Freudenberg, the global technology group continues to expand its activities in Asia. The Group will start with the construction of a new production facility in autumn 2017 in Chennai, India, producing innovative sealing solutions among other products. The announcement was made today by the Freudenberg Group’s CEO, Dr. Mohsen Sohi, at the Group’s annual press conference in Bengaluru. “Freudenberg is the global market leader in the field of sealing technology. With this investment we are best serving our customers – precisely in India’s strong automotive hub of Chennai.”
In the past few years, Chennai has gained in importance to become the capital of Indian’s automotive industry. More than 40 percent of Indian automotive production is based local to Chennai. The city is often referred to as „India’s Detroit“. Work on the new Freudenberg production facility some 50 kilometers to the southwest of Chennai will start in autumn 2017. The total investment is some € 15 million. The land acquired consists of more than 56,000 m² - with the capacity for further site development.
Dr. Sohi explained, “Our development in Asia is both positive and long-term oriented. We are moving closer to our strategic goal of generating one third of our sales in Europe, one third in America and one third in Asia.”
In India, Freudenberg’s sales grew in 2016 to some € 200 million (previous year € 174 million). This is an increase of some 15 percent compared to the previous year. The increase can be attributed to a large extent to the acquisition of Vibracoustic.
Freudenberg’s seven Business Groups in India employ some 2,500 people at around 50 locations – with six R&D centers and 14 production sites. In the last five years, Freudenberg has invested a total of some € 50 million in manufacturing and research facilities and equipment in the country.