Elkamet Kunststofftechnik GmbH celebrated its 70th anniversary on Saturday with a festive event at the Musikhalle Friedensdorf, whilst also marking the opening of its new site in Friedensdorf. Numerous guests from the worlds of politics, business and society attended the event.
Dautphetal-Friedensdorf, 6 September 2025 – On Saturday, Elkamet Kunststofftechnik GmbH celebrated its 70th anniversary and, at the same time, the opening of its new site in Friedensdorf with a festive event at the Friedensdorf Music Hall. Numerous guests from the worlds of politics, business and society attended the event.
Following an introductory film and a welcome address by the management team – Michael Parsch, Lutz Bergmann and Philipp Flammer – presenter Steffen Groß (Head of Press and Public Relations at THM StudiumPlus Wetzlar) guided the audience through a varied programme. The HR Big Band opened the celebrations with a musical performance featuring pieces from the legendary repertoire of the Francy Boland Big Band, receiving a standing ovation.
Particular attention was paid to the presentation by Prof. Dr Matthias Willems, President of the Technical University of Central Hesse. Under the title “Artificial Intelligence in SMEs – Practice & Prospects”, he vividly illustrated the rapid advancements and opportunities that AI is already opening up for local small and medium-sized enterprises today. Using AI glasses, he gave a practical demonstration of how artificial intelligence can already be used in day-to-day working life.
A highlight of the event was the speech by Eberhard Flammer, co-owner of Elkamet. In his own words, he looked back on the company’s development: “When I first joined Elkamet 45 years ago, I would never have imagined that we could achieve all this. But what really matters are not machines or buildings – it is the people. We are proud of the people we empower and who empower us. They have made Elkamet what it is today.”
Flammer also emphasised the close partnership with the Technical University of Central Hesse (THM). Without this collaboration, the company’s growth would scarcely have been conceivable. Today, more than 130 engineers and business graduates have found their way to Elkamet via the THM and the ‘StudiumPlus’ programme.
Internationalisation has also shaped the company’s history: with plants in the Czech Republic, the USA and, since 2017, in China, as well as its association with PMA Tools, Elkamet has established itself internationally.
Particular emphasis has been placed on investment in the new Friedensdorf site, which covers an area of 100,000 square metres. Since 2018, around 30 million euros have been spent – of which 6.6 million went towards machinery and equipment, and two million towards a new canteen designed to promote staff wellbeing. The closing reception, featuring light refreshments, also took place there.
Prior to this, two round-table discussions had provided insights into the topics of employment, vocational training in the hinterland and the role of small and medium-sized enterprises in Hesse – with contributions from Olaf Menn (Deputy Headteacher of the Biedenkopf Vocational Schools), Prof. Dr Gerd Manthei (StudiumPlus), Jochen Achenbach (Mayor of Biedenkopf), Marco Schmidtke (Mayor of Dautphetal), Jens Womelsdorf (District Administrator of Marburg-Biedenkopf), Dr Felix Heusler (President of the Lahn-Dill Chamber of Industry and Commerce), Frank Aletter (Managing Director of HIHK Hessischer Industrie- und Handelskammertag e.V.) and Dr Rainer Waldschmidt (Managing Director of Hessen-Agentur GmbH / Hessen Trade & Invest GmbH). Afterwards, the guests were able to tour the new factory premises.
With this celebration, Elkamet not only highlighted its deep regional roots but also its vision for the future in terms of sustainable employment for the people of the region.
