Family Ties

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.

For this family, team spirit comes first: Maria Dolhainé Orgovan, her husband Norbert Dolhai and their son Milan appreciate their employer Vibracoustic above all, because of the sense of togetherness. “The site here in Nyiregyhaza, Hungary, is comparatively small and everyone knows each other,” says Norbert, who started working for Vibracoustic more than 20 years ago as a production employee. After holding positions in assembly, vulcanization and the warehouse, Norbert is now a shift supervisor. “The atmosphere is excellent, and many colleagues have become our friends,” says Norbert’s wife Maria Dolhainé Orgovan, who has worked for Freudenberg for around 14 years in quality control and assembly. Milan grew up seeing the positive impressions Freudenberg left on his parents and joined the company two years ago. “If someone has a problem, they get help here. That’s something I really appreciate, in addition to the flexibility and the numerous job opportunities.

Chemistry seems to be in the Kilian/Hallstein family’s blood. When he was offered a position in the main laboratory shortly after his apprenticeship as a dyer in the 1950s, Manfred Kilian didn’t need to consider it for long. A champion swimmer, he loved a good challenge. And soon tanning trials, analyses and microscopes were part of his daily routine. Even his daughter followed him into the company several years later and met her future husband, a chemical technician, there.

So with so much enthusiasm for chemistry, it was no surprise that granddaughter Katharina Hallstein would pursue a scientific career. She has worked as a technician in chemical technology since 2009 – today on the same team where her dad once worked. “Freudenberg always loomed large in our home,“ Hallstein said. “I often visited my father here and spent time in Houston, Texas with the former exchange program TANNER. Freudenberg has now become a family to me.”