Guido Dumarey buys ZF transmission factory near Lyon

The Flemish entrepreneur Guido Dumarey has bought the ZF transmission plant near Lyon, which produces transmissions for buses and trucks and industrial vehicles, with a yearly turnover of € 110 million. The amount of the investment has not been disclosed.

ZF Bouthéon employs more than 300 people and will now be called Dumarey Powerglide Bouthéon. The Dumarey Group has taken over the site via its French daughter Powerglide Strasbourg. The plant will continue to produce for ZF until 2027.

No Punch anymore

The former Punch name will disappear from all parts of the Dumarey Group to avoid confusion with the Punch Powertrain company, based in Sint-Truiden (Limburg province, Belgium), which is also a producer of car parts and components.

ZF wanted to sell the factory near Lyon because it expects that transmission for ICE-powered commercial vehicles are going to be phased out in the coming years. Dumarey sees still a future because of its plans to use hydrogen as fuel in combustion engines.

Hydrogen

These days, Dumarey is investing time and money in internal combustion engines fueled by hydrogen. Apparently, he wants to diversify the product portfolio for transport vehicles.

“Also in the transport sector, we want to work on CO2-neutral drivelines,” says Dumarey. “Our aim is a technological switch by converting middle-sized commercial vehicles to burn hydrogen, produced with renewable energy.

Vitesco

In June, Dumarey had announced that he was overtaking the Italian branch of the German multinational Vitesco Technologies. This Italian branch is specializing in the development and production of electrfication technology for vehicles.

It has two production/development sites in Tuscany and is headquartered in Turin. All in all, 900 workers are employed  in the different settlings.