All aboard
for a century
of rail technology
Can you time-travel by train? ZF’s Industrial Technology division celebrated a special anniversary and entrusted DIE WORTWERKSTATT with the concept and creation of a printed history booklet.
Our services at a glance:
- Concept and editorial work for “100 Years of ZF Rail”
- Review and evaluation of extensive historical material
- Interviews with experts
- Creation and refinement of layout, designs and image material
In 1924, the relatively young company ZF adapted a passenger car transmission for use in rail vehicles. Thus began its rise to become an international player in the rail business, with a broad product portfolio and a global aftermarket. For the centenary, the task was to condense the company’s history into 16 pages and make it available both digitally and in print in time for the InnoTrans 2024 trade fair. The aim was to celebrate ZF’s historical significance in the rail market. At the same time, the work shouldn’t only be looking back but also highlight ZF’s strengths and vision for the future of the segment. As a trusted communications partner for many years, DIE WORTWERKSTATT was of course involved in the project from the outset.
The Project
Picking up steam with historical trains
Lots of history, little space – but no problem for our agency. The first challenge was to sift through and organize the extensive historical material. The digital archive contained newspaper clippings, technical drawings, information and advertising brochures, as well as historical and company records. After the concept and editorial phase, we developed a final layout that incorporated the history of the railways and technological topics into a reader-friendly chapter structure. Two of our content specialists drafted texts, conducted interviews with experts and refined the layout, design and images. The final destination? “A masterpiece,” in the words of our happy ZF client. And all on time, right on schedule.
