History
Important milestones in the history of the Freudenberg Chemical Specialities business units:
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1966 The Freudenberg Group acquires Klüber Lubrication. The company has been founded by Theodor Klüber back in 1929 as a trading company for mineral oils. Since then it has developed into a leading manufacturer of speciality lubricants for the OEM markets.
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1969 Klüber Lubrication expands its business activities to Spain, Switzerland and Scandinavia and gains additional international presence.
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1971 Klüber Lubrication crosses the Atlantic ocean and opens a subsidiary in Brazil. Eleven years later the Klüber Lubrication North America LP will be founded.
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1976 Klüber strengthens its engagement in Japan by founding the NOK Klüber Co. Ltd.
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1998 Klüber Lubrication inaugurates its R & D Center in Munich.
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2003 OKS Spezialschmierstoffe GmbH are taken over. OKS has been founded by Friedrich Kuhn-Weiss in the year 1978. The company's name has been OMNIKOTE before being changed into OKS in 1981. OKS focuses on a distribution based sales model utilizing an international network of distribution partners.
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2004 Freudenberg Chemical Specialities KG is founded as a new business area within the Freudenberg Group and assumes control of Klüber and OKS.
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2004 Klüber Lubrication inaugurates its new Technology-Centre in Munich after just 18 month since the start of the construction works. The building offers 14,000 square meters space on six floors.
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2004 Freudenberg Chemical Specialities KG takes over Chem-Trend and integrates the company into the group. Chem-Trend has been founded by the Danish scientist Per Lorentzen in 1960.
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2005 Klüber Lubrication celebrates its 25th anniversary engagement in China. The business has been sucessfully developed over the years. China longer term is going to become one of the most important markets for speciality lubricants.
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2006 10 years of Klüber Lubrication Texas were due for celebration in January. The company was formed as part of the takeover of Summit Industrial Products Inc. and is a great example of successful company integration. Today, the production site in Texas is the second largest of the Klüber Group with regard to quantities.
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2006 Establishment of its own company in Russia has strengthened Klüber Lubrication's basis for effective care of existing customers and acquisition of new customers in the largest country of the world.
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2007 Klüber Lubrication and Chem-Trend strengthened their presence in Asia by founding each their own companies in Thailand. Chem-Trend also founded a new subsidiary in Japan and opened up a representative office in Vietnam. Klüber opened up a Rep Office in Taiwan.
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2008 Klüber Lubrication and Chem-Trend are setting up their new production site in Qingpu near Shanghai in China. As well as production facilities, the administration, marketing and sales departments for both companies are based in China.
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2010 FCS buys SurTec International GmbH in Zwingenberg and adds products for surface treatments and electroplating technology to its portfolio.