Family Ties

The Chens are true SurTec veterans. Chen Hongshou, the father, began his professional journey at Freudenberg in 2003, working as a production employee at the Hangzhou site. His son, Chen Feng, joined the company in 2010 and now works as a warehouse and logistics supervisor, specializing in raw materials management. “At the time, the proximity to my home, the opportunities for further education, and the attractive terms spoke for themselves,” the logistics specialist said.  “Today, as an employee, I especially appreciate the recognition from the company and its caring attitude. I still remember the farewell dinner that SurTec held in my father’s honor, for example, and the gifts that we children always received on Children’s Day.” He considers the experiences to be a good reason to do his best each day. “These values also reflect our own loyalty and connection to the company,” Chen said.   

Angelica Munoz, assistant to the General Manager of Vibracoustic in Lerma, Mexico, has an exciting job. Since 2011, she has not only taken care of her supervisor’s appointments – she also has been involved with receptions for important visitors and event planning. She has greatly enjoyed the work and has always been glad to talk about it with her family. “My son Andres practically grew up with my stories about Freudenberg,” Munoz Carrasco added. “So I was very happy when he began an internship at my location several years ago as part of his business studies.” Andres Velazquez is now a permanent member of the Vibracoustic Purchasing team in Lerma. “We both feel appreciated here, and during the workday, it seems as though we are part of a family community,” Munoz Carrasco added. This isn’t the first time that mother and son have been together in the same workplace. When Velazquez was a child, his mother taught English at his school. “So, he is used to seeing me in his professional environment,” his mother said with a laugh. 

When Dr. Michael Horchler sits at a conference table in the Freudenberg company archives, he is automatically reminded of his father. That‘s because his dad was the source of that massive piece of furniture, which stood in top executives’ office space for many years.. A trained cabinetmaker, Helmut Horchler was not only responsible for furniture inside the company but in the homes of the Freudenberg family as well. His son deals with family history as the head of the company and family archives and has regular contact with shareholders. Similarly, there is a clear professional proximity to the family in his father’s case. The same is true for Michael Horchler’s great-uncle Michael Brehm. He joined the company in 1932 as a 14-year-old tanning apprentice. Hans Freudenberg quickly recognized the youth‘s potential, personally, promoted his career, and sent him to Karlsruhe for further education as a chemical lab technician. To be sure, the outbreak of World War II kept Brehm from pursuing further academic education, but he still was able to become manager of the plastics plant at Weinheim in 1958.

From the Odenwald out into the world – that's one way to sum up the life of Dieter Becker of Klüber Lubrication. Both his grandfather and his father were Freudenbergers. At the age of 14, his father started out in the “wet workshop” in the leather department and began working as an employee in production preparation in the Simmerwerk after World War II. “In addition to his enthusiasm for music, he imparted Freudenberg values to me early on and always encouraged me to do something stable, with a regular income, while pursuing my passion for drums, the accordion and the trombone,” Becker said. He had his first professional contact with Freudenberg as a young warehouse worker in Lutterworth in the United Kingdom, where his wife Beate was on assignment as a Freudenberg employee. After his return and studies in business administration for Freudenberg at the Mannheim Professional Academy, he held positions as a personnel specialist in Weinheim and as a sales employee in the United States, and then as a Lead Center manager back in Weinheim. After moving to Klüber Lubrication, he soon took over global sales management as well as Regional Management Board tasks and management positions in facilities throughout the world, including the USA, Germany and Switzerland. “Thanks to Freudenberg, I had many professional opportunities over 41 years and the chance to visit 54 countries,” Becker said. He continues to find joy in music. He plays in an accompanying band for a mixed choir, composes his own songs and takes part in jam sessions in Upper Bavaria.

Count on them to be wherever they are needed: Huajin Luo and his son Dinglong Luo . Huajin Luo joined Freudenberg Filtration Technologies in Shunde, China, in 2007. Initially a production worker, he is now in charge of a manufacturing line. “My father was deeply impressed by the company’s success story, as well as its strong customer orientation, humanity, and social commitment. Aside from the opportunities for professional development, that is precisely what motivated me to apply for a job and join him at Freudenberg,” Dinglong Luo said. After he was hired in 2009, he worked as a quality inspector before moving to process technology in 2013 and taking over as manager in 2016. Today, Dinglong Luo is in charge of quality management. “My son and I both love our work. For me as a father, it has been very special to see my son grow within the company,” Huajin Luo says. Dinglong Luo expresses similar sentiments. “My father is my role model. We both strive to develop personally and keep moving forward. That is the foundation that we share.”

The urge to stand up for fairness is in the Krastels’ genes. Until their retirement, the brothers Klaus and Bernd were members of works councils for Freudenberg companies in Weinheim, following the example of their father Walter. “As his sons, it was the most natural thing in the world for us to do our training at Freudenberg and later work on behalf of the company and its employees,” said Bernd Krastel. In their work, they have helped to actively shape the company’s transformation from a venerable, quite manageable Weinheim firm into a global technology company.

So it’s no surprise that Freudenberg was a main topic of conversation at home after work and that Bernd’s son would work at Freudenberg today. “I was always impressed by the deep sense of belonging – both on site and internationally,” said Christopher Krastel . The young man has something else in common with his grandfather and his uncle. As football referees, they all stand for fairness on the pitch. Support also comes from the female side: Christopher Krastel’s cousin, Anja Krastel provides the family with sustenance in the Weinheim cafeteria.

Juliana Matos got her first taste of the international world of Freudenberg with the help of TANNER. She was the first young person from Brazil to travel abroad with the company’s then brand-new exchange program in 1999. Her father, Carlos Matos, worked as an engineer for Freudenberg Filtration Technologies and built up the Brazilian sales team. A few years later, when an account manager was needed for Freudenberg-NOK Sealing Technologies in Diadema, Brazil, her father encouraged her to apply. “I remember my father always worked wholeheartedly for Freudenberg,” Juliana Matos says. “He often invited colleagues, supervisors and business partners to our home, because he didn’t like sterile business dinners in restaurants. So, I was familiar with the company from an early age.” Matos has since followed in her father’s footsteps, graduating with a degree in engineering and – like her father – is responsible for sales and customer topics. She has also retained her love of travel. After working in the USA and Brazil, she is currently based in Weinheim.