Technology company ZF on Thursday announced that it has entered a strategic partnership with Swiss-based Embotech, a leading developer of pioneering decision-making software that supports automated driving systems.
As per the press release from the company, the partnership will provide a scalable and reliable solution for Transportation-as-a-Service (TaaS) in restricted areas and develop customer-tailored automated solutions to support multiple applications. This includes logistics yards, ports, airports, mining, agricultural operations, and bus depots. Another project is the development of intelligent predictive cruise control that takes traffic flow, traffic signals and topographical conditions into account.
The partnership will also support autonomous driving using Embotech’s decision-making software, which will combine with ZF’s systems expertise in sensor, electronic control and actuation for Level-4 self-driving commercial vehicles, including its ADOPT, Autonomous Driving Open Platform Technology. Another project from the new cooperation is the development of intelligent predictive cruise control. This takes traffic flow, traffic signals and topographical conditions into account.
As part of the collaboration, global automotive technology company ZF has invested in Embotech and will take a seat on the company’s board of management.
Philipp Helmich, Vice President, Vehicle Dynamics and Controls & Autonomous Driving, ZF Commercial Vehicle Control Systems, said, “The partnership agreement with Embotech is built on a shared vision to develop complementary products and technologies to build a reliable and global Transportation-as-a-Service solution for commercial vehicles operating on restricted areas.” The new partnership will accelerate the development of automated yard solutions initially across Europe and, ultimately, worldwide. Providing a complete eco-system software platform, it will improve customer operations using autonomous, connected, and electrified vehicles, smart infrastructure features and intelligent software solutions. A critical step in the commercial automation supply chain, yard automation aims to solve key challenges and issues impacting the sector, reduce the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), and enhance operational efficiency, safety, and sustainability.
Andreas Kyrtatos, Chief Executive Officer, Embotech, said, “Applications on restricted areas can already offer value to end customers, be it a vehicle manufacturer, a logistics company transferring containers from a factory to an inland port, or a mining company covering large distances with autonomous hauling trucks.”