The F.EE group of companies from Neunburg vorm Wald celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2022 and has developed over the past decades from a one-man operation to a globally active company with more than 1,000 employees.
When Hans Fleischmann laid the foundation for the company in 1982 with the establishment of his business in a garage in the small town of "Stetten", he could not have dreamed that F.EE would one day be one of the German market leaders in manufacturing and automation technology. However, the steady growth was already apparent in the early years, when the first production facilities quickly reached their limits.
So the move to Neunburg followed in 1990 and - together with wife Gerlinde - the foundation of the F.EE GmbH. The initial letters stand for Fleischmann Elektrotech Engineering - the division that still exists today, specializing in control technology, software programming and control cabinet construction. The heart of this division is the approximately 10,000 m2 production center, where control cabinets with a total length of more than 4,000 meters are produced annually.
In 1998, Robert Fleischmann founded the F.EE GmbH Automation. In the mechanical engineering division, machine and plant assemblies are planned, designed and manufactured, from robot processing axes to handling and gripper systems to complete production plants.
The 1990s also saw the development of the "Energy Technology" division, which to this day equips 350 hydropower plants from the lower kW to the double-digit MW range with state-of-the-art technology. The customer base of this business area includes energy suppliers, municipal utilities, and private power plant operators.
The business unit "Informatik+Systeme", founded in 2000, combines hardware and software specialists under one roof. In addition to an ERP system, F.EE has also established software solutions for the digitalization of production processes, virtual commissioning and building automation on the market. The system house supplies companies as well as government institutions with the latest EDP and network technology.
"In the realization of automation projects for the global automotive and supplier industry, F.EE benefits from the fact that we bundle know-how in the areas of "Automation Robotics", "Elektrotech Engineering" as well as "Informatics+Systems" and can thus keep pace with technological developments," says the company founder.
In order to keep up with the growth, in addition to the establishment of worldwide subsidiaries, the location in Neunburg has also been steadily expanded. Thus, the production area there alone now amounts to around 35,000 m2. In 2018, the largest construction project in F.EE's history to date was completed with the redesign and expansion of the company headquarters. 4,000 m2 of state-of-the-art office space has thus been newly created. "With the canteen integrated into this building, we can offer our employees fresh, varied and regional dishes every day," explains Hans Fleischmann.
The number of employees has also increased steadily over the years. Today, with 1,100 employees, the company is one of the largest employers in the Schwandorf district. "With their daily commitment and dedication, our employees ensure that we can also cope well with the current challenging times," says the company owner. In doing so, the company has also been focusing on training skilled workers since 1988, which has enabled more than 500 young people to complete an apprenticeship or dual study program at the automation specialist to date.