Freudenberg Xpress®: Freudenberg Sealing Technologies has been offering fast production and delivery of small series, spare part seals and prototypes for 30 years
A good 30 years ago, a new department was established in Schwalmstadt (Germany) that was to become a success story. Under the name «SimQuick», initially five employees began to produce small order quantities with precision. The promise at the time was to deliver fluid seals and guides to any point in Western Europe in a maximum of three days. «Spare parts are often needed in small quantities only, however urgently,» Florian Ferstl, Global Technical Director Freudenberg Xpress says. At the time, the question arose as to how these customer requests could be fulfilled flexibly and cost-effectively, especially when the ordered items were not in stock. Setting up a machine for a single item or a small quantity, perhaps even building the necessary tooling, was time-consuming and expensive. The solution was to use lathes.
In 2000, «SimQuick» became «MerkelXpress». Demand increased and further locations were opened in France, Italy and Sweden offering the special service, which has been operating on the market under the name Freudenberg Xpress since 2015. Small order quantities can now be produced quickly and relatively inexpensively at 19 locations around the world. The Freudenberg Xpress subsidiaries have been united in the Freudenberg Xpress Competence Center since 2015, with Schwalmstadt still in charge. Ilka Keilbar heads the Business Unit there, and a total of 24 employees now work for Freudenberg Xpress on site in 3-shift operation. «We also test new materials and lathe technologies,» says Ferstl, who supports all Freudenberg Xpress sites as Technical Director. «We define the standard, so not everyone has to reinvent the wheel,» he says. The range of articles extends from pinhead-sized miniature seals to seals with a diameter of 2,100 millimetres.
Photos: Jörg Döringer, Schwalmstadt
Text: Christiane Decker
