Manufactures starter drives, alternator pulleys and components for automotive OEM and aftermarket.
ZEN S.A. Indústria Metalúrgica
Brusque, Santa Catarina (BR)New on Amplifa
About ZEN S.A.
ZEN S.A. is a Brazilian manufacturer of components and systems for motor vehicles headquartered in Brusque, Santa Catarina. The company has been active in the automotive sector since 1960 and is the world-leading independent manufacturer of starter drives. The portfolio also includes alternator pulleys including the Z-VIB overrunning (decoupler) pulley, tensioners and timing drive kits, bearings, housings, planetary gears, armatures, rotors, stators, starter relays as well as repair kits for the aftermarket. For OEM customers, cold- and hot-formed parts such as ABS rings and dog rings are produced; manufacturing comprises cold forging from steel as well as machining. With more than 1000 employees, ZEN supplies OEM customers such as Bosch and GM as well as system suppliers such as Comstar and exports to over 60 countries on all continents. Around 5 percent of annual revenue is invested in research and development; the company is regarded as one of the leading practitioners of the Lean philosophy in Brazil.
- Site
- -100 Brusque, SC
- Processes
- Manufacture of starter drives and components for starters (starter drive components), Cold forming / cold forging of components, Machining of parts (machined parts), Manufacture of warm shaped components (e.g. ABS rings, dog rings), Manufacture of tensioners and timing drive kits (Tensioners and Distribution kits), Manufacture of friction clutches and components for the FEAD (Front End Accessory Drive), Manufacture of repair kits for the aftermarket, Research & development (approx. 5% of annual revenue)
- Materials
- Steel (cold forging), Hot forming (warm shaped components), Cold forming (Cold Forging)
- Certificates
- ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001, IATF 16949:2016, ISO 14001 (certified since 2009), ISO 9001 (certified since 1996), AEO (OEA-Segurança, Brazil), DUNS, ISO 9001, IATF 16949, AEO (OEA-Segurança)
- Founded
- 1960
- Employees
- +1000
- Industries
- Automotive (passenger/commercial vehicles), OEM / vehicle manufacturers and system suppliers, Aftermarket / IAM, Starter and alternator systems
- 01
Design/engineering of components
- 02
Research & development
- 03
Cold and hot forming
- 04
Machining
- 05
Assembly into subassemblies (starter drives, pulleys, kits)
- 06
Repair kits for the aftermarket
- 07
Export to over 60 countries
Materials and Processes
Steel (cold forging)
Material for cold-formed components such as ABS rings and dog rings.
Hot forming (warm shaped components)
Process for parts such as ABS rings and dog rings for OEM customers.
Cold forming (Cold Forging)
Production of aftermarket components and machined parts.
Locations
Brusque, Santa Catarina
BRHeadquarters and production
- Materials
- Steel (cold and hot forming)
Components
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacture of starter drives and components for starters (starter drive components)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Cold forming / cold forging of componentsForming | – | – | – | – | Stahl |
| Machining of parts (machined parts)Machining | – | – | – | – | – |
| Manufacture of warm shaped components (e.g. ABS rings, dog rings)Forming | – | – | – | – | Stahl |
| Forming | – | – | – | – | – |
| Manufacture of tensioners and timing drive kits (Tensioners and Distribution kits)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Manufacture of friction clutches and components for the FEAD (Front End Accessory Drive)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Manufacture of repair kits for the aftermarketAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality
ZEN is certified to ISO 9001 (since 1996), IATF 16949:2016 and ISO 14001 (since 2009). According to the company, the customer satisfaction index has been consistently above 90 percent in recent years.
| Evidence | Brusque, Santa Catarina |
|---|---|
| ISO 9001 | |
| ISO 14001 | |
| IATF 16949 | |
| AEO (OEA-Segurança) |
History
- 1960
Founded; operating in the automotive sector since 1960
- 1963
The ZEN brothers are asked to produce the starter drive (flagship product)
- 1973
Relocation to Brusque, Santa Catarina (hometown of the founders)
- 1996
ISO 9001 certified
- 2009
ISO 14001 certified
- 2010
Supplier to GM since 2010
- 2013
Stemmer Innovation Award (Santa Catarina) for the Z-VIB pulley; DUNS seal since 2013
- 2014
COMSTAR Best Supplier Award; finalist Automechanika Innovation Award (Z-VIB); Santa Catarina Human Being Award
- 2016
Signatory of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)
- 2018
AEO certificate (OEA-Segurança); Kaizen Lean Award; 2nd place Global Kaizen Award
- 2019
Kaizen Lean Award; President Gilberto Heinzelmann honored as Kaizen Ambassador Brazil