Freudenberg Haushaltsprodukte Aquires Majority Share In Marino Manufacturing

Effective Nov. 1, 2007, Freudenberg Haushaltprodukte KG has taken over 80 per cent of the shares of S. Marino Manufacturing Ltd., which is headquartered in Toronto. In its home market, the Canadian company supplies quality cleaning systems for professional applications.

With its Marino and Gladiator brands, Marino Manufacturing Ltd., which employs a staff of 63, has realized sales of $25 million (Cdn.) in the course of the current fiscal year. The company was founded in 1967 by owners Sam and Leda Marino and, like Freudenberg, is a family company.

The family, which will retain a 20 per cent share, will remain active in the company with four persons in key positions. Peter Erikson, currently general manager of the professional division of Freudenberg Haushaltsprodukte KG in the Nordic countries will be appointed general manager of Marino Manufacturing and will lead the integration of the company.

The two companies have cooperated closely with one another in the Canadian and U.S. market since 2003. Marino is the sole distributor in Canada and the U.S. for the professional cleaning equipment of the Freudenberg brands VILEDA Professional, SWEP and WETTEX.

“We have known one another for a long time and can build upon an outstanding bond of trust,” said Erikson. Sam Marino, previously the company’s president and founder, will remain active as an advisor to the company.

Dr. Klaus-Peter Meier, managing director at Freudenberg, is convinced that his company is on the right path to the NAFTA market with Marino.

“Marino Manufacturing is a perfect match for our strategy to expand in the NAFTA market,” he said. “Not only does the product portfolio suit us, but so does the corporate culture of a family-run company.”

Freudenberg is a family company that offers its customers products and services that are technologically demanding and require a considerable amount of consultation. First and foremost, the group of companies is a component supplier concentrating in the areas of seals and vibration-control technology, non-woven fabrics, as well as lubricants and release agents. This is complemented by the Household Products business area with the robust Vileda®, O’Cedar® and Wettex® brands, as well as the group’s Specialties and Service Companies. The group employs more than 32,000 total staff in 53 countries.