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Jun 17, 2011

Freudenberg Household Products Celebrates New Manufacturing Partnership with SP Berner Group

AURORA, Ill., June 16, 2011. Freudenberg Household Products (FHP), a market leader in household and institutional cleaning products and SP Berner Plastics Group S.L., a leading manufacturer of consumer, industrial and furniture products, officially launched a North American partnership today during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at their new manufacturing and headquarters facility in Aurora, Ill., outside of Chicago. FHP is part of the Freudenberg Group and is headquartered in Weinheim, Germany. SP Berner is headquartered in Valencia, Spain.

The new company, FHP-Berner, is a 50-50 joint venture that will supply metal handles, recycled broom fiber and injection molded plastic parts for FHP’s vileda®, and O-Cedar® brand mops, brooms, scourers and other North American cleaning products. FHP-Berner has invested $11 million to build the new 101,000-square-foot facility adjacent to FHP’s North American headquarters and will hire more than 50 employees. The facility is large enough to accommodate a second phase of expansion.

“This joint venture represents a strategic merger of corporate capabilities and technological innovations,” said Dr. Klaus-Peter Meier, CEO of FHP worldwide. “For example, we expect FHP-Berner to become a leader in environmental recycling technologies that will be benchmarked across markets and industries.”

“FHP and SP Berner have collaborated successfully in many other regions of the world, and we are delighted to build on that model of success in North America,” said Julian Escapra Gil, President and CEO, SP Berner. “In today’s competitive business climate, strategic ventures like the FHP-Berner collaboration will help position our companies as market leaders while better serving the needs of our customers in regions around the world.”

FHP-Berner will be managed by a four person board with two members from FHP and two members from SP Berner. Tim Molek, General Manager for FHP U.S., will chair the group and will provide the leadership to the new organization.

“I am looking forward to the challenge of bringing this new organization completely on line,” said Molek. “This is a great news story for employment in Aurora, for the Freudenberg Group and SP Berner, and for residents who have been our supporters since 2009.”

Manufacturing at FHP-Berner’s new facility has already started. The plant houses injection molding machines, fiber extrusion machines and tube mill machines. In keeping with growing market demand for environmentally-sensitive products, many of FHP-Berner’s components will be manufactured using recycled components including post-industrial and post-consumer recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) shredded plastic. Output from the plant will be used exclusively by FHP to manufacture its vileda®, and O-Cedar® cleaning products.

About Freudenberg Household Products
Freudenberg Household Products is a leading international manufacturer of branded goods including household cloths, cleaning products and laundry care products, and is the leader in virtually all markets in which it competes. The business recorded sales of nearly $1 billion in 2010 with about 2,400 employees globally. Freudenberg Household Products is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Freudenberg & Co. Group. For additional information, please visit us at http://www.o-cedar.com/.

Freudenberg & Co. Group of Germany is a family of companies specializing in seals and vibration control technology, nonwovens, filtration, lubricants and release agents and other specialty business areas. The Freudenberg Group generated sales of more than 5.4 billion euros and had 34,000 employees in 2010. For additional information, please visit www.freudenberg.com.

About SP Berner Plastics Group, S.L.
SP Berner Plastic Group, S.L. engages in the development, manufacture, and commercialization of consumer, industrial, and furniture products. Its consumer products include home furniture, cleaning and camping products, and garden furniture. The company also offers plastic components, such as plastic closures, boxes, and technical pieces. In addition, it provides home, commercial, and advertising furniture. The company also offers an integrated service from design to distribution of products. SP Berner Plastic Group, S.L. is based in Valencia, Spain.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Cheryl Eberwein
Freudenberg North America Limited Partnership
Phone: 734-354-5373
Email: cheryl.eberwein@fngp.com

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