NewZNew (S A S Nagar) : Freudenberg, the global family-owned company, continues on its successful trajectory in India. In 2014, the technology group generated overall sales of Rs. 1,497 crore (+ 32.8% vs. 2013) in India. As of December 31st, 2014, Freudenberg employed 2,800 full-time associates at around 50 locations in India – with four R&D centers and 14 production sites with state-of-the-art shop-floors. With that and various initiatives Freudenberg supports the national program of Prime Minister Narenda Modi, ‘Make in India’, which aims to turn the country into a global manufacturing hub.
Total global sales of the Freudenberg Group amounted to Rs. 56,860 crore or €7,039.1 million (2013: €6,662.5 million), representing growth of €416.6 million or 6.3 percent over the previous year, thus resulting in global record sales for the fifth consecutive year.
“India is a market of considerable potential for the Freudenberg Group and the country makes a considerable contribution to the Freudenberg Group’s innovative strength. We are therefore committed to systematic investment in this region over the long-term. In 2014, the Group made local investments totaling to Rs. 97.6 crore in India”, said Dr. Jörg Matthias Grossmann, Regional Representative India.
Largest investments –One significant project is the new production site of Chem-Trend and Klüber Lubrication in Mysore, that will officially open in August 2015. For a total of around Rs. 135 crore, it is one of the largest investments in the Asia-Pacific region of the Freudenberg Group. This is where more than 20 products will be developed and manufactured for the customers in the South East Asia/Pacific region. The site at Mysore – buildings with a surface area of 17,000 m2 on a site of some 40,000 m2 – also hosts product development facilities and major tribology testing facilities with equipment such as an FZG test rig. FZG stands for Gear Research Centre. This is the only one within Klüber outside Munich and the only one in India until now.
At the start of the year, Freudenberg Sealing Technologies massively expanded its commitment in India. The company has been involved with the Indian market through its joint venture Sigma Freudenberg NOK (SFN) in Mohali since 2001. In February 2015, SFN opened a second, completely new factory in Basma about 35 km away. The plant marks a new stage in Freudenberg’s commitment to India. At a cost of more than Rs. 155 crore, a highly modern production facility has arisen on more than 23,000 square meters. For the most part, radial shaft sealing rings and O-rings will be produced at the site for the automotive sector and general industry. The growing demand in a number of segments – the auto industry, agricultural and construction machinery, mining, power stations, and the steel industry – made the construction of a second production facility essential.
