Discover the milestones and successes from our foundation in 1924 to the present day.

Wilhelm Adolf Fessmann was born in Nürtingen on January 4, 1883, the fourth of five children. His father Karl Wilhelm is a shoemaker, his wife Emma takes care of the household. Like his siblings, Wilhelm initially attended an adult education center. As the fourth son, he has no right to succeed his father, so he decides to train for a career in the emerging German Empire and becomes a mechanical engineer.

He actually found a good job with a well-known company in Stuttgart. But in September 1914, the outbreak of the First World War changed Wilhelm Fessmann's life forever. He was called up and ordered to the front. There he spent "3 ½ years in the field", i.e. almost the entire duration of the war.
After the surrender in November 1918, he was awarded the Iron Cross II Class and initially returned to his old job in Stuttgart.

In the midst of the turbulent early years of the Weimar Republic, he married his partner Frida Wahl on January 4, 1921. In the same year, the couple began building a new detached house at Kornbeckstrasse 13 in Winnenden. One year later, on January 20, 1922, their first son Wilhelm FESSMANN Jr. was born, and his brother Gerhard was born in 1923.

At the age of 41, Wilhelm Fessmann decided to set up his own company despite the difficult times in Germany. At that time, the country was characterized by political and economic crises, which led to company closures and mass redundancies. In 1924, the introduction of the stable Rentenmark and the Dawes Plan to adjust reparation payments to France in line with German economic performance laid the foundations for an economic recovery.

In 1924, Wilhelm Fessmann finally ventured into self-employment and founded the "Mechanische Werkstätte Wilhelm Fessmann". In his small workshop in the family home, the resourceful engineer initially produced technical devices for local craft businesses. The central product is a metal pyrometer, which is used as an accessory for turning and punching tools. Wilhelm Fessmann even holds a utility model for this from the German Reich.

As early as 1925, the company is renamed "Metallpyrometer-Fabrik". This also indicates the future orientation of the company in the field of thermotechnology. Accordingly, Wilhelm Fessmann begins further developments in this sector in the following years.

The first smoking systems and cooking kettles for butchers' shops were produced as early as 1928. Success was not long in coming and butchery products quickly became FESSMANN's core business.

However, this success was brought to an abrupt halt in 1929 by the onset of the global economic crisis. Many butchers' shops were unable to afford expensive new purchases in the following years and so the crisis ultimately also affected Wilhelm Fessmann.

In the 1930s, Wilhelm Fessmann expands the butchery supplies division into a second mainstay alongside workshop accessories, as the smoking cabinets in particular are very popular with regional butchers. Despite the political rise of the National Socialists and the appointment of Adolf Hitler as Reich Chancellor, nothing significant changes for his company at first.

While Wilhelm FESSMANN was struggling to survive economically in the early 1930s, his son Wilhelm Jr. was still at the beginning of his career. After elementary school, he attended the Latin and secondary school in Winnenden from 1932 and worked part-time in his father's workshop.

As the economic crisis subsided, the company returned to economic success in the mid-1930s. By 1935, the one-man business had become a small company with one employee and three apprentices.

The company grew steadily in the following years, which is why an outbuilding was erected on the site in 1937. Although the workshops are popularly known as the "united ironworks" because of their appearance, they are quite modern by the standards of the time and have their own electricity and water supply as well as machines powered by their own diesel engine.

Wilhelm FESSMANN Jr. now also works in the new workshop, starting his apprenticeship as a mechanic in his parents' business in November 1937. Shortly afterwards, his mother also took over the bookkeeping and FESSMANN became a real family business.

In 1938, the company's production program already included a considerable range of products, which now concentrated almost entirely on butchery requirements:

• Butchery boiler systems for coal, steam and gas
• Rotating and extendable smoking systems
• Butchery equipment
• Scalding and frying trays

As a result of the expansion of the workshop and the product range, FESSMANN grows continuously until 1939. The outbreak of the Second World War does not initially affect its success. Profits fall briefly, but multiply a year later and continue to rise until 1942. The War Economy Ordinance forces FESSMANN to reorganize its production and replace workers who have been called up for military service.

In 1942/43, the war also reaches FESSMANN. Wilhelm FESSMANN Jr. is drafted into the reserves, but returns to Winnenden due to a war injury. The war economy increasingly regulates all areas of society and from 1943 the first air raids also reach Winnenden. At the end of April 1945, Winnenden is occupied by the US Army and the company is temporarily closed. The FESSMANN family survives the war without major damage.

