In November 2025, the managers of the two Tool Centers at Freudenberg Sealing Technologies (FST) and the heads of the stamping plants at the Lead Center (LC) Metals organized two customer alignment meetings – one for North America and one for Europe. The goal was to strengthen collaboration with internal customers, showcase completed projects, and jointly define actions for 2026.
For the second time, employees from Lead Center Metals met with their internal customers: Colleagues from Bristol, USA, and Weinheim, Germany. This international exchange focused on deepening cooperation between locations, presenting innovative projects, and jointly defining new initiatives for the year ahead. Participants particularly valued the personal interaction, which created space for hands-on collaboration and creative problem-solving.
Review and outlook: successes and future opportunities
The workshop opened with a review of projects completed in 2025. Organizers actively sought customer feedback to ensure that the measures met expectations and delivered tangible benefits from the savings achieved.
Dr. Philipp Stein, Director Global Tool Centers, outlined how the teams achieved productivity gains in the low seven-digit range. Jay Janelle, Director Competence Center Metal Stamping North America, and Swapnil Bondre, Head of Metal Treatment Technologies, demonstrated how process optimizations and material changes significantly reduced costs at U.S. sites. They encouraged their colleagues to continue along this path together.
Claudia Romanski, Site Manager of the Stamping Facility in Weinheim, explained how delivery reliability at the site improved from 55 percent in 2021 to 92 percent in the second half of 2025 – and how it can be improved even further. She emphasized that these results were only possible through closely coordinated joint projects, underscoring the importance of the collaborative workshop.
In addition to reviewing completed projects, participants also looked ahead to 2026. Dr. Jörg Avemann, LC Manager Metals, presented an initial draft of the 2026 Policy Deployment Matrix (PDM). As with previous initiatives, Lead Center Metals emphasized the importance of both providing transparency and actively gathering feedback and requirements.
Alongside the LC PDM, individual sites presented concrete project ideas. For example, the Tool Centers plan to leverage artificial intelligence in computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) programming. In his outlook, Gaetano Lezzi, AC Manager of the Stamping Facility in Luserna, highlighted the potential of deploying a larger transfer press, among other opportunities.
From the LC Metals perspective, a key focus of the program was on representatives from customer sites presenting their expectations and requirements. They shared their specific needs and clearly linked them to the strategic development of their respective divisions.
Numerous work packages were already defined during the meetings and will be jointly implemented in the coming year. “These meetings are much more than networking events – they are true working sessions that create real added value for everyone involved,” said Stein. Participants agreed that leveraging synergies and further intensifying collaboration will be critical going forward.
“Thank you very much for the invitation to the Customer Alignment Meetings. They provide an excellent opportunity to discuss specific projects and measures through direct dialogue and to strengthen relationships between the Lead Centers. Toolmaking, metal parts manufacturing, and especially coating processes are essential for stable shaping processes in LC Gaskets. Close communication on new projects improves profitability and generates new ideas for winning new business. We demonstrated this successfully in several projects in 2025 and discussed further concrete activities during the Customer Alignment Meetings.” Sören Schmitz, Lead Center Manager Gaskets.
Personal exchange as a key success factor
Personal interaction was a central element of the meetings. Participants emphasized the value of face-to-face exchange compared with purely digital formats. Shared dinners and informal conversations strengthened team spirit and fostered closer connections.
Following site tours in Bristol, Northfield, Weinheim, and Laudenbach, internal customers were impressed by the sites’ technological capabilities and infrastructure.
What’s next?
Participants agreed that FST can only continue to develop through close collaboration. Measures must be aligned, and everyone involved must work toward shared goals. As a result, the Customer Alignment Meetings will continue in the coming year.
