GREEN NIGHT

50 YEARS OF FFT PRODUCTION SYSTEMS: BIG ANNIVERSARY IN FULDA

A grand anniversary celebration was held at the headquarters in Fulda on November 8th as a fitting finale. More than 1,700 guests, including employees, former colleagues, business partners and representatives from international locations, gathered for an unforgettable "Green Night" in Fulda to celebrate the 50th anniversary and toast the company's successes.

THE GREEN NIGHT AS THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE CELEBRATIONS

Tristan Pfurr, CEO of FFT Produktionssysteme, opened the evening with a heartfelt speech in which he thanked the employees for their tireless efforts. "This evening is for you," said Pfurr, who welcomed not only the employees on site, but also former colleagues who had retired. He also welcomed guests from the international FFT locations, including Mexico and Spain. The CEO particularly emphasized the importance of internationalization as a success factor: "You are all the heart of FFT".

Lord Mayor Dr. Heiko Wingenfeld was impressed by the history and development of the company and emphasized that FFT impressively demonstrates how tradition and innovation can be combined at the Fulda site. He praised the company's courage to keep breaking new ground and emphasized the close ties between the city of Fulda and FFT: "Fulda stands firmly by FFT's side," said Wingenfeld. District Administrator Bernd Woide also emphasized the importance of regionality for the company's success and announced that the district would continue to create good framework conditions to support FFT in the long term.

Dr. Christian Gebhardt, President of the Fulda Chamber of Industry and Commerce, emphasized the importance of international cooperation and called FFT an "important training company". Edwin Zhang, Chairman of Easun Technology, expressed his thanks for the excellent partnership and emphasized FFT's successful expansion into new markets since 2019.

The former Managing Directors of FFT, Peter Walper and Manfred Hahl, were honored for their special services and presented with a robot as a gift. Video messages from Willam Tang, Head of Intelligent Manufacturing at Fosun, and Guangchang Guo, Chairman of the Fosun Group, rounded off the celebrations.

THE HISTORY OF FFT PRODUKTIONSSYSTEME

FFT was founded in 1974 by Horst Eckard, Bruno Frey and Gerhard Faust under the name "Faust Fertigungstechnik" in Mücke (Vogelsberg district). Initially, the focus was on welding systems and mechanization systems for the automotive industry. Over the years, the company expanded its portfolio and built increasingly complex production systems for the automotive and aviation industries. With its growing success and the associated capacity requirements, FFT relocated its headquarters to Fulda in 2000. The capacities in Mücke had already become scarce, and major international orders contributed to the company's growth.

In 2003, the company was renamed "FFT EDAG Produktionssysteme GmbH & Co. KG" and taken over by EDAG AG. In 2014, the name was finally changed to "FFT Produktionssysteme GmbH & Co. KG" and the company doubled its employee capacity. The expansion of the portfolio to include the aviation industry and the first human-robot collaboration in the automotive industry underlined FFT's innovative strength.

In 2018, the company was acquired by the Chinese conglomerate Fosun International, which gave the company new growth impetus and access to international markets. Under the Fosun umbrella, FFT has not only driven forward automation, but has also placed a clear focus on sustainability and electromobility.

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

The anniversary also included a look into the future. CEO Tristan Pfurr and Chairman Edwin Zhang emphasized FFT's technological focus for the coming decades. In the course of its transformation, the company has focused in particular on the development and implementation of production systems in the field of electromobility. FFT's systems are designed to enable intelligent production with maximum efficiency while promoting sustainability.

Today, FFT employs more than 2,900 people worldwide. Geographic expansion and success in international markets confirm the company's strategic orientation. Mücke's view of the world is characterized not only by courage and confidence, but also by the expertise and innovative strength developed in Fulda.