After a collective tour through Freiberg cathedral accompanied by the traditional Freiberg Miners’ Parade, the speakers described the company’s long history starting over 400 years ago, including the difficult period of rebirth following reunification and ending with the success story seen today. Former mayor Bernd-Erwin Schramm highlighted the period between 1612 and 1992 in particular, and emphasised the great courage and resolve of those who re-established the company in an economically uncertain time.

Managing Director Lothar Patzig focused primarily on the subsequent period: He described the difficult new beginning, the bitter disappointments and a legal dispute that threatened the company’s very existence, as well as the heavy cuts at the start of the 21st century right through to the present day. He gave special thanks to the customers and suppliers that had remained loyal to the company even in these difficult times. Huge investments and a strategically clear orientation have in the meantime turned the traditional and historical Feinhütte Halsbrücke smelting plant into a technically modern and technologically pioneering specialist in the field of non-ferrous metals and metal alloys.

Tobias Patzig, grandson of the company founder who joined the company management in April 2017, then explained the focus of the coming years. He sees the combination of the drive and decisiveness of the younger generation with the experience and equanimity of the older generation as a real added value for the management and the company as a whole. Feinhütte’s employees will continue to be its most important asset in the future, and the successful path of investment, innovation and modernisation will continue to be consistently followed over the coming years, and will continue to be self-funded with no dependency on third parties. Videos and photos of the celebratory evening moderated by singer and entertainer Susanne Engelhardt can be found here.