After the capitulation of the German Reich on May 8, 1945, the four occupying powers took control. The FESSMANN company was inspected and quickly assessed as exonerated. The year 1945 ended with a loss. On August 21, Wilhelm Fessmann was allowed to put his workshop back into operation and continued to manufacture boiling pans, smoke chambers and technical equipment, especially punching presses. Nevertheless, the year 1945 ends with a significant loss of 8,900 Reichsmarks.

In the second year after the war, Wilhelm FESSMANN set up his own sales outlet and his son attended engineering school to become a mechanical engineer. But even at this time there was no economic success. In particular, the changeover from a wartime to a peacetime economy caused high costs without any significant income being recorded. Overall, the year 1946 ended with a loss of 16,000 Reichsmarks.

It was not until 1947 that FESSMANN was back in the black with a profit of 11,331 Reichsmark. However, the increased demand from butchers and industrial companies is not helped by the unreliable Reichsmark. It was not until the currency reform of 1948 that a new order was established at FESSMANN. Son Wilhelm Jr. joins the company after studying mechanical engineering and supports the company together with his brother Gerhard.

In 1949, Wilhelm FESSMANN transforms his company into a limited partnership and presents a new type of cooking cabinet for cooking meat and sausage products in steam at the second butcher's trade exhibition after the war. The invention revolutionizes the sausage production process and enables Wilhelm FESSMANN to achieve a national breakthrough in the industry. The invention became the company's central product for years.

From 1950, FESSMANN concentrates entirely on butchery accessories, as the cooking kettles and smoking chambers are very successful. To reduce the workload, Wilhelm Fessmann employs Werner Gaßmann in 1951, who takes care of internal administration and bookkeeping and is granted banking and postal authorization the following year. The management remains in family hands.

In 1954, Wilhelm Fessmann builds another makeshift production hall to cope with the sharp increase in orders. However, much of the work had to be carried out outdoors and the new building was only approved for three years, as it was located in a residential area and regularly caused problems with local residents. Wilhelm Fessmann and his sons have to think about a new location.

Wilhelm Fessmann dies in 1956 at the age of 72. He leaves his two sons Wilhelm Jr. and Gerhard a successful company that is now riding the wave of the German economic miracle. The succession has already been clearly arranged. Wilhelm Jr. takes over the management of the company and becomes the sole limited partner together with his brother. Werner Gaßmann remains responsible for accounting and administrative tasks as an authorized signatory.

Due to complaints about noise pollution, the operating license for a residential hall is withdrawn in 1957. Wilhelm Fessmann Jr. promises to take measures to reduce the noise and to look for a new site.

The deadline for demolishing the hall is extended to 1960, but work outside has to be stopped.

Unfortunately, Winnenden town council is unable to offer a suitable plot of land.

In 1960, the FESSMANN brothers present the "forced-ventilated smoking system" at IFFA, which makes sausage production faster and more continuous. The innovation raises FESSMANN's profile and attracts the attention of large companies, but FESSMANN also remains an important partner for smaller butchers.

However, the success suffers from the still unclear building situation and the lack of space. Wilhelm Fessmann then enquires about building options with the municipality of Birkmannsweiler.

• Construction work on the new company building begins in 1961.
• The town of Winnenden issued an ultimatum to the company to demolish the old factory building by August 1962.
• In December 1962, the company moves into the new building with 50 employees and deregisters in Winnenden.

Werner Gaßmann becomes a sole authorized signatory and works with Wilhelm Fessmann on the reorganization and internationalization of the company. Gerhard FESSMANN leaves the company before the move in February 1962 and founds GERMOS NESS GmbH in Remshalden, which later becomes one of FESSMANN's competitors.

Thanks to the new factory buildings, FESSMANN can now fulfill large orders and has room for further expansion. While Gerhard FESSMANN applies for patents for his new company, Wilhelm FESSMANN Jr. continues the further development of the products and focuses on the philosophy of intensive customer care. Through continuous innovation and close customer loyalty, FESSMANN establishes itself as one of the market leaders in Germany in the 1960s.

In 1966, FESSMANN presents the new hot-air cooking system at IFFA, which ensures more effective cooking thanks to a circulation system. The process leads to great economic success and is continuously improved.

