Wilhelm Fette founds a toolmaking company in Hamburg Altona. First patent for an innovative “Hanseatic keyway miller” and “Hanseatic slot hole miller".
1916
Hans Kruse becomes plant manager and general manager. Commencement of hob manufacture.
1917
Hans Kruse initiates the founding of the German Precision Tool Association (DVP). The company Fette becomes a founding member of the “Standards Committee for General Machine Construction” which is established in the same year.
1918
The product line is expanded, and the custom manufacture is changed over to mass production.
Spiral bits, reamers, counterbores, and screw cutting tools are added to the manufactured line.
1925
Fette employs 50 people.
1926
Fette becomes a member of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce and thereby completes the transition from individual unit production to industrial mass production.
1935
The plant operates its own rapid steel hardening shop, one of the first to be used in toolmaking anywhere.
1936
The company has 500 employees.
1938
The red FETTE precision tools catalog appears for the first time. It was so comprehensive, and so modern in its design, that it remained a much-used reference work in wide circles of the industry for the next 20 years.
1942
Death of Wilhelm Fette, the company’s founder.
1945
End of the Second World War, disassembly of the plant. Discontinuation of tool manufacture. Fette takes up machinery repair work. This leads to the establishment of a machine construction department.
1948
Development and manufacture of tablet presses.
1949
Tool manufacture begins again.
1951 / 52
The production of new thread rolling heads for chipless thread cutting under the company’s own patent begins. The designers in the firm develop the new high-performance screw taps Markant (Distinctive) and Rasant (Rapid).
1952 / 53
All of the operations move to Schwarzenbek
1958
Management and staff celebrate the firm′s 50-year anniversary. 900 people are working at the company.
1960
Fette has 500 employees.
1970
Construction of the first high-speed tablet presses.
1971
Due to his age, Hans Kruse sells the company Fette to Saarbergwerke AG. The sole proprietorship Wilhelm Fette becomes a GmbH (limited liability company). The CEO is Karel Klaisner.
1983
Operation of the first TiN coating plant starts.
1985
The first computer-controlled press with in-process monitoring for unmanned operation is made.
1988
The shareholders of the Leitz Group acquire Fette GmbH. Leitz is the successful world market leader in the development and manufacture of precision tools for wood and plastics processing.
1990
The vacuum hardening shop starts operation.
1991
The interchangeable die disk for high-performance tablet presses is introduced.
Extension of the coating capacity with a combined TiCN/TiN plant.
1992
Opening of the Tools Technology Centre for seminars, training, demonstrations and trials.
1993
Founding of the Leitz Metalworking Technology Group.
Certification for DIN/ISO 9001.
1998
Redesign and renovation of the staff canteen. The coating plant is fitted with the most up-to-date equipment. Usable for all PVD coatings. The first precision press for metal powder is constructed.
1999
The first washable rotary press is built.
Enlargement of the building and extension of the capacity of the tableting production sector.
2001
The Fette division of tablet pesses changes its name to “Fette Compacting”.
2003
Development of the patented die table segments. Completion and the inauguration of the new Hall 2a.
2004
Construction of the first non-European production facility of Fette Compacting in Nanjing, China.
2005
Expansion of the global LMT presence with sales and service companies as well as automotive support centers in Europe, the USA, China, and India.
2007
Award for tool system “Twist Free Hob” and “Intelligent Rolling Head” during EMO exhibition.
2008
Dedication of the new Innovation and Training Center in Schwarzenbek. Fette employs more than 1,000 people at the Schwarzenbek location.
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