Freudenberg Group
Freudenberg Group is a German family-owned industrial conglomerate whose businesses span engineered materials, automotive components, specialty chemicals, filtration, medical products, energy systems, and household cleaning products. Freudenberg is a German technology group that develops materials, components, and technical solutions for customers across industries.
Last updated October 16, 2026
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Overview
Freudenberg Group is a privately held German industrial and technology group headquartered in Weinheim, Baden-Württemberg. Founded in 1849 by Carl Johann Freudenberg and Heinrich Christian Heintze, the company began as a tannery and spent most of its first eight decades making leather. It later transformed itself into a diversified supplier of engineered materials, components, chemicals, textiles, filtration systems, medical products, energy technologies, and consumer cleaning goods. The company’s early development was based on leather expertise and international trade. Its lacquered patent leather won medals at international exhibitions in the 1850s, and by the early twentieth century Freudenberg had become one of Germany’s largest leather processors. Economic disruption during the First World War, the postwar inflation period, the Great Depression, and changing consumer preferences encouraged the group to seek technologies and markets beyond traditional leather. Its diversification included seals, synthetic rubber, nonwoven materials, shoe soles, technical textiles, lubricants, and cleaning products. Freudenberg’s twentieth-century history also includes serious involvement in the Nazi-era expropriation, or “Aryanization,” of Jewish-owned businesses. In 1933 it acquired Conrad Tack & Cie, a Jewish-owned shoe manufacturer and retailer, after its owner sought protection from boycotts. The company subsequently acquired or absorbed other businesses during the Nazi period, while also pursuing expansion in territories under German control. Freudenberg’s wartime history includes the use of shoe testing arrangements associated with the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, where prisoners were forced to walk long distances testing footwear. These events form an important and troubling part of the group’s historical record. Technical innovation became increasingly central to the business. The Simmerring radial shaft seal, developed from earlier leather-seal work and later made with synthetic rubber, became a major industrial and automotive technology. Freudenberg also developed Viledon nonwoven materials and introduced Vileda cleaning cloths after employees observed that textile scraps were useful for household cleaning. Vileda subsequently grew into a major European consumer and professional cleaning brand. Other important businesses include Klüber Lubrication, acquired in 1966, and Freudenberg Medical, established as the group’s initial dedicated entry into the global medical market in 2004. Since a 1996 reorganization, Freudenberg has operated through a decentralized structure of business groups and legally independent units. Its portfolio has included automotive sealing and vibration-control products, filtration, flow technologies, specialty chemicals, technical textiles, nonwovens, household cleaning products, medical components, and newer e-power and energy-system technologies. The group generally favors long-term ownership, risk diversification, financial resilience, and smaller targeted acquisitions rather than very large transactions. It seeks leading or second-place positions in the markets in which each business operates. Freudenberg remains controlled by descendants of Carl Johann Freudenberg. Ownership is not publicly traded and is distributed among a large number of family shareholders. The operating companies are managed by professional executives, while a family-influenced Board of Partners represents ownership interests. The group’s international production and sales network serves industrial customers and consumers worldwide. In 2023, the group reported business volume of approximately 11.9 billion euros and employed more than 52,000 people; those figures are retained here only with their stated year context.
