Make in India
"Our R&D and manufacturing activities as well as various other initiatives foster our long-term commitment," said Grossmann.
"With that Freudenberg supports the national program of Prime Minister Narenda Modi, ‘Make in India', which aims to turn the country into a global manufacturing hub: raising manufacturing from 15% to 25% of India's Gross Domestic Product within ten years, creating new jobs, making foreign investments easier and offering perspectives to young people. "Make in India has been our strategy for more than a decade," stressed Grossmann. Freudenberg's presence in India is founded on business ties spanning almost a century.
Steady growth leads to new jobs. At the new SFN factory in Basma for example, more than 2,000 employees - half of them women - will manufacture seals for the Indian market and for export.
Education is Key
The Freudenberg Group has a long-term commitment not only to the Indian market, but also to the Indian society. It takes responsibility as a good neighbor wherever it holds full management control - especially for environmental protection and educational prospects for children and young people.
In the area of Nagapattinam, Freudenberg provides sustained support for the region affected by the tsunami in the form of a Training Center. In the meantime, about 350 young people have been given an opportunity to train in a technical vocation so that they can shape their own future and the future of their country.
Education is also key for Freudenberg as an employer. A few years ago, the company started its FIELD (Freudenberg India Entrepreneurial Leadership Development) program with the intention of training and developing Freudenberg's future managers in the areas of sales, operations and finance.
The participants of the program are mainly recruited from the Indian Institutes of Management in Bangalore and Kozhikode, the Indian School of Business and the National Institute of Industrial Engineering.
Freudenberg offers its graduates a global perspective from the beginning of their career and the opportunity to take on management positions. The Freudenberg Group also embarked on a journey of Talent Management and created opportunities for exchange of high potential employees between Business Groups by holding Talent Dialogues across the globe - in Germany, China, North and South America and India.
The goal is to identify the top talents within the regions and open up opportunities for them to develop and apply their talent and skills. Besides, such an exercise also develops great focus among people leaders with regard to potential competencies and developmental needs of their team members.
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