H2 teams from FST and NOK meet for the first time in Weinheim
When the top management of Freudenberg Sealing Technologies (FST), NOK Corporation (NOK) and NOK-Freudenberg China (NFC) met for a hydrogen conference in Munich in the summer of 2024, it was agreed: The partners will deepen their cooperation around hydrogen technologies and establish a global network at project level. This network will be supported by teams consisting of one person each responsible for sales, technology and business development. At the beginning of December, the newly formed H2 team from NOK (Kenny Fuma (Project Management), Takeshi Masaka (Technology), Toshihiro Shimazoe (Product Commercialization)) paid their inaugural visit to Freudenberg in Weinheim. One focus of the technical exchange was the current state of development for testing methods and standards – both for finished products and for testing suitable materials. Strategically, China was at the center of discussions. In particular, they addressed the question of how FST and NOK can promote their joint venture NFC in the Chinese market. “The Chinese market is already a leader in alkaline electrolysis. This requires better, more durable seals than the PTFE sheets that are usually used. In developing such a local solution, NFC should benefit from the combined power of its German-Japanese parents in terms of material, design and process expertise,” says Marcel Schreiner, Global Segment Director Energy.
In 2025, the German-Japanese-Chinese exchange, which was kicked-off with the current meeting, will be intensified. “Hydrogen is a global topic that has different local characteristics. We want to work together and pool our findings in order to learn from each other,” says Schreiner, outlining the objectives for this future topic.
