The article explores how FERCHAU transformed its IT organization under CIO Sebastian Wagener from a traditional internal service provider into a strategic “Business Driver.” It highlights the new organizational model, cultural change, and measurable business impact of digitalization and AI initiatives.

Read more

External workers have long been an integral part of day-to-day operations in German companies. Nevertheless, only a few companies treat them as an integral part of their overall workforce. Instead, different departments manage the use of external personnel largely independently of one another: HR is responsible for temporary staffing, purchasing handles service and work contracts, and line departments commission support from their project budgets. The result is a fragmented procurement landscape with overlapping responsibilities and inconsistent data.

Read more

How can maritime defense systems be developed more quickly, integrated efficiently, and kept operational over the long term? At the DWT Marine Workshop 2026, FERCHAU and RST Rostock System-Technik will demonstrate how they support stakeholders in the defense industry.

Read more

planting GmbH, an engineering service provider for the process industry and part of the FERCHAU Group, and Tiger Solutions GmbH Europe, provider of the TAI AI platform, are entering into a development partnership. The goal is to combine engineering expertise with artificial intelligence to develop digital products that engineers in the process industry, pharma & life sciences, public & infrastructure, energy & hydrogen, and defense sectors can use directly in their project work. The partnership will take effect on September 15, 2026, and will be publicly unveiled for the first time at the Engineering Summit 2026.

Read more

The automotive crisis is affecting not only plants and budgets, but also the core of value creation: development. The key factors will be where system expertise is developed and how quickly it can be applied in projects.

Read more

The article highlights the challenges faced by a trainee from Rostock who has to travel to Lübeck for vocational school, resulting in a daily commute of almost three hours.

Read more

The energy sector is no longer in the phase of abstract goals — it is in the midst of implementation. Technologies are in place, programs have been launched, and regulatory frameworks have been defined. But what has not kept pace is the capacity for implementation: the ability to make the energy transition a reality in a scalable, rapid, and highly precise manner. To achieve this, the industry needs capital, a stable political environment, and technical innovation. Above all, however, it needs people who can structure projects, manage interfaces, take responsibility, and deliver results.

Read more

The article examines how geopolitical crises are increasing costs and fragmenting markets, forcing companies to rethink their strategies. It highlights resilience, regionalization, and faster decision-making as key responses to growing geopolitical pressure.

Read more

The episode of Staffingpreneur features a conversation with Frank Ferchau about FERCHAU’s 60-year history, the evolution of the family business, and how the company’s identity has developed beyond traditional staffing.

Read more

The FERCHAU Group operates throughout Europe as a technology service provider — for the Next Level: from mechanical and plant engineering to energy, pharmaceuticals & life sciences, aerospace & defense, IT, and the automotive industry. This article focuses on the latter industry. This is because it is undergoing an unprecedented, globally impactful transformation that is having a profound effect on technological project work in Germany — whether in terms of ever-shorter development cycles or highly networked vehicle systems.

Read more

The article features an interview with Frank Ferchau and Martin Sauerschnig about the current state and future of Germany’s aerospace and defence industry, covering growth, skills shortages, AI, sustainable aviation and Europe’s position in the global space sector.

Read more

The article features an interview with Till Saßmannshausen, Head of AI Management at FERCHAU, about how companies can successfully integrate AI, why organizational structures are often a greater challenge than the technology itself, and how AI is changing the skills required of engineers.

Read more

The article features an interview with Frank Ferchau on FERCHAU’s 60th anniversary, covering the company’s development, its role in accelerating technological change, the impact of AI and shifting industries, and its ambitions for future growth in Europe.

Read more

Gummersbach, July 7, 2026 – FERCHAU is turning 60 – and taking the next step in its development: Under the motto “Creating Tomorrow,” the company is systematically expanding its activities in future-oriented fields such as artificial intelligence, energy, and pharmaceuticals & life sciences.

Read more

In the interview, Frank Ferchau discusses Germany’s declining competitiveness, the need for less regulation and greater economic freedom, as well as the growing importance of AI and new skills in engineering.

Read more

The article examines the severe crisis facing Germany’s automotive engineering service providers, as declining orders and job cuts put pressure on engineering expertise and raise concerns about the future of “Made in Germany.”

