Freudenberg India reported sales of ₹4,427 crore for the calendar year 2025, with a healthy double-digit operating result, as the German technology group's eight entities in the country continued to expand across automotive, chemical, energy, technical textiles and cleaning products.
The automotive sector accounts for 40 to 42 percent of Freudenberg India's revenue, making it one of the largest verticals for the company's domestic operations, G. Sivasailam, Director and CEO of Freudenberg Regional Corporate Centre India and Managing Director, said at a media webinar today. The portfolio spans passenger vehicles (PVs) and two-wheelers to light commercial vehicles.
Freudenberg has maintained business ties with India for more than 90 years, encompassing production centres, sales offices and research and development hubs. Sivasailam, who has been associated with Freudenberg's India operations for over two decades, noted that the company's initial foray into the Indian automotive market began with leather seals for vehicle interiors.
Now, Freudenberg Performance Materials supplies technical textiles to the sector, while its chemical specialties arm, which includes the Klüber Lubrication brand, has added specialty lubricants as its latest automotive product line. Its filtration division provides cabin air filters for passenger vehicles and paint shop filters for manufacturing facilities, operating out of Pune and Chennai.
For electric vehicles, Freudenberg is supplying separators for individual battery cells, heating insulators and high-power cables, positioning itself across both internal combustion engine and EV value chains. Through its subsidiary Vibracoustic, a global noise, vibration and harshness specialist, Freudenberg supplies vibration control systems for LCVs and trucks. About 70 percent of Freudenberg's commercial vehicle aftermarket business in India is routed directly through OEMs, Sivasailam said.
Approximately 18 months ago, Freudenberg committed around ₹250 crore to acquire 28 acres of land in Chandigarh for a new facility dedicated to automotive seating and vibration control components.
Sivasailam added that Indian OEMs have contributed to recent growth, adding that the company's Tier 0.5, Tier 1, and Tier 2 supplier relationships remain stronger than its direct OEM ties. Freudenberg is open to mergers and acquisitions in India to strengthen its automotive position.
Exports from India remain modest, with 5 to 10 percent of domestically manufactured goods shipped to Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and the Middle East in niche quantities. Sivasailam said the West Asia conflict had weighed on business but indicated that he expects some relief within six months.
Globally, the company reported global sales of ₹1,27,878 crore (€11,731.9 million) for calendar year 2025, a 1.8 percent decline from the previous year's ₹1,30,228 crore (€11,947.5 million), with the company attributing the shortfall primarily to currency headwinds from the U.S. dollar and the Chinese renminbi, compounded by disruptions stemming from the West Asia conflict. Freudenberg invested ₹6,317 crore (€579.5 million) in research and development in 2025, representing 4.9 percent of sales, down from ₹6,588 crore (€604.4 million) and 5.1 percent in the previous year.