WEINHEIM, Germany, April 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Freudenberg Sealing Technologies, one of the world's leading seal manufacturers, reached the finals of the 35th German Industry Innovation Award. The award's partners honored the most significant scientific, technical, entrepreneurial and intellectually challenging innovations of German industry. The award is bestowed under the auspices of Sigmar Gabriel, Germany's Minister of Economic Affairs and Energy. "While we did not ultimately win the award, we are still elated that we made it to the final round," said Claus Möhlenkamp, CEO of Freudenberg Sealing Technologies. "This is not just a tribute to our employees' creativity and capacity to innovate. It also confirms the effectiveness of the appropriate structures in our company." He added: "Our strong dedication to new products and technologies is firmly anchored in the company culture of Freudenberg Sealing Technologies. After all, innovations are the driving force of dynamic economic growth, and they represent progress in the service of our customers." The company and its gas-lubricated mechanical face seal "Levitex" made it into the final round of the "large company" category. "Levitex" is a nearly friction-free seal: Its primary ring rides on an air cushion in interaction with its mating ring, reducing friction by 95 percent compared to a conventional crankshaft seal ring. This reduces CO2 emissions during driving between 0.5 and 1 gram of CO2 per kilometer. If all the cars in Germany were equipped with "Levitex" technology, there would be annual savings of more than 440,000 tons of carbon dioxide. Mathematically speaking, that would correspond to a 146-million-liter reduction in fuel consumption. By 2020, the European Union wants to cut overall carbon dioxide emissions to 95 grams of CO2 per kilometer in all newly registered vehicles. To achieve this, frictional losses in the engine and drivetrain must be reduced, among other improvements. Here the gas-lubricated mechanical face seal "Levitex" from Freudenberg Sealing Technologies comes into use. "Levitex is one of our Low Emission Sealing Solutions, which we are using to make a contribution to the environmentally friendly mobility of the future," Möhlenkamp also said. "As one of the auto industry's leading suppliers, we develop products for our customers that they can use to respond sustainably to the global mobility challenges of the future." More information on Levitex is available at http://levitex.fst.com . About Freudenberg Sealing Technologies Freudenberg Sealing Technologies is a leading supplier, development and service partner serving customers in a wide variety of industries, including the automotive industry, civil aviation, mechanical engineering, shipbuilding, the food and pharmaceutical industries, and the agricultural and construction machinery industries. In 2015, Freudenberg Sealing Technologies achieved a turnover of more than EUR 2 billion, and had around 15,000 employees. The company belongs to the Freudenberg Group which, with its business areas Seals and Vibration Control Technology, Nonwovens and Filtration, Household Products, and Specialities and Others, generated sales of more than EUR 7 billion in 2015 with approximately 40,000 employees in around 60 countries.