Fecken-Kirfel

What motivates us and takes us further?

Fecken-Kirfel offers its customers cutting solutions at the highest quality level. New ideas and the identification of new technological possibilities allow for a continuous improvement and further development of our cutting techniques. As a leader in the area of the processing of foam, cellular plastics and rubber, we focus on remaining close to our customers. The customers’ wishes and requirements are what motivates us to continually improve our products. In a close partnership with our customers, we jointly develop cutting solutions that form the basis of many new applications. Our highly qualified employees constitute the most important pillar of our leadership position in terms of new technologies and of the consistently high quality of our products. The high commitment of our employees mirrors the high sense of responsibility towards our customers that prevails on all company levels.

Why the quality level of our products is so reliable?

We develop and produce our machines exclusively at our headquarters in Aachen, Germany. We are closely committed to this production site, and many of our suppliers are located in the region around Aachen. Thanks to our high in-house production ratio of more than 90%, we
create safe and sustainable jobs for our employees. In order to maintain our competitive leadership position in the industry, we continually invest in our company. We produce the majority of the components for our machines in-house and ensure the application of efficient processes. This does not only allow us to ensure flexible, rational and above all high-quality production operations for our cutting machines, but also the long-term and reliable availability of the spare parts.

What you can expect from us?

The quality level of solutions designed by Fecken-Kirfel is excellent, and we are pioneers in the field of cutting solutions. We take great pride in this. Numerous patents and awards bear testimony of our leadership role in the field of innovations. Many of our cutting technologies have become the industry standard. It is only with our machines that numerous applications and products that are now part of everyday life came into existence. We continually strive
to further raise the already high quality level of our products by improving the technical aspects, quality and our service to meet the requirements of our customers to their full satisfaction. We adapt our machines to the individual production conditions of our customers by continually designing new solutions.

How we achieve to always find the appropriate solution for each customer?

Cutting solutions are our core business. This is where we focus all our energies. We strive to maintain our leading position in terms of technologies and high quality in order to ensure that we can continually offer the best solutions to our customers. We provide our customers with support and advice regarding the smooth integration of cutting processes in their production. To ensure this, we rely on our welldeveloped network of reliable partners.

Why we always are a reliable partner?

The Schiffler family has shaped the history of Fecken-Kirfel for the last 100 years. The owner family provides vital impulses for the strategic focus of the company. The values embodied by the owner family have always had a great impact on the prevailing company spirit. This has
always remained a reliable constant for our customers as well as our employees. This spirit - together with a high sense of responsibility, leadership competence and decision-making  capacities – permeates all company areas. This allows us at Fecken-Kirfel to take decisions quickly and to act with great flexibility. At the same time, we take strategic as well as long-term oriented considerations into account for all our decisions, which is an approach quite in the spirit of a company that is oriented towards the future.

Which steps mark our way?

  • 1870

    Foundation of the company

  • 1919

    The Schiffler family takes over the ownership of the company

  • 1938

    Company moves to the current location in Aachen

  • 1950

    Portfolio switch to the cutting of plastics, rubber and cork materials

    Beginning of internationalization and global focus of the company

  • 1956

    First profile cutting machine

    First peeling machine

  • 1962

    First carousel splitting machine

  • 1971

    First horizontal Bandknife contour cutting machine

  • 1974

    Foundation of Fecken-Kirfel America Inc. in New Jersey, USA

  • 1983

    Horizontal bandknife contour cutting machine with CNC control system

  • 1995

    PLC control systems based on IPC

  • 1996

    Vertical bandknife contour cutting machine with CNC control system

  • 1998

    Autonesting / Autorouting software

  • 2000

    Combined automatic cutting and trimming machine

  • 2001

    Introduction of multifunctional cutting lines

  • 2005

    Material Flow Controller software (MFC)

  • 2006

    Robert Schiffler inducted into the Flexible Polyurethane Foam Hall of Fame (PFA), for Fecken-Kirfel

  • 2010

    Horizontal Bandknife contour cutting machine with oscillating knife

  • 2013

    Horizontal splitting machine for hard materials

  • 2017

    Horizontal contour cutting machine with wire

  • 2019

    Industry 4.0 – introduction of production support software

  • 2020

    Fecken-Kirfel celebrates its 150th anniversary