At Freudenberg Sealing Technologies (FST), materials expertise, design know-how and systems understanding work hand in hand – they drive innovations and increase the company’s scope beyond traditional sealing solutions.
The Mission Statement of Freudenberg Sealing Technologies clearly states its aspiration: “Together, We Make an Essential Difference in Sealing Excellence and Beyond.” This is more than a guiding principle – it describes the company’s strategic orientation. Five core strengths give this mission its concrete form. The first part of the series on the mission statement looked at the role of Application Expertise. We will now shift the focus to another key building block: Excellence in the development of materials and products. In other words, the engineering competence behind FST’s solutions.
In essence, the idea is this: Instead of being considered in isolation at the individual product level, developments are approached from a systems perspective. Materials, design and application work hand in hand – from the initial idea through to series production. This creates solutions that go beyond the function of individual components.
The concept is founded on an exceptionally broad materials base. More than 1,400 specific material compounds and around 5,000 raw materials enable customized developments. At the same time, the materials are specifically designed to perform several functions simultaneously.
Complexity as an opportunity
The strength of this approach becomes especially apparent when the requirements are complex. In both existing applications and new business segments, there is a growing need to combine functions and design systems more efficiently. This shifts the focus from individual components to the overall performance of an application.
The range of central tire inflation systems (CTIS) is an example. These systems combine cutting-edge material and design expertise with advanced electronics and sensor technologies, specifically tailored to meet the demands of heavy-duty applications. The FST seals automatically adjust the tire pressure of off-highway vehicles to varying ground conditions and vehicle loads. Simply by pressing a button, drivers can now save time, reduce CO2 emissions and simultaneously extend the service life of their tires.
Another example is thermal management in electrified powertrains. The material properties here directly affect efficiency and service life. This calls for materials that simultaneously provide insulation, conduct heat and withstand mechanical loads. Only the interaction between material development and product design creates a functional solution.
And there is another factor: experience. Reliable technologies and manufacturing processes are systematically refined or transferred to new applications. It reduces development times and facilitates the transition to series production.
Collaboration at the company follows this principle: The Material Development, Engineering, Production and Sales divisions cooperate closely to develop solutions that make a measurable difference.
This illustrates precisely what “excellence in material and product development” means at FST: The interaction between the disciplines is what matters. It creates the “essential difference” described in the mission statement. Daraus entsteht der „Essential Difference“, den das Mission Statement beschreibt.
