Freudenberg Sealing Technologies’ (FST) Dynamic Sealing division and NOK-Freudenberg China (NFC) have committed to deepening their collaboration and working more closely together, taking the first steps of this journey with strategic workshops, held in China over the past months.
In November 2024, a team of the Dynamic Sealing Division – led by FST Chief Technology Officer Gary VanWambeke (until end of 2024 being the Division Manager), CFO Felix Schindele, and key members from the Powertrain and Incubator Lead Centers – visited NFC’s operations, including their facilities in Changchun and Wuxi. After five years of COVID-related disruptions, both the Dynamic Sealing Division and NFC were keen to reconnect and realign on how to address future market opportunities.
With NFC driving its own product and process developments both locally and independently following rapid growth and success in recent years, this reconnection comes at a strategic moment.
On a wider scale, NFC’s growth reflects a shift in global trade. China has rapidly evolved from being a “low-cost” producer of goods, to a growing force in technology innovation. It is no longer reliant solely on its national market, but is fast becoming a major exporter of technologies, especially in the fields of electric vehicles, green energy, and robotics, where Chinese OEMs are taking leading positions at a global level.
FST and NFC must adapt to these changes to remain competitive in the future. The collaboration model in the past often focused on technology transfers from Europe to China, while the future global market success will be backed by a shared, bidirectional innovation platform. The opening of the NFC Research & Development Center in Wuxi, at the beginning of the year, marks an important milestone on this journey.
At the joint NFC & Dynamic Sealing Division meeting held in Wuxi in March 2025, this strategic pivot was the main item on the agenda, with the two teams working together to align on goals and outline practical steps required for a successful collaboration
Mingxi Huang, CEO of NFC, underlines the significance of these developments in the partnership. “We are very happy with the progress made during the visit of the Dynamic Sealing colleagues. After years of limited contact, it was important to establish dedicated channels of communication to ensure effective cooperation between the teams. This will allow us to adapt to changes in the market and ultimately be more successful, together.”
Senior Vice President of the Dynamic Sealing Division, Dr. Mark Ostwald, shared his satisfaction with the progress made. “Reconnecting with the team from NFC was long overdue. The recent visit showed us that there is significant potential for great synergy between our groups. We managed to lay the groundwork for an improved, efficient, and mutually beneficial partnership, but there is still a lot of work to be done to achieve our goals. From what we’ve seen so far though, we have every reason to be optimistic. It’s important for the success of our renewed partnership to keep the momentum by accomplishing our commitments.”
The renewed collaboration with NFC is not a restart, but a strategic evolution, and marks a shared dedication to long-term goals, innovation and growth. Powered by local excellence and global integration. Together.
