Sachs (now marketed as ZF Sachs) traces back to 1895, when Ernst Sachs and Karl Fichtel founded a ball-bearing and bicycle-hub works in Schweinfurt, Germany, that grew into Fichtel & Sachs. From 1929 the firm expanded into automotive clutches and shock absorbers, its signature products today, and after passing through Mannesmann ownership it became a subsidiary of ZF Friedrichshafen in 2001, fully integrated into ZF in 2011. (Source)