Out of six projects in the final round, Freudenberg Sealing Technologies (FST) selected the “We all take care!” initiative from Bursa (Turkey) to represent FST in the Group-wide competition. At the heart of the project is a simple but powerful approach: Eliminate process steps that no longer add value, and in doing so reduce energy consumption, CO2 emissions and chemical usage.
The project “Cooler Cover Wax & Postcure Elimination” was implemented in 2025 at FST’s site in Bursa, Turkey. The cross-disciplinary team took a critical look at two established steps in the production of EPDM rubber components: energy-intensive postcuring in ovens as well as subsequent waxing of parts, which had been used to support easier assembly at the customer.
The key insight from internal studies: for EPDM parts, postcuring is not required. “After intensive internal studies, we came to the conclusion that, after having optimized process parameters, post-curing is not required for parts based on EPDM rubber — without compromising quality,” explains Tuğra Gökberk Taşci, Specialist HSE. The consequence: the post-curing step was fully removed from the production process—resulting in noticeable effects on energy consumption and emissions.
The team also found a solution for the waxing step. Instead of applying wax to the seal’s surface after production, the required components were integrated directly into the EPDM compound. This allowed another process step to be eliminated — including chemical usage and the associated waste.
Measurable results: By eliminating post-curing and waxing, Bursa reports annual savings of 66.2 tons of CO₂, around 143,600 kWh of energy, and approximately 650 kilograms of chemical waste. Beyond the climate impact, the project reduces the use of potentially environmentally harmful substances and helps prevent chemical waste from entering the environment. In addition, throughput time is reduced by 3.5 hours, and FST becomes more competitive thanks to lower manufacturing costs.
Against this backdrop, the decision in the internal final round was clear: among the six winning projects, Bursa will enter the Group-wide “We all take care” competition as FST’s contribution.
The project was driven by a cross-site, cross-functional team from Bursa and Reichelsheim. Contributors included Melih Çiftci, Bedirhan Katip Ayaydın, Onur Mert Sönmez, Mert Turan, Carsten Former and Walter Zifle.
