Kaiserslautern, March 28, 2014. Responding to an increase in demand, Freudenberg Filtration Technologies, a Business Group of the globally-active technology company Freudenberg, yesterday opened a new logistics center in Kaiserslautern. “The logistics center sends a clear signal about our commitment to Kaiserslautern. And the resulting proximity of production and logistics, ensures we will be able to fulfill customer needs with regard to product availability and flexibility in supply,” said Dr. Jörg Sievert, Member of the Freudenberg Filtration Technologies Board. The multi-purpose facility was inaugurated in a ceremony together with Dr. Klaus Weichel, Mayor of Kaiserslautern, Knuth Fickartz, Head of Automotive Filters, Europe, as well as the Deputy Chairman of the Kaiserslautern Works’ Council, Gunter Mühlberger. The center was built in partnership with Skipiol Immobilien. The total investment being made is around €12 million.
Having a floor area of around 12,000 square meters, the multi-purpose facility in Kaiserslautern serves the packaging and distribution of filters. Around 270 Freudenberg Filtration Technologies employees manufacture micronAir car cabin filters at the site. MicronAir is used by automotive and air conditioning manufacturers, as well as in industrial plants throughout Europe. The car cabin air filter protects car occupants from dust, as well as pollen, particulates, bacteria, industrial dust and other fine particles that can enter the lungs. The combi filter absorbs harmful gases such as ozone and benzene, as well as unpleasant odors. High-performance synthetic air filters for combustion engines are also manufactured at the site.
With the new logistics center, products can be delivered more quickly to the customer. Six height-adjustable docking stations make it possible to load and unload up to 45 trucks per day. To avoid traffic problems, the new facility has its own truck access.
The European market for cabin air filters is growing. As a result, Freudenberg has increased its production by 30 percent since 2008. Two thirds of all vehicles on the road are equipped with Freudenberg Filtration Technologies cabin air filters. The Business Group supplies the European market from its factories in Potvorice, Slovakia and Kaiserslautern. In September last year, a new multi-purpose facility was opened in Potvorice.
Freudenberg has been present in Kaiserslautern since 1970. Filters have been manufactured here since 2001. Locally, the family-owned company is not only represented by Freudenberg Filtration Technologies, but also by the Freudenberg Nonwovens and Helix Medical Business Groups. In total, over 500 Freudenberg employees work in Kaiserslautern.