History
Freudenberg Group traces its origins to 9 February 1849, when Carl Johann Freudenberg and Heinrich Christian Heintze took over a tannery in Weinheim. Freudenberg had trained in the leather trade, and the new company established itself through lacquered patent leather. The product received medals at international exhibitions in the 1850s, helping the business develop an export market. After Heintze’s death and the later purchase of the Heintze family interest, the company became associated with the Freudenberg family name. It was organized as a GmbH in 1896. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the company remained primarily a leather processor. The adoption of chrome tanning and the expansion of international sourcing and exports made Freudenberg one of Germany’s major leather firms before the First World War. War, embargoes, currency instability, and later protectionism disrupted the business. The company responded partly through export cooperation and international subsidiaries, including a United States subsidiary established in Boston in 1929. The economic crisis of the late 1920s and the declining fashion for patent leather exposed the risks of relying on one material. Freudenberg had already begun researching industrial applications for leather. In 1929 it produced leather motor seals, and Walther Simmer’s improved radial shaft seal was patented in 1932 as the Simmerring. During the 1930s, synthetic rubber increasingly replaced leather in such applications. Chemist Carl Ludwig Nottebohm developed nonwoven technology that led to Viledon, while Freudenberg developed synthetic rubber shoe soles marketed from 1938 under the nora name. The Nazi era is a major, contested, and morally consequential part of the company’s history. In 1933 Freudenberg took over Conrad Tack & Cie, a Jewish-owned shoe manufacturer and retailer whose leader sought the transaction amid anti-Jewish boycotts. Freudenberg subsequently absorbed or acquired additional businesses affected by Nazi expropriation policies and pursued expansion in territories controlled or occupied by Germany. In wartime footwear testing, a system associated with Freudenberg and other manufacturers used concentration-camp prisoners at Sachsenhausen to walk very long distances in sample shoes. Prisoners were subjected to exhausting conditions, and some died. These actions are part of the historical record and should not be obscured by the company’s later technological achievements. After the Second World War, Freudenberg accelerated its move into artificial materials, nonwovens, technical textiles, and consumer products. In 1948 it began marketing Vileda window-cleaning cloths, inspired by the usefulness of experimental textile scraps for cleaning. Internationalization followed, including a textile plant in Lowell, Massachusetts, and later facilities and partnerships in Brazil, Japan, Hong Kong, and other markets. Freudenberg also expanded into specialty chemicals, shock absorption, filtration, and other industrial technologies. The 1966 acquisition of Klüber Lubrication strengthened its chemicals and lubrication portfolio, while partnerships in Asia broadened its reach. The original leather business gradually declined as demand weakened and raw-material costs rose. By 2001, leather represented only a small share of group income, and the final tannery in Weinheim closed in 2002. This marked the effective end of Freudenberg’s historic leather industry in Germany. The group instead became a diversified supplier, with most business conducted between companies rather than directly with consumers. Vileda grew into a leading European cleaning brand, while Freudenberg subsidiaries supplied components used in automobiles, outdoor clothing, buildings, airports, and industrial machinery. A decentralized structure introduced in 1996 organized the group into multiple business areas and independent units. Freudenberg entered the global medical market in 2004 through the creation of Freudenberg Medical. In 2015 it sold its telecommunications business and continued to add chemical and medical manufacturing activities. More recent business groups have included Chemical Specialities, e-Power Systems, Filtration Technologies, Flow Technologies, Home and Cleaning Solutions, and Medical, alongside other technical-materials and industrial operations. Freudenberg remains family-owned. Descendants of Carl Johann Freudenberg hold the private partnership interests, while a Board of Partners represents ownership and a professional Management Board runs the operating group. The company’s stated management philosophy emphasizes modesty, integrity, financial strength, adaptability, diversification, long-term planning, and avoiding acquisitions large enough to threaten the group’s stability. In 2023, Freudenberg was described as having approximately €11.9 billion in business volume and more than 52,000 employees.
- 2023
Group reaches approximately €11.9 billion in business volume
[1]The group was reported to employ more than 52,000 people and generate approximately €11.9 billion in business volume.
- 2015
Telecommunications business sold
[1]Freudenberg divested its telecommunications activities while strengthening chemicals and medical manufacturing.
- 2004
Freudenberg Medical established
[1]The group made an initial dedicated entry into the global medical market.
- 2002
Final Weinheim tannery closes
[1]Freudenberg closed its last remaining tannery in Weinheim, ending the group’s historic German leather production.
- 1998
nora shoe-sole production spun off
[1]Production of nora shoe soles was separated from the main Freudenberg organization.
- 1996
Decentralized group structure introduced
[1]The group reorganized its activities into a decentralized structure of business areas and independent operating units.
- 1990
Wettex acquired
[1]Freudenberg acquired Swedish cleaning-products company Wettex.
- 1966
Klüber Lubrication acquired
[1]The acquisition expanded Freudenberg’s specialty-chemicals and industrial-lubrication activities.
- 1950
First postwar overseas textile plant
[1]Freudenberg opened a textile production facility in Lowell, Massachusetts.
- 1948
Vileda cleaning cloths introduced
[1]The company began marketing Vileda window-cleaning cloths made from nonwoven material.
