automotive filtration insight
175 years of
Freudenberg
Seizing the opportunity change provides
Carl Johann Freudenberg and his partner Heinrich Christian Heintze founded Freudenberg in 1849. 175 years on, it is more successful than ever. The reason for this success story lies in the founder’s unshakable conviction and his courage to innovate.
From tannery to global group
It all began with a small tannery in Weinheim, southwestern Germany. Just a short time after its foundation, Freudenberg invented patent leather. The lacquer coating made this leather extremely resilient, which led to high demand and helped the tannery quickly grow. By 1887, the company employed more than 500 people. It was at this time that the guiding principles according to which Freudenberg is still run today were put down on paper. These are modesty, honesty, a solid financial foundation, and the ability to adapt to the respective changes.
With the introduction of chrome tanning at the beginning of the 20th century, Freudenberg became the largest leather manufacturer in Europe. Expansion into Asia began after the First World War.
Diversification through innovation
In the 1930s, the National Socialist party’s efforts to make Germany self-sufficient made things difficult for the leather trade. During this time, research was conducted into materials that could replace leather in the nascent sealing sector, and the sealing material Perbunan rubber was developed. Production of nonwovens at Freudenberg began shortly thereafter.
After the Second World War, the company launched Vileda cloths on the market to replace chamois leather, which was widespread at the time.
Non-stop
filtration innovation
The filter business developed steadily. Success continued by the production of the first pocket filter, and this paved the way for a broad portfolio of different filter elements, from adsorption filters to filter cartridges and paint mist arrestors.
One of the major breakthroughs for the Automotive Industry came in 1989. Freudenberg launched the first cabin air filter on the market, creating an entire industry branch with the micronAir particle filter. With this innovation, the company was an entrepreneur then and is still the world leader today.
35 years of micronAir:
the journey continues
The first particulate air filter was installed in the cult Mercedes-Benz SL Roadster as standard. In 1991, the Opel Astra became the first car for the mass market to have a cabin air filter installed irrespective of the configuration to protect passengers from dust, pollen and other harmful particles. Model after model followed thereafter. Today, cars without cabin air filters are unthinkable. ”The development and launch has been an exciting adventure for all of us. That is why we were happy to see that everything went so well,” says Volker Bräunling, who was involved in the introduction of the particulate air filter. “The project was time-critical and, above all, we started with no market, no regulations, no experience in product development, and no corresponding internal structure.”
In the years that followed, the technology behind the filter media continued to develop — and so did filtration performance. The first filter with HEPA-level arrestance performance was produced in 2015. In 2016, the micronAir family welcomed another new addition with the proTect line. Thanks to its new material design and additional functional layer, even allergens are filtered. Since 2019, micronAir Gas Shield has made it possible to choose from three activated carbon blends to adsorb certain harmful gases and odors with high effectiveness.
The future
is change
The Freudenberg Group now employs over 50,000 people and continues to expand into new markets. This includes, for example, the development of new filtration concepts and solutions for the demanding production of lithium-ion batteries. Furthermore, Freudenberg aims to achieve complete climate neutrality by 2039. There’s a lot happening and so much more to come. Yet with all this growth, Freudenberg has remained true to itself these last 175 years. Embracing changed circumstances in order to shape the future was and remains the basis for all the company’s activities.
In the coming years, this means among other things: preparing for the consequences of climate change. Effective measures have been taken for several years now to make production more energy-efficient and sustainable, from smarter processes to climate-neutral electricity supply and sustainable material innovations. For Freudenberg, the challenges of the future are – and always have been – opportunities.
