50YEARS OF FFT

OPENING CEREMONY IN MÜCKE

Tristan Pfurr officially opened our anniversary year at the founding location in Mücke on Thursday, 22 February, together with some of his companions from the founding period, the District Administrator of the Vogelsberg district Manfred Görig (SPD), Mayor Sommer and some contemporary witnesses.

District Administrator Manfred Görig warmly congratulated the company on its great development: "The situation in Germany is not easy. FFT is characterised by growth in every respect, not just in terms of locations, but also in terms of turnover and employees. I am delighted that a contribution from Mücke is going out into the whole world. FFT is an important part of the infrastructure [] especially in terms of training."

Mayor Sommer also offered his congratulations and presented an aerial photograph of FFT. He emphasised: "I see FFT almost every day myself and it's impressive to see how many young people are doing an apprenticeship or starting at FFT after completing their studies. Many of them come from the region, which makes me very happy. I am therefore very grateful to FFT for its social commitment."

During a tour of the hall, the guests were able to gain an insight into current projects and activities. In addition to a research cell for adhesive applications and a preliminary assembly for a BMW door sealing project, the lightweight construction technology, which of course characterises our location in a special way, was also presented.

The history wall on display, which will now remain at the Mücke site for some time before moving on to Schmalkalden and Fulda, also offered a journey through time. It showed the most important stations of the last 50 years. Contemporary witnesses also reported on days long gone. Helmut Hintz, one of FFT's first employees, explained that contact with the automotive industry was established by Gerhard Faust. He remembers with a smile on his face: "The first robot was supposed to place gearbox halves on a shelf. That didn't work so well, the test shelf was knocked over several times and was completely demolished after a few test runs."

In 1974, Gerhard Faust, Horst Eckard and Bruno Frey founded the company under the name Faust Fertigungstechnik GmbH & Co. KG in Mücke. Even then, the focus was on the patenting of automatic systems for positioning and gluing discs to the car body. In 1987, FFT was renamed Flexible Fertigungstechnik GmbH & Co. KG. Since this time, innovation and technological progress have been an integral part of the company's philosophy. This has enabled FFT to prove itself time and again as one of the world's leading suppliers of innovative, flexible and highly complex manufacturing systems.

But even after this opening ceremony, there will be plenty on offer throughout the anniversary year. Tristan Pfurr emphasises: ‘With various events and activities, 2024 will be our year.’

In addition to the opening ceremony, a congress for customers and partners, a family party and an anniversary celebration for all FFT employees are planned. However, FFT not only celebrates parties, but also offers various sports and sustainability activities to take part in.