Faist - Company History - Faist Anlagenbau

FAIST - Company History
1904 Michael Faist (1855-1935) acquires an abandoned felt factory and begins
to produce felt slippers, beer coasters and felt mats.
Foundation of FAIST company and incorporation in the trade registry.
Purchase of a machine for producing asphalt felts from England
1906 FAIST products are awarded the silver medal in a national exhibition in
Nuremberg.
1907 The factory is completely destroyed in a fire.
1908 The factory is relocated to its present site (near the station) and
production starts anew with asphalt and bituminous felts.
1912 Ludwig Faist (1890-1969) begins working with his father, later to become
the owner. The first experiments with bituminous felt are undertaken,
which had been declared “the best product in the field” in 1911 by
Professor Dr. von Schultz after his careful examination. (Please see
newspaper article)
1913 The company’s bituminous felt is awarded the silver medal in an
international building exhibition in Leipzig. Financial circumstances lead to
the company being converted to M. FAIST GmbH.
1914 World War One breaks out. Production comes to a near standstill.
1919 Ludwig Faist returns from the war. He begins production of a type of
roofing felt in a rented location.
1920 An old brick factory is taken over and extended to the new factory.
1926 The original factory near the station is bought back, and production is
moved from the renovated brick factory to the now newly acquired
Asphaltfilzfabrik M. FAIST (asphalt felt factory).
1929 Ludwig Faist is appointed sole managing director. Around this time the
first bituminous felt products for noise reduction in vehicles are delivered
to Daimler-Benz.
1936 The manufacturing line is expanded to include bituminous cork felts.
Despite the Second World War, production is kept up almost to the end.

1945 Trustees are charged to rule the company.
1948 Ludwig Faist retrieves the company from the trustees and his son, Ludwig
Jr. (1923-1981) joins the firm.
1953 The company is transformed into the M. FAIST KG. With the beginning of
the reconstruction of Germany after the war, FAIST products are high in
demand.
1960 FAIST is the first company to introduce self-sticking insulation material on
the market. Simultaneously, the manufacturing of multi-layered mats for
VW and Daimler-Benz begins.
1968 The production of foam pieces and deep-drawn parts commences, partly
in rented locations due to lack of space.
1969 Ludwig FAIST jr. becomes managing director after his father’s death.
1972 An additional factory is opened in Ellzee for the manufacturing of foam
pieces and deep-drawn parts.
1974 A new product division “FAIST Anlagenbau” is developed: soundproofing
cabins for manufacturing plants, whose production is temporarily located
in the Krumbach factory.
1977 FAIST acquires the neighbouring buildings and factories from the
company Neodon.
1979 Michael Faist, Ludwig jr.’s son, is introduced into the family business.
1981 Ludwig Faist dies unexpectedly and much too soon to be able to hand
over the management to his son. The company is managed internally by
managing directors.
1991 The company Scharenberg from Neuwied is bought out and incorporated
into FAIST Anlagenbau branch.
1993 Michael Faist takes over the sole responsibility for the company as
managing director and major shareholder.
1996 The plant engineering branch FAIST Anlagenbau moves to its own
location in Niederraunau. It’s now leading the world market with its
industrial insulation materials. That same year, the former Nokia factory is
procured in Ziemetshausen in order to expand the production possibilities
for synthetic injection moulding and varnishing.
1999 The automobile branch is consolidated into the FAIST Automotive GmbH
& Co. KG. FAIST acquires the former Vögele factory in Thannhausen and
establishes FAIST Tooling GmbH. This entails moving all the previously
scattered tool manufacturing processes into one location, including stateof-the-art
manufacturing tools.
2000 FAIST takes over a factory in Rudisleben, near Erfurt which has
production plants for fleeces and their various finishes, such as stamping
and pressing. The new company is named FAIST Ecotex GmbH. This

year also witnesses the FAIST Baustoff GmbH being renamed to the emfa
Baustoff GmbH and the move to its new location in Burgau.
2002 FAIST Automotive GmbH & Co fuses with CWW-Gerko Akustik GmbH
and the RKT Kunststoffe GmbH and forms a new corporate group under
the name of AKsys GmbH. The FAIST Group (the major shareholders
being the Faist family) retains FAIST Anlagenbau (plant engineering) with
its nearly 200 employees and emfa Baustoffe (building materials) with its
8 employees.
2004 The FAIST Group celebrates its 100 th birthday with friends and employees
2007 FAIST Anlagenbau GmbH looks back on a brilliant business development.
Within 4 years, the company succeeded in doubling its turnover: in 2004 it was
16.5 million €, then raised up to 30.5 million € in 2007. The goal of realizing a
turnover of 33 million € in financial year 2008 seems to be in easy reach.
Currently, FAIST employs a staff of 235 persons, 28 of them being trainees.
Main business fields are: acoustic measurement rooms, power plants, aeroacoustic
wind tunnels as well as classical soundproofing measures for printing
machines.
2008 The new office building has been completed. FAIST employees move into modern
workplaces in a bright and friendly ambiance.
2009 On 31st March ends the most successful financial year of the whole company
history. FAIST Anlagenbau GmbH achieves a record turnover of 40 million Euro.
2010 FAIST opens its new training center FACE and achieves the construction of a new
production hall. Meanwhile, on average 40 young men and women pursue their
training at FAIST.
2011 FAIST Anlagenbau puts into operation its new automated sheet metal fabrication
line.
2012 FAIST’s aluminium sound proofing panel gets the authorization of the Deutsche
Bahn AG for its application on high speed railway tracks up to v = 300 km/h.
Social commitment of the company: there are two projects per year apprentices
can voluntarily participate in. In April, our apprentices and active seniors from the
AWO senior home in Krumbach spruce up the home’s garden. In June, some
apprentices participate as volunteers in the health programme of the Special
Olympics in Munich.