Almost 50 years ago, Derk von der Becke founded the company, which specialized in the production of blow molded articles for packaging conglomerates. In the mid-1980s, the company moved to a greenfield site in Zülpich. Initially, there were only a few blow molding machines in production, but their number has increased to 29 today. After the founder's death, his wife took over the company in 1993, which remained family-run until 2.5 years ago. As part of a planned succession, the Wuppertal-based MIB Group took over the company. Dr. Thomas Kloubert has been managing the company, which now has 70 employees, as its CEO ever since. The plastics engineer had previously worked in various corporations in the packaging industry. He is pleased to be able to make a significant impact at this mid-sized company, which generates an annual turnover of approximately ten million EUR, and says: 'The short paths in a mid-sized company make many things easier. Everything is more manageable. Frielinghaus is also a real flagship in its industry.'

Products from Recyclate

The product portfolio of Frielinghaus includes containers with a capacity from 50 ml to 10 l. Thomas Kloubert mentions the two USPs of the company: 'On the one hand, we offer bottles and containers made from the blow molding process, backed by a Food Safety Management. We have built a system according to the high BRCGS standard to produce food-compliant packaging. The quality and documentation demands here are high, as are the requirements for protecting the goods from any contamination. Our second focus is on sustainability. We have been manufacturing products from 100% recyclate for more than ten years.' He points to the growing importance of this topic due to EU-wide recycling regulations. 'Here, we are very advantaged with our experience,' he emphasizes. In addition to food-compliant packaging, Frielinghaus also manufactures non-food items such as for the areas of cleaning, cosmetics, gardening, or chemicals. All products at Frielinghaus are 100% recyclable, but recyclate usage can currently only be applied to non-food products, which make up 75% at Frielinghaus, because: 'Our material HDPE consists of materials from the yellow sack. These cannot be used in the food sector.' The company's clients include both traders and system providers for packaging materials. In addition, products are sold directly to mid-sized customers.

New Corporate Culture

In addition to Germany, Frielinghaus is also active in the Benelux countries. The export rate is 15%. The current fiscal year has been very successful against the trend, according to the managing director. One reason for this, he sees, is the high customer orientation. "The products are 80% customer-specific and owned by the customers. We advise them intensively to meet their requirements and desires." Frielinghaus ensures high quality standards through BRC and ISO certifications. With the change in management, a major shift in corporate culture has occurred, reports Thomas Kloubert. "Previously, the family was in charge. Now, we are a large team." He sees a significant improvement in performance, which can also be attributed to the greater involvement of employees and leadership on equal footing. Overall, the company has become more open. Thus, the company has opened its production to visitors.

Increase Recycling Content

Sustainability is also a top internal agenda item. To reduce energy consumption, significant investments have been made in fully electric machines; the cooling system and compressed air system have been replaced. In production, the share of recycled material is to be increased from 13% to 25-30% over the next five years. The company aims for a business growth of about 10% per year. "We are able to generate additional capacities and have not yet fully utilized the entire park," says the managing director.