The people behind Freudenberg's innovations

ERJ staff report (LMH)

Weinheim. Germany -- Fingermops, bio-degradable nonwovens or high-tech components for fuel cells - the current list of innovations at the Freudenberg Group is pretty long, the company said in a 29 July article.

The Germany sealing and vibration solutions company has released the stories of two of its associates who explain where the inspiration for their ideas comes from.

India owes the success of the Tata Nano, the world's cheapest car, in part to Hilrich Kardoes, Freudenberg said. He works for Freudenberg's Vibracoustic Business Group, and calculated and designed the Tata Nano's engine mounts, supervising the process all the way to series production. Two specially constructed elastic engine mounts plus a pendulum mount insulate the bodywork from the vibrations generated by the two-cylinder engine.

For Kardoes, the real challenge lay in coming up with a low-cost design for these components which are so important for the overall impression of the Tata Nano while not compromising on quality. Kardoes simplified component design for the Tata Nano, for example using plastic to manufacture engine mount components which would normally be made of aluminum for European cars.

"My best ideas often come when I'm not at my desk, when I can step back from what I'm currently working on. The most recent brainwave came while I was in the whirlpool," he says with a grin. When that happens he keeps the idea in his head until he gets to the office the next morning. He has filed several patents during his 25 years with the Freudenberg Group.

Sitting in an ICE train from Mannheim to Berlin, Gerhard Röhner enjoys the view from the train as it passes houses, fields and - specially close to the project developer's heart - wind farms. But why are two of the turbines not moving? When he sees that, Röhner always thinks about how such a situation could be avoided.

The Freudenberg Sealing Technologies associate sometimes travels by train on business. "I can switch off and think," Röhner says. "Wind turbines at a standstill are a challenge for me."

One of his projects involves new sealing technologies to increase the service life and reliability of wind plants. They have to function even during inclement weather and withstand extreme stresses. To keep down times to a minimum seals are, for example, fitted with sensors that transmit a signal when there is a leak. That means leaks are identified early and specific seals can be replaced if necessary. Wind turbine down times are minimized and Gerhard Röhner can rest easy on his next train journey.

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Press release from Freudenberg