With the continuous increase in consumer demand for new energy vehicles, the industry has spawned many remarkable technological innovations, which are promoting the development of the entire automotive industry in a more sustainable direction.
According to the data, 2024 is the 175th anniversary of the establishment of the Freudenberg Group and the 30th anniversary of Freudenberg's official investment and construction of factories in China. In response to the ever-changing market trends, Freudenberg Technology Innovation opened a branch in China in 2022 to focus on the local market and strengthen R&D cooperation with local research institutions and innovative companies in the core areas of e-mobility, new energy, sustainability and smart manufacturing.
Recently, the reporter interviewed Wang Jiayu, the representative of the Freudenberg Group in China, on topics related to sustainable development and technological innovation.
According to Freudenberg, China's automotive industry is developing rapidly in the direction of intelligence, electrification and automated driving. Many new forces have emerged and achieved remarkable results in the fields of intelligent driving and batteries. With the enhancement of consumers' awareness of environmental protection and the diversification of energy demand, there is still huge room for growth in the Chinese market.
As a leading supplier of automotive components with material expertise, Freudenberg offers more than 300 product lines per vehicle, and the Freudenberg Group's portfolio of products and technologies for automotive applications, including seals, vibration control components, components and systems for power batteries and fuel cells, technical textiles, filters, specialty chemicals, etc., is also actively looking for partners in the domestic electric vehicle value chain to develop the next generation of emerging technologies and products.
For example, the electrification of new energy vehicles may bring problems such as shaft voltage and electromagnetic interference, and the sealing expert of Freudenberg Group, NOK-Freudenberg (China), can effectively avoid problems such as electrical corrosion of bearings by combining electrical conductivity and sealing, and at the same time help the vehicle to reduce electromagnetic interference, improve the electromagnetic compatibility of the vehicle system, and improve the safety of new energy vehicles.
It is reported that at present, China has become Freudenberg's third largest market.
Freudenberg Group China representative Wang Jiayu told reporters that in 2024, in addition to investing in factories, Freudenberg will further strengthen its localization strategy, use international resources and global experience, combined with deep local market insights, close to local customer needs, provide innovative products, and serve China's high-quality economic development.
According to reports, Freudenberg has a number of business groups that are currently planning long-term investments to serve the Chinese market.
First of all, NOK-Freudenberg (China), a sealing specialist of the Freudenberg Group, has invested 200 million yuan in the Wuxi plant for the new plant of the Wuxi plant and the R&D center of NOK-FREUDENBERG (CHINA), which is expected to be completed by the end of 2024, expanding production capacity and strengthening local R&D capabilities to meet the needs of local customers. In addition to continuing to make efforts in the field of new energy vehicles, NOK-Freudenberg will also actively develop clean energy products and technologies such as wind energy and hydrogen energy to empower a low-carbon future.
Secondly, Klüber Lubricants, a subsidiary of Freudenberg Specialty Chemicals, increased its investment in its R&D center in Shanghai in 2023. The company will also invest several million euros in expanding its production capacity in China between 2026 and 2029.
In addition, Vibrator, a Freudenberg company, is currently implementing the "China growth" strategy, including expanding local R&D centers, quickly catering to the new energy transformation trend and strengthening the local talent pool. At the same time, Vibrator has also started local production of air springs for passenger cars in Wuxi, which is the first time that Vibrator has produced air springs in China.
It is understood that during the 2023 CIIE, in order to further get closer to the Chinese market and help the green transformation of the industrial structure, Freudenberg signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Yangtze River Delta National Technology Innovation Center to establish a "global innovation partnership". This cooperation will leverage the advantages of both parties to strengthen the technological innovation and applied R&D ecology in the Yangtze River Delta region, and train engineers and related talents, and jointly incubate and invest in projects with potential.
In the future, the two sides will also jointly carry out industrial technology research and development projects in the fields of energy transition and electric transportation, sustainable materials and processes, automation and intelligent manufacturing, artificial intelligence and materials informatics, with the Yangtze River Delta as the center, radiating across the country, and exploring new opportunities for industrial technology research and development.
It is worth noting that sustainability is also a key priority for Freudenberg, which has achieved a series of results in the field of green investment and sustainability, and has helped customers and the industry to improve their green development.
The Freudenberg Group is committed to becoming climate-neutral by 2045 at the latest. Freudenberg's sustainability has two dimensions: footprint and handprint, i.e. reducing resource consumption through the establishment of processes and the use of systems;As well as providing a wide range of products and solutions that enable customers to produce more efficiently and sustainably, and make their products more resource-efficient. By reducing its own footprint and expanding its customers' footprint, Freudenberg is contributing to increasing the level of sustainability worldwide.
At the 6th CIIE in 2023, Freudenberg released its 2022 Sustainability Progress Report. In addition to the sustainability achievements of the Freudenberg Group in recent years, the Report also presents the Freudenberg Group's future-oriented sustainability plans.
As a company that has been around for almost 175 years, Freudenberg attaches great importance to the sustainable development of the value chain, in addition to strengthening its own sustainability. Freudenberg continues to invest in the mobility of the future, bringing together innovative forces to develop power batteries, hydrogen and fuel cell technologies, as well as high-tech components for commercial vehicles, with the aim of playing an important role in solving future issues such as the energy transition or the development of e-mobility. For example, Freudenberg Performance Materials has developed a base guard made of ** material that is 25 percent lighter than conventional body panels, saving energy and reducing CO2 emissions over its service life.
In terms of new energy, hydrogen energy is an important part of the future national energy system, Freudenberg has a full industry chain solution from hydrogen production to hydrogen use, and has accumulated more than 25 years of experience in the development of fuel cell related components and a complete vertical value chain, and has accumulated unique R&D experience, mature business system and customer relationship network for most core components.
Finally, Wang Jiayu, representative of Freudenberg Group in China, said that innovation and high-quality development are complementary and mutually reinforcing, and innovation not only represents technological progress, but also promotes the transformation and upgrading of the industry, as well as the coordinated development of the upstream and downstream industrial chains. "China is pursuing high-quality economic development, whether it is the upgrading of traditional industries, low-carbon emission reduction, or the booming new energy industry, which is in line with Freudenberg's strategic focus on sustainability, e-mobility and digitalization, and there are huge opportunities here. ”
*: Global Network.