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Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2025, FSM Automation( FSM) is a reliable and powerful partner to Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers in the automotive industry. Its deep industry knowledge has positioned it as a technology leader, and it currently develops and manufactures the essential systems, machines and equipment needed to produce battery trays, crash management systems, body structural parts, body seal parts and body exterior parts.
Michael Fliessbach, Board Member & Vice President Business Development FSM Group and Managing Director FSM Europe GmbH, joins Manufacturing Today to discuss the company’ s evolution into a transnational corporation with branches all over the world.“ We were founded in 2005, when French company SECM and Chinese company FMC joined forces. Starting small, with around 15 employees, we focused on adding technologies, creating subsidiaries and working with partners, until we became leaders in the development of special purpose equipment and the tooling of new machinery for specific Industries.
“ We work 90-to-95 percent in the automotive industry where we serve three main sectors: sealing, structural( BIW), and exterior industry,” Michael continues.“ As machine and tooling suppliers, we usually don’ t do any production in-house, except when we get a special request from a customer. Generally, we develop machines and tooling. That can range from very simple manual loaded machines all the way up to fully automatic turnkey production lines.”
Providing and integrating all the technologies required for a fully automatic turnkey line is a key differentiator for FSM. Michael illustrates this using Aluminum Crash Management Systems as an example:“ Bumper beams typically require stretch bending, stamping, and milling, and we’ re true experts in stretch bending technology.
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