Read more

The article profiles Fowzia Abida, a Junior AI Developer at FERCHAU, sharing her career path, daily work with AI and language models, and the skills and practical experience needed to enter and develop in the AI field.

Read more

Gummersbach, June 4, 2026 – From June 10 to 14, the FERCHAU Group will be showcasing its Aerospace & Defense division at the ILA Berlin. Under the theme “Pioneering Aerospace,” the leading international trade fair will focus on key future topics in the industry — and the technology service provider will demonstrate how it applies its expertise to complex development programs: at Booth 136 in Hall C.

Read more

The Technical University in Gummersbach has recognised Justin Ladwig, Abdul-Malik Akiev and Finn Nils Maybauer as its best graduates.

Read more

Gummersbach, May 5, 2026 – Under the theme “Thinking in a networked way & acting with confidence as a response to a national defense strategy,” AFCEA 2026 brings together representatives from the German Armed Forces, government agencies, industry, and the technology sector. At booth R56, the FERCHAU Group will demonstrate how its Aerospace & Defense division provides targeted support to OEMs and system suppliers as a development partner with many years of experience in national and European defense programs.

Read more

The article profiles Philipp Nolte from FERCHAU and explains the role of an AI Vehicle Training Engineer, including how AI and vehicle data are used for predictive maintenance, anomaly detection and more efficient automotive services

Read more

Gummersbach, April 8, 2026 – From April 14 to 16, 2026, the FERCHAU Group will be exhibiting with its Aerospace & Defence division at the Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) in Hamburg. The leading international trade fair for aircraft cabins, inflight entertainment, and passenger experience brings together airlines, manufacturers, and suppliers. As a leading engineering partner in the Cabin & Cargo sector, the division — together with FERCHAU subsidiary RST Rostock System-Technik — will present its comprehensive service and product portfolio for the aerospace and defense industries at Booth 6E80C-01.

Read more

With sales of €945 million, around 10,000 employees, and over 130 locations, the FERCHAU Group has laid the foundation for targeted growth in future-oriented industries in 2026.

Read more

The WirtschaftsWoche “Chefgespräch” podcast features Frank Ferchau discussing the changing role and reputation of engineers in Germany, entrepreneurial freedom and his experiences leading the engineering and IT services company FERCHAU.

Read more

The article explores how FERCHAU is strengthening its freelancing business by integrating top itservices, expanding its IT expertise and providing companies with flexible access to specialized IT and engineering professionals.

Read more

Part of the FERCHAU Group for many years, top itservices AG will also bear the name FERCHAU from January 1. This will bring the technology service provider from Gummersbach even more into focus in the contracting market—and enable it to respond to customer requirements with an expanded network of freelancers in the future.

Read more

Gummersbach, 1 July 2025 – Founded 15 years ago as a single office in Cologne, planting GmbH is now one of the established engineering partners of the German process industry. With over 430 operational employees, 13 offices and annual sales of around 50 million euros, the company has grown strategically and technologically since then.

Read more

Munich, 1 July 2025 – Where desks once stood, engines will now be tested, prototypes manufactured and cable harnesses assembled: FERCHAU Automotive is opening a new location for its motorcycle technology division at Hufelandstraße 13, directly opposite BMW Motorrad. With an additional 580 square metres of workshop and project space, the company is responding to growing demand for specialised engineering services for two-wheeled vehicles.

Read more

Gummersbach, April 9, 2025 - planting GmbH can look back on the most successful financial year in its 15-year history. With an increase in turnover of 15 percent compared to the previous year, the premium partner to the process industry defied the difficult service and engineering market environment. In the 2024 financial year, the company achieved a turnover of 50 million euros after 44 million euros in 2023. There was also an increase in the number of employees to a total of 435 (410, 2023). The team almost doubled, particularly at the Hamburg location. Just a year ago, there were 15 employees at the port of Harburg; now there are almost 30.

Read more

2024 was a successful year for the ABLE GROUP – Germany's leading group of companies for cross-industry IT and engineering services. It again generated solid total sales of almost 1 billion euros in the past financial year and expanded its network of branches to more than 145. It is thus bucking the economic trends in the industry and the market as a whole. With a new structure and under a new name, the FERCHAU Group has been strengthening its position in a highly competitive environment since January 2025.

Read more