NOK-Freudenberg upgrading seals facility in China

London - NOK-Freudenberg (China) is upgrading its production facilities for automotive sealing products in Changchun, China, according to a company official.

The company is building a new manufacturing plant, spanning 16,000 square metres, in Changchun to replace the existing building, said Ulrike Reich, head of communications, Freudenberg Sealing Technologies (FST) in a written statement to ERJ.

“The new building will not increase capacity.... You can call it a modernisation,” she explained.

The new facility, she went on to say, will have “improved production conditions and enhanced environmental protection provisions.”

According to Reich, NOK-Freudenberg is currently waiting for construction permission from the local government and expects to bring the plant into operation by the end of 2020.

The existing facility in Changchun was set up in 1992 and produces over 600,000 seals per day.

The plant's product portfolio includes engine oil seals, transmission oil seals, valve stem oil seals and rubber gaskets.

NOK-Freudenberg (China) is a 50: 50 joint venture between Japan’s NOK Corp. and FST and supplies automotive sealing solutions to the Chinese market.

The company currently employs over 700 in Changchun.