Products and positioning
A long-term, family-owned technology group positioned as a diversified industrial supplier. Freudenberg emphasizes technical specialization, decentralized businesses, market leadership, risk spreading, financial solidity, and innovation in engineered materials and components, while also operating recognizable consumer brands such as Vileda. A diversified technology group focused on material expertise and creative technical solutions for demanding customer applications.
Household and professional cleaning · 1948
Vileda
Vileda is Freudenberg’s best-known consumer-facing brand. It began with window-cleaning cloths introduced in 1948 and expanded into mops, cloths, brooms, gloves, floor-care systems, and related professional products. The brand is particularly strong in European household cleaning, while related Freudenberg Home and Cleaning Solutions businesses operate brands and products in other markets.
Automotive and industrial sealing · 1932
Simmerring
Simmerring is the name associated with Freudenberg’s radial shaft seal technology. Originally developed from leather-seal research, the design was patented in 1932 and later adapted to synthetic rubber. Simmerring products are used to retain lubricants and exclude contaminants in rotating machinery, including automotive, industrial, and power-transmission applications.
Nonwovens and technical textiles · 1936
Viledon
Viledon originated from Freudenberg’s development of nonwoven materials in the 1930s. The product family covers engineered textile and nonwoven solutions used in industrial, transportation, filtration, apparel, and other technical applications. It represents the group’s transition from traditional leather processing toward synthetic and fiber-based materials.
Synthetic rubber shoe soles and flooring · 1938
nora
nora was introduced for Freudenberg’s commercially available synthetic rubber shoe soles, marketed from 1938. The shoe-sole production business was later spun off, and a separate nora business continued with related products. The historical nora activity illustrates Freudenberg’s early substitution of synthetic materials for leather.
Specialty chemicals and lubricants
Klüber Lubrication
Klüber Lubrication is Freudenberg’s specialty-lubrication business, acquired in 1966. It develops application-specific lubricants and related technical solutions for industrial machinery and equipment. The business forms part of Freudenberg Chemical Specialities and supports the group’s strategy of supplying highly engineered materials and process technologies.
Filtration
Freudenberg Filtration Technologies
Freudenberg Filtration Technologies supplies filtration media and systems for industrial air, gas, liquid, and process applications. Its role within the group reflects Freudenberg’s emphasis on engineered materials and components that improve cleanliness, equipment protection, energy performance, and process reliability.
Medical manufacturing · 2004
Freudenberg Medical
Freudenberg Medical provides manufacturing and materials capabilities for medical and pharmaceutical applications. It became Freudenberg’s dedicated global medical-market platform in 2004 and forms part of the group’s later portfolio expansion beyond automotive, textiles, chemicals, and consumer cleaning.
Energy and mobility systems
Freudenberg e-Power Systems
Freudenberg e-Power Systems is a group business focused on technologies for electrified mobility and energy systems. The business extends Freudenberg’s materials, sealing, filtration, and chemical capabilities into newer powertrain and energy applications.
Seals and sealing products
Products for demanding technical applications; the company’s first sealing products date to 1929.
Vibration-control components
Components listed among Freudenberg’s technologies serving customer industries.
Technical textiles and filters
Material-based products included in the group’s business offerings.
Cleaning solutions
Cleaning offerings identified by the company among its business-group innovations.
Specialty chemicals, medical technology products, and e-mobility solutions
Additional areas identified on the Freudenberg Group homepage.
Controversies
1933
Nazi-era Aryanization and concentration-camp shoe testing
Freudenberg acquired Conrad Tack & Cie, a Jewish-owned shoe manufacturer and retailer, during the Nazi regime and later absorbed or pursued other businesses affected by expropriation policies. The company was also involved in the wider footwear-testing system that used prisoners at Sachsenhausen concentration camp, where forced laborers walked extreme distances testing shoes under abusive conditions. Some prisoners died. These events are central to assessments of Freudenberg’s historical responsibility during the Nazi period.
Brand decisions
2015
Sell telecommunications activitiesStrategyBackground
Freudenberg continued to refine its portfolio around businesses with stronger technical and manufacturing fit.
Action taken
The group sold its telecommunications business and continued adding chemical and medical manufacturing products.
Aftermath
The transaction reinforced the group’s concentration on industrial technology, specialty chemicals, medical manufacturing, and related materials.
2004
Enter the global medical marketStrategyBackground
Freudenberg sought new growth areas beyond its established industrial, automotive, textile, and consumer businesses.
