EagleBurgmann underlines India's importance in developing new technologies and solutions for the industrial sealing market by adding a new R&D centre to its Pune based production plant, constructed in 2009. The R&D-building is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2013. The Freudenberg group company will use the new facility for testing of various seals addressing mainly Oil & Gas applications. Freudenberg has identified the Oil & Gas segment as one of the most important strategic future markets. The investment in research facilities in India highlights the importance of the Indian market for the Freudenberg Group's global growth strategy.

In the R&D centre in Pune, EagleBurgmann will test high-end products like dry gas seals for compressors as well as high-pressure and high speed engineered seals for pumps and agitators. It will also include running tests as well as endurance testing for various mechanical seals and seal supply systems. EagleBurgmann's customers in India will benefit the most from this new facility. "The major benefit for our customers is a reduced product lead time, especially for products which were fully designed, manufactured and tested abroad due to lack of such facilities in India," says Mr Pramod Mehata, Site Execute Officer for EagleBurgmann's Pune Site. The Oil & Gas market is one of the key future investment areas for the Freudenberg Group, as Dr J?rg Matthias Gro??ann explains, the Freudenberg Group's Regional Representative in India and Chief Financial Officer of Freudenberg Chemical Specialities: "We have identified Oil & Gas applications as a high priority strategic business segment to invest in, thus expanding the respective Freudenberg's businesses. The current EagleBurgmann investment underlines our respective engagement."

Research and development in India has a long tradition within the Freudenberg Group. One of the latest innovations is the Viledon eee.Sy concept, a co-development of Freudenberg Filtration Technologies and its business partner Thermax. It is a combined filter and cooling solution, which was developed in India and today is used in the petrochemical and chemical industry.

"The above-average growth of the past few years highlights the prospects of Freudenberg in India and affirms our targeted expansion strategy for the region," says Dr J?rg Matthias Gro??ann. "A significant factor in the outstanding growth rates was the consistently very good performance of our Indian Business Groups." One of these Business Groups is EagleBurgmann India, market leader in the mechanical seal industry in India. The company is the country's only seal manufacturer whose test facilities are recognized and approved by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India. The site in Pune produces mechanical seals and seal support systems, which, amongst others, are used in centrifugal pumps, compressors, agitators and blowers.

Freudenberg has held business ties with customers and partners in India for almost 100 years. The group has a workforce of more than 3,007 employees at 28 locations. Freudenberg generated sales in India of Rs 956 crore in the 2011 financial year.