The successful transfer of production from Pinerolo, Italy, to Bursa, Turkey, shows how strategic realignment and operational excellence can go hand in hand. From now on, Freudenberg Sealing Technologies will supply STIHL from Turkey.
STIHL is a global leader in outdoor power equipment. Its chainsaws, leaf blowers, hedge trimmers, brush cutters, and lawn mowers are renowned for quality, performance, and reliability – trusted by professionals or serious Do-It-Yourself enthusiasts alike.
Sealing technology from Freudenberg Sealing Technologies (FST) plays a key role. FST has worked closely with STIHL for decades. Tens of millions of FST oil seals reliably seal the crankshaft in the two-stroke engines used in STIHL equipment.
For many years, almost all of these oil seals were produced at FST’s site in Pinerolo. From there, they were shipped via the central warehouse in Bischofsheim (Germany) to STIHL plants worldwide. “We produced 25 different oil seals for STIHL in Pinerolo and have now relocated an annual volume of around 20 million units, without any downtime for the customers,” says Melanie Weigold, Global Product Marketing Weinheim, Lead Center Simmerring® Industry.
As part of FST’s strategic realignment, the Pinerolo site will focus on applications for electromobility while also remaining committed to maintaining and strengthening its strong market position in traditional products, especially Valve Stem Seals.
The Turkish site is well equipped for large-scale production, highly demanded in the automotive sector and by customers such as STIHL.
“We have a strong, trust-based relationship with STIHL,” says Matthias Kauffmann, Global Key Account Manager, General Industry, Power Tools, based in Munich. “We communicate openly and work as partners.” That trust played a key role in securing agreement on the relocation. FST’s focus on quality and security of supply was decisive.
Machines and tools were transferred one-to-one from Pinerolo to Bursa. The material compounds remain unchanged, and as before, deliveries will continue to be made from Weinheim. The high level of continuity paid off. STIHL avoided new tooling investments and significantly reduced its approval effort. Instead of extensive machine testing, the customer limited checks to remeasuring sample parts produced in Bursa and already inspected by FST. Logistics also remained unchanged. Shipments continue via the European central warehouse in Bischofsheim.
Careful planning was critical. Supply to the customer had to be ensured at all times. FST therefore began building safety stock for STIHL in Pinerolo last summer. For high-volume parts, a dual-track approach was used. Much like open-heart surgery, production was never fully shut down. Operations in Pinerolo will only stop completely once series production in Bursa is fully secured.
Most of the project has already been completed. The final spare tools are expected to be released by summer. Kauffmann already considers the relocation a success story – one that has further strengthened the partnership with STIHL.
The Project Team
“The relocation is a remarkable achievement by everyone involved,” says Kauffmann. In Bursa, the project was led by Melih Ciftci, Technology and Engineering Manager, and Emre Aklar, Project Manager, Process Engineering, together with Melanie Weigold from Product Marketing and Thorsten Wieland from Product Development in Weinheim. The colleagues from Italy ensured effective knowledge transfer through numerous training sessions, shared best practices, and provided essential on‑site guidance, with special recognition to Marco Genero, Partner Production Manager, and Diego Rostagno, Supply Chain Manager, who played key roles. “Project management is a team effort, and the entire teams across all FST locations played a major role in the project’s success,” Ciftci says.
