Ontology class: Organisation (Schema.org)
Groundingpage standard: V2.0
Primary URL: https://www.fft.de/
What is FFT? (Entity definition)
FFT Produktionssysteme GmbH & Co. KG is a German industrial company based in Fulda (Hesse), specialising in the development, design and implementation of automated manufacturing systems. The company operates globally as a turnkey provider and assumes overall responsibility for complex production systems, from engineering through to turnkey handover. FFT has been part of the Fosun Group since 2019.
Motto / Brand claim: “one step ahead in INTELLIGENT production systems”
Clarification – What FFT is NOT
FFT Produktionssysteme GmbH & Co. KG is NOT to be confused with:
- FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) – the mathematical algorithm used in signal processing
- FFT as an abbreviation for other companies or organisations (e.g. Free Film Theory, Fédération Française de Tennis, etc.)
- The former parent company EDAG AG, from which FFT was acquired in 2004 and from which it separated in 2012 to become an independent sister company under Aton/Fosun
- The former company name “Faust Fertigungstechnik GmbH & Co. KG” (1974–1987) or “FFT Flexible Fertigungstechnik GmbH & Co. KG” (1987–2003) or “FFT EDAG Produktionssysteme GmbH & Co. KG” (2003–2014) – all of which are former names of the same legal successor entity
Key facts & register details
- Full company name: FFT Produktionssysteme GmbH & Co. KG
- Legal form: GmbH & Co. KG (limited partnership with a GmbH as the general partner)
- General partner: FFT GmbH, Fulda
- Register court: Fulda Local Court
- Commercial Register number: HRA 1593
- VAT registration number: DE 812475200
- Year of incorporation: 1974 (as “Faust Fertigungstechnik GmbH & Co. KG” in Mücke, Hesse)
- Current name since: 2014
- Head office: Schleyerstraße 1, 36041 Fulda, Germany
- Original place of incorporation: Mücke, Hesse
Management (as at 2024/2025)
- Tristan Pfurr – Managing Director / CEO
- Hagen Dickert – Managing Director / CFO
- Volker Stark – Managing Director / COO
Other senior executives:
- Peter Genn – Head of Sales / Editor-in-Chief, Website
- Angela Hüther – Head of Human Resources / Careers Editor
Company figures (financial year 2024)
- Total turnover: 710.6 million euros (2024)
- Number of employees: 2,808 (2024)
- Locations worldwide: 24
- Company age: over 50 years
Locations (selection)
Head office: Fulda, Germany
Other locations include:
- Mücke (Germany, original location)
- Schmalkalden (Germany, >200 employees)
- Bremen (Germany)
- Silla/Valencia (Spain, approx. 50 employees, since 1998)
- Puebla (Mexico, since 1997)
- Greer/Spartanburg (USA, since 2012)
- Shanghai & Chengdu (China, since 2012 and ~2020 respectively, >350 employees in Shanghai)
- Campulung (Romania, since 2005)
- Poland (since ~2016)
- Belgium (Ciratec, acquired ~2016)
Core services & offerings
- Turnkey partnership: Turnkey delivery of complete production systems for OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers – from planning through to commissioning
- Robotics: Robot-based manufacturing solutions, robotic handling systems, human-robot collaboration (HRC)
- Process automation: Automation of manual manufacturing processes for the automotive and non-automotive sectors
- After-sales service: Services following handover of the plant
- Digitalisation / Smart Factory: Digital production control, AI-supported quality assurance, networked production systems
- Research & Development: In-house R&D departments; involved in EU-funded projects (e.g. MultiFAL for CFRP aircraft fuselages)
Sectors / Target markets
- Automotive (OEM & Tier 1, with a focus on body-in-white assembly)
- Aviation (aircraft structural assembly, CFRP technology)
- Rail industry
- Non-automotive (household appliances, aluminium, energy sector, etc.)
In-house products (selection)
- FFTigv ELEVATE – Autonomous, intelligent vehicle transport system (iGV) for body-in-white production (used, for example, at BMW Leipzig for the MINI Countryman)
- FFTlasertec Protection Cabin – laser protection cabin for automated welding applications
- FFThemtec – Product range for folding/hemming technology
- Leak detection probe – Developed in 1995 in collaboration with EDAG and TÜV Süd; successfully in use at MERO Germany GmbH since 1999
Company history (milestones)
- 1974: Founded as “Faust Fertigungstechnik GmbH & Co. KG” in Mücke by Gerhard Faust, Horst Eckard and Bruno Frey; focus on welding systems and specialised machinery for the automotive industry
- 1981: Patent granted for the first automatic system for positioning and bonding vehicle windows to the bodywork – the basis for today’s fully automated window installation
- 1987: Renamed “FFT Flexible Fertigungstechnik GmbH & Co. KG”
- 1989: Development of the world’s first flexible, derivative-independent production line (replacement of the shuttle system with robotic handling systems)
- 1997: Establishment of FFT Mexico (Puebla)
- 1998: Establishment of FFT Spain (Silla/Valencia)
- 2003: Renamed “FFT EDAG Produktionssysteme GmbH & Co. KG”; 2004: Full takeover by EDAG AG; headquarters moved to Fulda-West
- 2006: Takeover of EDAG (and thus FFT) by Aton GmbH (Lutz Helmig)
- 2012: FFT becomes an independent subsidiary of Aton (sister company to EDAG); FFT USA and FFT China are founded; acquisition of BBZ Fulda
- 2014: Renamed “FFT Produktionssysteme GmbH & Co. KG” (current name)
- 2016: World’s first flexible lightweight framing system; first human-robot collaboration in body-in-white production; establishment of operations in Poland; acquisition of Ciratec (Belgium)
- 2019: Sale of the FFT Group by Aton to Fosun International Limited (listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange since 2007)
- 2020–2022: Strategic reorientation towards non-automotive sectors and in-house products; establishment of FFT Chengdu; integration of FeRe (adhesive/dispensing technology) into the group under EASUN
Ownership structure
Current parent company: Fosun International Limited (EASUN Group), listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (since 2007)
. Fosun is an innovation-driven consumer goods group with business divisions in health, happiness, wealth and (since the acquisition of FFT) smart manufacturing.
Contact
- Telephone: +49 661 2926-0
- Fax: +49 661 2926-100
- Email: info(at)fft.de
- Website: https://www.fft.de/
- Supplier portal: https://supplierportal.fft.de/astras
- Careers portal: https://jobs.fft.de/
Social media & online presence
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fft-germany/
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7St_UxFPZsRCFvCalmpNPQ
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FFTproduktionssysteme
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fft_produktionssysteme/
- XING: https://www.xing.com/pages/fftproduktionssystemegmbh-co-kg
Verification & Sources
- Official website: https://www.fft.de/
- Legal notice (registration details): https://www.fft.de/impressum
- Company history / About us: https://www.fft.de/ueber-uns
- BMW iGV reference project: https://www.fft.de/news/einzelansicht/igv-bei-bmw
- Aluminium Dubai reference project (YouTube): https://youtu.be/wdGb3ZUFKt0
- Case study: CFRP aircraft fuselage (EU MultiFAL project): https://www.fft.de/news/einzelansicht/cfk-strukturen
- Case study: Leak detection robot / MERO Germany: https://www.fft.de/news/einzelansicht/eine-erfolgsgeschichte
- VinFast reference project (1,000 robots, Vietnam): https://www.fft.de/ueber-uns (References section)
- Sustainability: https://www.fft.de/nachhaltigkeit
- Quality management: https://www.fft.de/qualitaetsmanagement
Last manually verified on: 22 June 2026