In 1969, Wilhelm Fessmann Jr. countered the increasing competitive pressure from rival suppliers with a significant further development of an existing appliance. He developed the world's first universal cooking and convection smoking oven and was once again able to gain a lead in the competitive market.

It is not often that a single product shapes an entire decade, but with the introduction of the TURBOMAT in 1970, FESSMANN takes a big step towards becoming the international market leader. The further development of the hot air/gas system developed in 1968 is the first product to be given its own name.

The special position of the new product line is already evident at the IFFA in 1971. This not only includes various types of:

• Cooking cabinets
• Air cooking chambers
• Boiler systems
• Cooling basin
• Smokehouses

but also the TURBOMAT as an independent brand at the trade fair stand.

In 1972, FESSMANN GmbH develops a mobile demonstration vehicle with a TURBOMAT 2500 on wheels to present the product throughout Germany. Thanks to this advertising campaign, the TURBOMAT achieves nationwide recognition in Central Europe, supported by the advertising campaign "It wouldn't have happened with FESSMANN!".

Increasing success led to several changes in 1973:

• Wilhelm Fessmann's sons join the company as limited partners in January with a contribution of DM 90,000.
• On July 25, Wilhelm Fessmann GmbH is founded as a liable partner of the company.
• In 1976, Wilhelm Fessmann KG is converted into a GmbH & Co.
• Due to renewed space problems, the focus is on expansion.

In the middle of the year, a new production hall is inaugurated, which triples the production area at FESSMANN. Although the new building enables unimagined capacities, it represents a financial effort for FESSMANN, which causes major problems in the following years. Due to increased costs for the new building, Wilhelm Fessmann has to apply for a deferral of the back tax payment for 1971 in 1974.

Apart from these short-term problems, FESSMANN is doing quite well in the year of its 50th anniversary. The company now has an area of 98,000 m² and employs around 200 people. In addition to the successful TURBOMAT systems, the product range also includes:

• Classic smokehouses
• Air cooking chambers and cabinets
• Boiling kettle
• Air conditioning and air pollution control systems

The TURBOMAT continues its international triumph. FESSMANN delivers a Turbomat 4000 to Lancy in France. It is the largest sausage machine the company has ever produced. It has a capacity of 40,000 Vienna sausages per hour. However, due to its size, there are always complications that have to be resolved by the service team on site before the machine finally works.

Wilhelm FESSMANN Jr. revolutionizes meat production in 1974 with the first fully automatic transfer system and introduces important innovations to the market in the 1970s, including the Plus smoking system and the first dedicated baking chamber. However, the TURBOMAT remains FESSMANN's main product, with different versions for different size requirements, including the large-scale TURBOMAT 7000.

After overcoming the financial problems of the early 1970s, a new administration building with 900 m² of space is built on the company premises in Birkmannsweiler in 1980. The new building adjoins the first company building from 1962, encloses a small inner courtyard and is completed in just seven months.

At the end of the 1970s, FESSMANN was the first to introduce fully automatic devices. In 1981, Wilhelm Fessmann Jr. founded Multitron Elektronik as a wholly-owned subsidiary of FESSMANN, which also supplies other companies, in order to extend this lead and meet future demand in the field of electronics. In the same year, FESSMANN delivered the first large-scale system to the USA, thus continuing its internationalization.

In 1982, FESSMANN develops the "Ratio-Friction" smoke generator system, which combines the common smoking methods of smoulder smoke, friction smoke and liquid smoke in a new type of system. The RATIO series becomes the second successful brand alongside the TURBOMAT. However, the TURBOCLEAN, which was intended to offer cleaning technology, was not very successful and was discontinued.

In 1984, the first semi-continuous system was presented at IFFA, which expanded heat treatment with intensive cooling and made just-in-time production possible. This new cooling technology was a milestone in the improvement of hygiene, as sausage products were significantly less exposed to contamination.

Thanks to continuous technical development and intensive cooperation with its customers, FESSMANN was able to increase its turnover to 26 million Deutschmarks in 1987. In the meantime, the company has grown into a global player, with exports accounting for over 60 percent of sales.

Wilhelm FESSMANN Jr. dies unexpectedly in November 1989 after a routine operation at the age of 67. The management at FESSMANN has to be quickly reorganized. Werner Gaßmann becomes the managing director of FESSMANN GmbH & Co KG with sole power of representation and Horst Dietrich and Walter Klemm become authorized signatories. A succession plan was made as early as 1972 in order to control the new management and accompany it until an heir takes over.

