and "Developed in China" and is now on its way to "Led by China", he said.

As China's new energy vehicle industry surges and the revolution about software-defined vehicle is in full swing, ZF will leverage its unique competitive advantage in this process to empower the development of China's automotive industry.

As Chinese carmakers are exploring the global market, ZF said it would like to help facilitate their efforts, according to the China Daily report.

(Gao J/Yuan XY)