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"Company founder Friedrich Freek (left) surrounded by his first employees." |
"Soon after setting up his private company in 1950 Friedrich Freek moved into the new production facility, Sudetenstrasse 9" |
With the transformation into a limited liability company (Friedrich Freek GmbH) the
era Wilhelm Kaiser began. With his imperturbable optimism, entrepreneurial courage,
absolute will of success and his cleverness he freed Freek out of the bankruptcy
whirlpool of the then majority share-holder and main customer Maerkische Metallwerke
and lead ship and crew back to safe tracks.

"Wilhelm Kaiser and Freek – two things which belong together"
In course of time the team grew...
"Wilhelm Kaiser (3rd from right) and his team in 1984" |
"The Freek team 2001" |
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 "The Freek Team in the year 2008 already had more than 50 employees."
...and the building grew with the team
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"1985: building of a new administration wing"
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"1988: building of a second production hall"
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"2000: Enlargement of the administration wing"
"2008: A second story for the back hall"
 "Freek from a bird's-eye view 2010"
The change of generations was started early by Wilhelm Kaiser.
Son Wolfgang Kaiser worked after the apprenticeship in a bank and the study of
economics as controller in Giessen before he changed to Freek in 1990. In 1992 he
entered into the management (at the side of his father). He was the one who -
encouraged by his father - initiated the new strategic orientation of the company.
Until 1990 Freek was a typical subcontractor of its time: driven by the pioneering
spirit of the senior, supported by motivated employees, little formalised, instead
all the more specialised in niches. The conditions to match today's market demands
were only partially fulfilled. That became a certainty when international big customers
approached Freek with demands such as an extended product range, increased quality
standards and price reduction programmes.
The answer from Junior Wolfgang Kaiser was: diversification and co-operation – two
strategic aims with immense effects on the company.
1994, just in time, Wolfgang Kaiser got support through his brother Stefan,
graduate mechanical engineer, who in one of his first projects established the
quality management system according to DIN/ISO 9001 which is now followed at Freek.
Together, Stefan and Wolfgang Kaiser initiated 1997 the international R&D co-coperation
EUCOPET.
50th Anniversary 2000
"In the year 2000 Freek celebrated its 50th anniversary together with more than 300 guests."
The moment could not have been better chosen. On the occasion of the 50th
company anniversary, Senior Wilhelm Kaiser announced in front of more than 300
guests and a running camera visibly moved his retreat from the Freek management
in favour of his son Stefan, who now bears responsibility together with his brother Wolfgang.

"The Kaiser family team welcomes the numerous appeared anniversary guests in front of the running camera of the First German TV station (ARD)"
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"The ceremonies on the company site and in the party tent were full of musical entertainment and rousing show acts"
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"Countless anecdotes and reminiscences provided many topics of conversation until late at night"
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"The international EUCOPET-partners at a photo shooting together with the rising generation"
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The first 10 years in the new millenium have been very successful years. Two long lasting growth cycles have carried
Freek over the threshold from a small to a medium sized company.
The growth cycle triggered by EUCOPET
reached into the year 2002 and lead to a triplication of turnover and potentiation of
articles, orders and customers.
The economic crisis following the 9/11 attacks allowed Freek to catch up with growth-related
shortfalls in organisation and quality management. Moreover, in this period of re-organisation
and self-reflection the LEAN idea has been born. So Freek developed from 2004 to 2007 together
with other cooperating companies and scientific partners of the universities of Dortmund and
Bochum its LEAN business model for simple standard elements in the product range. Thus commenced
the second long lasting growth cycle which did not end until the world economic crisis in 2009.
60th Anniversary 2010
"Willingly employees, partners and customers followed the invitation as the host had prepared an attractive programme."

"Wolfgang and Stefan Kaiser thanked their father Wilhelm with moving words (WP photo: Frank Saul)"
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"The musical highlight has been set by Wolf Codera & Co. (Vocals:
Zeeteah Massiah and
Sven West)"
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