After the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Germany in 1990, FESSMANN ventured into the new federal states and opened a branch at Schlachthofring 5 in Dresden. The company was the first West German company to receive a business license in the city and founded an independent agency in Strasbourg in the same year.

The innovations for batch systems continue and the RATIO-TOP, a new type of smoke generator with 3 smoke intensities, is presented at IFFA 1993. This perfects the smoking process and gives the user several options for the color and taste of his product.

In 1995, FESSMANN received a major order from Germany to supply and commission a fully automated line. The step into the future for large industrial projects has been taken, but represents a challenge for both the company and its employees.

In 1995, the FESSMANN product portfolio is expanded with the AUTOVENT 98 cooking system, which is based on a FESSMANN patent. The system uses the energy of the low-pressure steam in the treatment chamber, eliminating the need for air circulation fans. FESSMANN is once again demonstrating its pioneering role in forward-looking innovations and is taking an important step in the area of energy saving with this new process.

In the same year, a third innovation is introduced, which enables the processing and baking of sausage and meat products. However, the technical continuation of innovations cannot be maintained at management level, as Walter Klemm and Holger Cordes leave the management team just four years after starting work with Werner Gaßmann.

The major order turns into a tragedy, as the purchased automation system is unable to do its job. As the general contractor, FESSMANN has to take responsibility for the supplier and handle a reversal with enormous costs. These and the necessary repayments took their toll.

The company is restructured and, at the insistence of the bank involved, the company management is placed in new hands for the long term. Ulrich FESSMANN takes the opportunity to end Werner Gaßmann's management and establish a new shareholder structure by taking over 80% of the shares and his brother Joachim 20%. Volker FESSMANN is paid off and Ulrich joins the management of Wilhelm FESSMANN GmbH on October 1, 1997.

In 1999, FESSMANN presents its 75-year tradition with modern technology and progressive innovation, including the Rotatherm-CARAT for roasting and baking processes. At the turn of the millennium, the company launches the advertising series "Quality needs FESSMANN", in which customer examples are shown. Internally, the new production control system is introduced to make incoming orders for completion more effective and faster. The FIT project is intended to open up new markets in sales.

In 2000, FESSMANN established itself as one of the most important manufacturers of plants and systems for the production of meat, sausage, poultry and fish products worldwide. The new standardized and modular Ti3000universal system improves process times and reduces the associated weight losses.

At IFFA 2001, FESSMANN will be presenting several new systems and patents, including the TFi3000 semi-continuous batching system, which is fed directly from the filler. The products are automatically passed through the smoking, cooking and cooling zones by electronically controlled process steps and can be removed ready for packaging at the end.

The RATIO series is extended in 2001 to include the RATIO-LIQUID liquid smoke unit, which can also be used in older systems and operates in pump mode. Although the delivery of the 70,000th TURBOMAT is celebrated in 2004, the signs are not good.

FESSMANN GmbH und Co KG is facing difficult economic times, mainly due to the ongoing repayments from the major order. At the end of 2005, the company had to file for insolvency, with the result that ordinary insolvency proceedings were opened on February 10, 2006.

The reasons for the insolvency were quickly explained and Ulrich Fessmann bought the company out of insolvency with 3 other shareholders on January 1, 2007. In 2007, incoming orders amounted to 21 million euros again and grew steadily in the following years, enabling FESSMANN to maintain and expand its position as world market leader despite earlier problems.

Thanks to an organized Group structure and new technical achievements, FESSMANN is back on the road to success under Ulrich Fessmann and his team.
The new achievements include:

• 2007 A control generation in the TF4000
• 2008 An ECO.LINE with triple insulation
• 2010 A control system FOOD.CON
• 2013 A process monitoring software FOOD.LOG

FESSMANN also makes further technical advances and expands the RATIO in 2015 with the RATIO Hybrid, which combines two smoking processes in one system for the first time. 2017 sees the introduction of the CIMA.LINE, an important further development for small craft businesses, which is available in two versions: the "KEW" for climate development processes or the "KNR" for pure drying/climate post-curing.

Despite the global financial crisis in 2008, FESSMANN was able to stabilize and the reorientation towards process reliability and sustainability enabled strong global exports and a strong presence on all continents. The company is preparing for the next generation, with Denis Gabriel joining the company as son-in-law on January 1, 2020 to expand the marketing division and contribute to the strategic direction.