A Look Back and Ahead

Fichtner turned 100 in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic – and it weathered that well, too. Many changes in politics, the economy and society have demanded a great deal of us as a service company. In the 101st year after its founding, we look back on an eventful past and ask ourselves: How has time passed so quickly, and what comes next?

In 1922, now four generations ago, the Fichtner family business was founded as an engineering firm providing planning and consulting services in the power and heat industry in what was then Czechoslovakia.

Following the family’s relocation as a result of the Second World War, Fichtner eventually resumed its business operations in Stuttgart and established the company’s new head office there. The spirit of optimism during post-war reconstruction and the economic development in the Federal Republic provided a good basis for a fresh start.

What was needed then was entrepreneurial spirit and adaptability, but above all enthusiasm for the goal of developing optimal solutions for the energy industry in a dynamic society by providing first-class, independent consulting services.

“Fichtner expands its range of services to include areas of infrastructure planning.”

Many adjustments and innovations became necessary during the formative years, while foresight and trust in the future were an absolute must.

Projects abroad gradually followed, and the size and complexity of the projects kept increasing. Fichtner expanded its range of services to include areas of infrastructure planning, and the handling of projects increasingly followed holistic approaches. Even back then, aspects of environmental protection and resource conservation played a significant role in our consulting work, alongside issues of economic efficiency and technical standards.

“Resource conservation and environmental protection become more important to society in the seventies. For Fichtner, these were already important aspects of our consulting activities back then.”

The oil crisis in the seventies ultimately brought about a shift in political and social mindset and accelerated efforts in climate protection and the promotion of renewable energies. For Fichtner, this meant new project approaches and fields of activity. Social change and the outcomes of climate conferences prompted a greater focus on research and investment in renewable energy sources. This provided our experienced engineers with confirmation that they were on the right track.

Globalization and increasing interconnectedness in all areas led to Fichtner organizing itself across national borders and taking a more global approach. Fichtner has successfully completed projects in over 170 countries and established its own locations on all continents.

“New challenges and technologies demand new solutions.”

The dawn of the digital age opened up new opportunities for Fichtner. The IT and management consulting business sector had already been developing successfully for years and was thus able to draw on specialized knowledge and extensive experience when advising clients in the field of digitization. To this day, Fichtner supports many clients in their digital transformation.

“As a family business, sustainable economic activity in the sense of long-term, cross-generational solutions is important to us.”

Fichtner is a family-owned company with a long tradition, which has become a leading player in its field over the course of a century – through the enthusiasm, in-depth know-how and motivation of its employees and through its ability to identify trends and developments early on and align its business activities accordingly. For us as a company, the focus is always on a long-term, cross-generational outlook for the benefit of society.

For we are convinced that only first-class techno-economic consulting is suitable for meeting the issues and challenges involved in the decarbonization of the energy industry, the transformation of infrastructures, the sustainable treatment and supply of drinking water, and environmental protection. Only interdisciplinary, holistic approaches can do justice to the complexity of such issues. And only with an independent search for the best solutions for people and the environment can we achieve these goals together. That is what Fichtner stands for.

For the next few years, we see ourselves faced with the task of acting as an Energy Transition Consultant, advising on the decarbonization of the energy sector as well as industry and making the energy transition possible. Together with our clients, we search for a sensible balance between necessary energy consumption based on a reasonable use of energy by humans on the one hand and the preservation of the basis of life of our planet on the other.

“We are making every effort to find the best path to a climate-neutral future.”

The expansion of renewable energy sources and energy infrastructures is the key instrument in the search for this balance. Recognizing the opportunities, but also the challenges, of renewable energies for the benefit of a functioning economy and incorporating them into a gradual shaping of the path toward climate-neutral energy use is a major social and financial undertaking that must not be allowed to go to waste.

July 2023