For the 17 finalists taking part in this year’s “We all take care” Award, the outcome was a complete surprise. On May 4th 2022, for the first time since the initiative’s launch 20 years ago, the jury in Weinheim selected four joint winners of the “We all take care” Award. In doing so, the jury demonstrated the significance of the initiative for the entire Group.
The four winners include Freudenberg Service that made a key contribution to combating the pandemic with its vaccination center at the Weinheim industrial park, and Freudenberg Performance Materials in Nantong, that found a way to significantly reduce its energy consumption with the aid of intelligent compressed air control. Freudenberg Sealing Technologies (FST) took home two trophies: After the devastating floods in the Ahr valley, the FST team from Remagen was commended for its efforts in assisting the local community and its neighborhoods. FST in Weinheim used digital methods to analyze motion sequences ergonomically and draw conclusions for improved workplace design.
Two further Business Groups also each received a special prize: As a first-time contributor to “We all take care”, Japan Vilene Company submitted a project for the prevention of cutting injuries. In addition, the jury praised Vibracoustic’s Turkish site in Bursa for its submission of numerous project ideas over the last years. This year, the work continued with projects to prevent workplace accidents using industrial robots and to provide help to those in need during the pandemic.
Impressions of the hybrid event "We all take care" in Weinheim and online.
Impressions of the hybrid event "We all take care" in Weinheim and online.
Impressions of the hybrid event "We all take care" in Weinheim and online.
Impressions of the hybrid event "We all take care" in Weinheim and online.
“For almost 20 years now, “We all take care” has been one of the most successful initiatives in Freudenberg’s history. During this period, countless ideas have been generated which have made a significant contribution to improvements in occupational health, safety, and environmental protection, as well as to reducing resource use,” said jury chairman Dr. Tilman Krauch, Chief Technology Officer and Freudenberg Management Board member, after the final. “My thanks goes to all of our employees worldwide who have played a role in supporting the initiative, and who have made considerable efforts to improve safety – sometimes every year. It is thanks to them that “We all take care,” in particular, exemplifies how we put our corporate values into practice.”
Speaking from the sidelines of the ceremony, Ismet Kutay, Global Head of Corporate HSE, confirmed that with 283 projects, participation this year had been extraordinarily high: “There were significantly more projects than last year, which I am delighted about. The focus was on WATC Group 3 with a number of projects relating to the reduction of our footprint – a clear sign of the success of Freudenberg’s global sustainability initiatives.
The focus was on WATC Group 3 with a number of projects relating to the reduction of our footprint – a clear sign of the success of Freudenberg’s global sustainability initiatives.
Ismet Kutay, Global Head of Corporate HSE
Every single one of these ideas makes a difference and every single one counts
Dr. Tilman Krauch, Chief Technologie Officer and Freudenberg Management Board member
During the awards ceremony, Krauch referred to the numerous Best Practice Projects on the Freudenberg Portal. He made an appeal for the projects to be replicated, adapted, and applied to other sites and Business Groups. “Every single one of these ideas makes a difference and every single one counts,” concluded Krauch.
In addition to Krauch and Kutay, this year’s jury members included Board of Management member, Esther Loidl, Dr. Niko Reuß, Head of Freudenberg Technology Innovation, and Works Council members Bernhard Müller-Klinke, Sebastian Endreß and Karl-Johan Mortensen.