Freudenberg reports best sales and results; Vileda and Gala expand their joint venture

May 31, 2011 - PRLog -- Freudenberg reports best sales and results
Group active in new business areas in India
Vileda and Gala expand their joint venture/new plant at Adas

Bangalore, May 31, 2011: In the 2010 financial year, the Freudenberg Group achieved new records in India. Sales of `794 crores represent a rise of about 42 percent compared with the previous year (`558 crores). The upward trend continues. In the first quarter of 2011, sales grew by 25 percent compared with the first three months of 2010. The number of associates has risen to more than 2,500. "Once again, our Indian companies have shown themselves to be motors of growth for the Freudenberg Group," said Dr. Jörg Matthias Großmann, Regional Representative of the Freudenberg Group in India and CFO of Freudenberg Chemical Specialities, in Mumbai on Tuesday.
All in all, the internationally active Freudenberg Group recorded sales of about `33,109 crores in the 2010 financial year. After eliminating exchange rate effects, this represents a rise of about 30 percent compared with 2009. Growth has now fully compensated for the slump caused by the economic crisis in 2009. Profit from operations (EBIT) grew disproportionately by `3,577 crores to `2,601 crores. In terms of sales and profit, 2010 was therefore one of the most successful financial years in the history of Freudenberg. "The unexpectedly swift economic recovery, the market shares which we have won, the improvements in processes and cost structures during the crisis and strict financial management are the main reasons for our success in the 2010 financial year," Dr. Großmann said.
The Group is continually expanding its activities in India. In 2010, Freudenberg invested more than `53 crores in plants and its sales organization. The main investments in 2010 included a new production facility for the EagleBurgmann Business Group in Pune and the expansion of the Chem-Trend and Klüber plants in Mysore. In India, Freudenberg is active at 27 plants in ten cities.
Developing new markets with a new division
At the beginning of 2011, Freudenberg Chemical Specialities acquired surface technology company SurTec International GmbH. The acquisition is part of the Group's strategy of systematically developing its chemical specialities business. In India SurTec has its own production facility at Pune. The company develops, produces and markets chemical products and processes for industrial cleaning, the pre-treatment, processing and post-treatment of metal surfaces, plastic galvanizing and aluminium anodizing. SurTec products and solutions for surface treatment and galvanizing supplement the previous product portfolio of Freudenberg Chemical Specialities. Like Klüber Lubrication, Chem-Trend and OKS, SurTec is managed and developed by Freudenberg Chemical Specialities on a long-term basis as an independent company.
Vileda and Gala open new plant at Adas
Freudenberg's largest investment in India in 2011 will be a new plant in the province of Gujarat. The new, advanced factory of Freudenberg Gala Household Product Pvt. Ltd. is to be opened on June 1 in 2011. In future, the plant will produce mechanical household cleaning products. Freudenberg Gala Household Product Pvt. Ltd. is a leading supplier of mechanical cleaning products in India. Products for daily domestic use and for the professional cleaning sector are produced and marketed under the Gala® brand name. Freudenberg Gala Household Product Pvt. Ltd. was established in August 2009 and is a joint venture of Freudenberg Household Products, Germany, and Gala Brush Limited, India. Freudenberg holds a 60-percent stake in the joint company, which is managed by an experienced team from the two partners. Currently, more than 240 associates work for Freudenberg Gala Household Product Pvt. Ltd. – and the number is still growing.
Professionalism and employee identification as the keys to success
One of the cornerstones of Freudenberg's success in India is the strong networking and close cooperation between the individual Business Groups. This means that employees benefit from the broad range of expertise available within the entire Group and can continually improve production processes. The involvement of associates in the Group, which is active in 59 countries, ensures the quality of the individual processes. In addition, employees benefit from further training opportunities. This includes cooperation with a number of universities and research institutes, such as the Indian Institute for Management (IIM) in Bangalore. The objective is to continue the training of students in an international environment and to provide them with practical skills to supplement their theoretical knowledge. To underline the importance of cooperation with IIM, Freudenberg offers scholarships to the two best students in the first year.
Freudenberg offers prospects to tsunami victims
Freudenberg has shouldered its social responsibility for more than 160 years. As in all the 59 countries where the Group is represented, Freudenberg is committed to being a good neighbor in India. At Nagapattinam, the Group offers well-founded vocational training for up to 130 young people. Currently, there are 69 students at the training center; all the trainees who completed their course in 2010 have found employment.
Freudenberg established the training center in the southern Indian province of Tamil Nadu following the devastating tsunami in 2004. To date, this has been the Group's largest aid project outside Germany. Depending on the vocation chosen, the young people's training lasts for one or two years. Students completing their training have good prospects of earning a living in the region and improving infrastructure in Tamil Nadu. They work as welders, fitters or mechanics with major companies in the region.
About Freudenberg in India
Freudenberg has held business ties with customers and partners in India for nearly 100 years. The Group has a workforce of more than 2500 employees across eleven locations. The combined sales of its ten operating business units in India stood at `794 crores in 2010. The Group operates at over 27 facilities across regions in India and is committed to the Indian market long-term.
About the Freudenberg Group
Freudenberg is a family company offering its customers technically challenging product solutions and services. The Freudenberg Group is first and foremost a supplier specializing in seals and vibration control technology, nonwovens, filtration, lubricants and release agents as well as mechatronic products. The end-user can find modern Freudenberg household products in the shops under the brand names of vileda®, Gala®, O´Cedar® and Wettex®. And especially for mid-size companies Freudenberg develops software solutions and IT services. The Freudenberg Group employed around 34,000 people in 59 countries and generated sales of more than `33,109 crores in 2010. More about Freudenberg: www.freudenberg.in.
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