Action taken
The group created Freudenberg Medical as its initial dedicated platform for global medical manufacturing.
Aftermath
Medical products became part of the group’s broader portfolio of engineered materials and manufacturing technologies.
2002
Close the final Weinheim tanneryStrategyBackground
Leather had become a small and declining part of group income because of lower demand and higher raw-material costs.
Action taken
Freudenberg closed its last remaining tannery in Weinheim.
Aftermath
The closure effectively ended the company’s historic leather-manufacturing activity in Germany and confirmed its transformation into a diversified technology group.
1996
Adopt a decentralized organizational structureStrategyBackground
The expanding group needed a structure capable of managing multiple technologies, markets, and operating companies.
Action taken
Freudenberg reorganized into decentralized business areas and independent units.
Aftermath
The structure supported continued diversification while preserving substantial autonomy for individual businesses.
1966
Acquire Klüber LubricationM&ABackground
Freudenberg was expanding from leather and sealing into specialty chemicals and industrial technologies.
Action taken
The group acquired Klüber Lubrication.
Aftermath
Klüber became an important part of Freudenberg’s specialty-chemicals activities.
1948
Launch Vileda cleaning clothsProduct launchBackground
Employees observed that discarded experimental textile materials could be useful for household cleaning.
Action taken
Freudenberg commercialized nonwoven window-cleaning cloths under the Vileda name.
Aftermath
Vileda developed into one of the group’s major European consumer and professional brands.
1932
Patent the Simmerring radial shaft sealProduct launchBackground
Freudenberg was seeking industrial uses for its experience in leather sealing.
Action taken
Engineer Walther Simmer developed and patented an improved radial shaft seal.
Aftermath
The technology became a lasting part of Freudenberg’s automotive and industrial sealing portfolio and was later manufactured with synthetic rubber.
1929
Begin diversification into industrial applicationsStrategyBackground
Dependence on leather was increasingly exposed to economic disruption, changing fashions, import restrictions, and raw-material constraints.
Action taken
Freudenberg began developing leather seals for motors and established a United States subsidiary to support international business.
Aftermath
The move laid groundwork for the later transition into automotive seals, synthetic rubber, nonwovens, and other engineered technologies.
Recent events
Honda introduces premium cabin air filter in Europe[6]
Reported:
Honda announced the introduction in Europe of a premium cabin air filter, developed in cooperation with Freudenberg and offered as a genuine Honda spare part. Honda says the filter can capture more than 90% of viral aerosols.
Freudenberg completes acquisition of Low & Bonar[7]
Reported:
Freudenberg completed its acquisition of Low & Bonar by buying 100% of its shares. Low & Bonar was to be delisted from the London Stock Exchange on 13 May and integrated into Freudenberg Performance Materials.
Freudenberg completes Filc acquisition[8]
Reported:
Freudenberg acquired 100% of Filc's shares effective December 31, 2019. Filc was to be integrated into Freudenberg Performance Materials and continue trading under the Filc name for the time being.
Fitesa to acquire Freudenberg’s South American hygiene business[9]
Reported:
Freudenberg sold its South American Hygiene nonwoven business to Fitesa. The transaction was subject to approval by antitrust authorities; the purchase price was not disclosed.
Freudenberg agrees to acquire Filc[10]
Reported:
Freudenberg signed a final agreement to acquire all shares of Filc, a Slovenian producer of needle-punch nonwoven textiles and laminated materials.
Sources11 sources
- 1Freudenberg Groupen.wikipedia.org
- 2Freudenberg Group: Innovating Togetherfreudenberg.com
- 3Freudenberg Group: The company's long-standing success storyfreudenberg.com
- 4Freudenberg Group: History in fast motionfreudenberg.com
- 5Freudenberg Group: Carl Johann Freudenbergfreudenberg.com
- 6本田在欧洲推出高级车厢空气滤清器paultan.org
- 7Freudenberg完成对Low & Bonar的收购innovationintextiles.com
- 8Freudenberg完成对Filc的收购innovationintextiles.com
- 9Fitesa将收购Freudenberg南美卫生用品业务textileworld.com
- 10富乐德与Filc签署收购协议innovationintextiles.com
- 11Freudenberg Completes Acquisition of Low & Bonar - Makers of Colbondfloordaily.net
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