It was a tradition at the company that returned this year. On 21 June, the employees of Frezite, in Trofa, got together to celebrate S. João (St. John's Festival) in a convivial evening after the working week. As tradition dictates, there was time to play some games, eat the Portuguese sardines and have good time together.

The Walter Management Team (WMT) held their latest regular meeting at the Frezite Group headquarters in Trofa, Portugal. Besides the strategic topics, the meeting, which took place between 11 and 13 June, provided an opportunity to check the local updates made over the last year. This was the WMT’s first visit since the launch in the market of Walter FMT, in April this year. A series of branding changes have been made to the facility, following the new brand announcement. The program also included a team building activity and visits to customers nearby.

The partnership dates to 2020, with support for this challenging project that promotes mobility and sustainability. This was the third prototype developed by the team of Técnico Solar Boat students using composite materials and Frezite tools in its design. The presentation of the hydrogen-powered boat prototype, the São Miguel 02 (SM02), took place on 12 June in the Salão Nobre of the Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon. Frezite is one of the sponsors of this adventure. Find out more here

It started with a visit from Walter Hungary, which took place between 6 and 8 May, followed by a visit from German machine manufacturer Heller in the following week. Then it was time to welcome Walter Slovenia, from 22 to 24 May, along with customers and partners from Macedonia and Croatia. The program of these visits by Walter companies to Portugal included SERI, in Vila do Conde, as well as a visit to the production units in Trofa.

This was the first trade fair following the launch of the new Walter FMT competence brand, presenting to the market an offer in machining lightweight materials. This debut took place at METAL SHOW & TIB 2024, Romania's largest technical trade fair, which took place between 14 and 17 May at ROMEXPO Bucharest. Walter FMT tools were in the spotlight and there was no shortage of visitors eager to see what was new at a successful event. The event was co-organized by Walter Romania with a local partner.

Every year on 28 April, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) celebrates World Day for Safety and Health at Work. At the FREZITE Group, we marked this event to emphasize a ‘safety first’ culture. Employees at the Group's companies in Portugal, Brazil, Mexico, and the Czech Republic discussed the importance of reporting hazards and near misses. The relevant safety teams also organized safety walks at the different facilities to identify potential hazards in the workplace, improve working conditions and prevent accidents.

The global platform of Walter and FMT expertise in machining lightweight materials have been united in a new competence brand: Walter FMT. Since the acquisition of the Frezite Group in September 2022, and the integration of FMT, Walter has been strengthening its position in the machining of lightweight materials. On 15 April, the new competence brand Walter FMT was launched to new and existing customers, partners, and suppliers. This marked an important milestone in Walter history, 14 years after the last competence brand was announced. It means that from now on, the FMT brand will be Walter FMT and all communication for PCD tools will be branded Walter. There is a dedicated lightweight materials web page with details of Walter FMT at walter-tools.com. Watch the launch video HERE.

On 20 December, the team from Frezite's Metal Division met with all the employees to balance the year. The Wood Division team did the same on 5 January, after returning from holiday. These are moments to summarize and evaluate the year that has just ended, but also to align the Frezite Portugal team with the objectives set for 2024. The teams are already working on the new challenges.

It's now part of the tradition for employees who like to get together to compete and have fun. On 30 December, more than a dozen employees from the Frezite Group in Portugal came together for the challenge of running the 10 km of the S. Silvestre Cidade do Porto and entering the year 2024, in the best possible way. Another challenge achieved, closing the year 2023.