What Freudenberg makes

Freudenberg Group is a diversified technology company operating nine business groups across approximately 40 market segments. Within automotive, three divisions carry the bulk of revenue.

Freudenberg Sealing Technologies, headquartered in Weinheim, Germany, is the group's largest automotive unit. It manufactures static and dynamic seals, including the Simmerring radial shaft seal -- a product category the company invented in 1932. Current output runs above 5 billion seals per year, drawing on approximately 1,400 proprietary material blends across rubber, polymer, and composite chemistries. Applications span engines, transmissions, axle systems, braking systems, battery thermal management, and in-wheel motors for electric vehicles. The division's Quantix material line addresses thermal protection for EV battery packs, and its catalyst-coated membrane product serves hydrogen fuel cell stacks. In the United States, the sealing business operates as Freudenberg-NOK General Partnership, a joint venture with NOK Corporation of Japan established in 1989, with plants in Ohio, New Hampshire, Georgia, and Indiana.

Vibracoustic, Freudenberg's noise, vibration, and harshness specialist, supplies light-vehicle and commercial-vehicle customers across 17 countries from approximately 40 production and engineering sites. Products include air springs, motor mounts, chassis mounts, torsional vibration dampers, and cabin mounts for trucks. The division employs roughly 12,000 people and reported sales of approximately €2.6 billion in FY2025.

Freudenberg Filtration Technologies supplies cabin air filters, engine intake air filters, and air filters for fuel cell systems to the automotive sector, alongside industrial filtration products. The division operates globally and shares commercial infrastructure with Japan Vilene Company, Freudenberg's nonwoven manufacturer, which the group is acquiring outright from Toray Industries.

A tenth business group, Freudenberg e-Power Systems, was dissolved on January 1, 2026. The company discontinued its battery cell, module, and system operations and fuel cell systems activities, citing slower-than-expected US market development. Hydrogen component activities transferred to Freudenberg Sealing Technologies.

Financial performance

Freudenberg Group reported total group revenue of €11.73 billion in FY2025, down 1.8% from €11.95 billion in FY2024. Currency headwinds -- primarily a weaker US dollar and Chinese renminbi -- subtracted €281.6 million from reported sales. Group operating profit was €1.09 billion, a 9.3% margin, compared with €1.13 billion (9.5% margin) in FY2024.

The automotive-related businesses represented the primary source of top-line pressure. Per the Berylls by AlixPartners Top-100 Automotive Suppliers study, automotive-segment revenue totaled approximately €4.7 billion in FY2025, down 5.1% from approximately €4.9 billion in FY2024. The Berylls study does not publish a profitability figure for the automotive segment, so margin attribution below group level is not available.

Employee count at year-end FY2025 was 50,968, down from 52,104 in FY2024. Approximately 600 of the reduction traces to the e-Power Systems dissolution. Research and development spending was €579.5 million (4.9% of sales), with 31.5% of FY2025 sales coming from products introduced within the prior four years. The company has committed approximately €200 million toward AI-supported research through 2028.

Ownership and history

Carl Johann Freudenberg founded the company on February 9, 1849, in Weinheim as a leather tannery in partnership with Heinrich Christian Heintze. The business remained a tannery through the 1920s, when it began diversifying into technical applications. The first Simmerring radial shaft seal was developed in 1932, establishing the sealing product line that now anchors Freudenberg Sealing Technologies. Vileda-branded household cleaning products were introduced in 1948.

Freudenberg is structured as a Societas Europaea and operates under a partnership holding company, Freudenberg & Co. Kommanditgesellschaft. Approximately 400 descendants of the founder hold ownership stakes; no single shareholder exceeds 2%, and shares may not be transferred to non-family members. The company has never been publicly listed and has no external institutional shareholders. Headquarters remain at Hoehnerweg 2-4, Weinheim, Germany, where the founding operations were established.

The North American sealing joint venture with NOK Corporation of Japan (Freudenberg-NOK General Partnership) has operated since 1989, with US headquarters in Plymouth, Michigan. NOK's original minority stake in Freudenberg dates to 1960.

Certifications and quality

Freudenberg Sealing Technologies claims IATF 16949:2016 certification across multiple manufacturing sites. The DQS certification database confirms IATF 16949:2016 registration at Freudenberg Sealing Technologies facilities in Hungary (rubber bonded parts, rubber precision parts, boots) and France (static and dynamic gasket seals), among others. The division also maintains ISO 14001 (environmental management) and ISO 50001 (energy management) certifications at various sites. Freudenberg-NOK earned Ford's Q1 supplier certification, which Ford awards to facilities meeting advanced quality-management requirements. Quality compliance is independently tested and certified at the divisional level; no single group-level certification covers all nine business groups.

Known customers

Vibracoustic describes its customer base as all major automotive manufacturers globally, across light vehicle and commercial vehicle segments. The company states that all German-manufactured automobiles contain at least one Freudenberg component, a claim consistent with the group's scale across sealing, NVH, and filtration. Current program specifics are not publicly disclosed.

Frequently asked questions

What does Freudenberg Group make for the automotive industry?
Freudenberg's automotive product range covers three primary categories: sealing products (radial shaft seals, O-rings, static and dynamic gaskets, and thermal protection materials for EV batteries, manufactured by Freudenberg Sealing Technologies), noise and vibration control components (air springs, motor mounts, chassis mounts, and torsional vibration dampers, manufactured by Vibracoustic), and cabin and intake air filtration (manufactured by Freudenberg Filtration Technologies). The group produced over 5 billion seals in FY2025 and supplies components used across gasoline, diesel, hybrid, and battery-electric vehicle platforms.

Who owns Freudenberg Group?
Freudenberg Group is privately held by approximately 400 descendants of founder Carl Johann Freudenberg, structured through Freudenberg & Co. Kommanditgesellschaft. No single family member holds more than 2% of the company, and ownership cannot be transferred to non-family members. The company has never been publicly listed. It operates as a Societas Europaea (SE) under German law.

What is Freudenberg Group's revenue?
Freudenberg Group reported total group revenue of €11.73 billion in FY2025. Its automotive-related businesses generated approximately €4.7 billion of that total, according to the Berylls by AlixPartners Top-100 Automotive Suppliers study (FY2025 data). Automotive revenue declined approximately 5.1% year-on-year, reflecting weak demand in Europe and North America. The group's overall operating profit was €1.09 billion, a 9.3% margin.

Where is Freudenberg Group headquartered?
Freudenberg Group is headquartered at Hoehnerweg 2-4, 69469 Weinheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany -- the same location where Carl Johann Freudenberg established the original tannery in 1849. Weinheim is located in the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region, approximately 20 kilometers north of Heidelberg. The group operates in approximately 60 countries with around 50,000 employees globally.

Who are Freudenberg's automotive customers?
Freudenberg serves all major global automotive manufacturers through its sealing, NVH, and filtration divisions. Documented OEM relationships include Ford (Ford Q1 supplier certification; World Car of the Year supply programs), Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, and John Deere (Partner-level designation in the Achieving Excellence program for sealing components). Vibracoustic describes its customer base as all major automotive manufacturers across light vehicle and commercial vehicle segments. Specific current program details are not publicly disclosed.

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