Haiger/Wiesbaden. Yesterday, the traditional Haiger-based company Weiss Chemie + Technik was pleased to welcome the parliamentary leaders of the Hessian FDP state parliamentary group, Wiebke Knell and Dr Stefan Naas, accompanied by the local FDP state parliamentary representative Dr Matthias Büger (Wetzlar) and Oliver Stirböck, parliamentary managing director of the FDP parliamentary group in the Hessian state parliament, as well as a business delegation, to their main premises in Haiger. Managing director Christian Dölle and authorised signatory Sven Ringsdorf brought those present, including the First City Council of the City of Haiger, Helmut Schneider (CDU), up to speed about the ongoing transformation and internationalisation of the group of companies.

The Weiss Group, a leading manufacturer in the areas of "bonding and sealing", "sandwich and façade technology" and "cleaning solutions", emphasised the need to reduce bureaucracy and simplify approval procedures. "Investments should be easy to realise so that we can secure and continue to expand the Haiger site. It cannot, nor should it, be the case that conditions in Germany are less attractive than those abroad!" says Managing Director Dölle. Especially when it comes to rural areas, the availability of qualified specialists also poses a challenge. Mr Dölle underlined the importance of options for childcare and mobility, given that public transport in the Dill district is not a suitable alternative.

Mr Dölle proudly referred to the company's strong training traditions. "With our approximately 20 trainees in specialised chemical professions, we are only securing a part of the future demand. State policy must support regional SMEs in order to compensate for infrastructure disadvantages," he insisted. The Weiss Group is highly dependent on the construction industry, which is currently in its worst crisis in 20 years and urgently needs growth impulses from the political field.

Sula Lockl, deputy managing director of the Association of the Chemical Industry (VCI) Hesse, of which Christian Dölle has been active as a board member since June, further elaborated on the state of the industry with an economic analysis. Despite a slight recovery in the first half of 2024, the industry is still under significant pressure. Falling investments in Germany showed very clearly that the framework conditions urgently need improving. An energy-intensive industry would first and foremost be about energy costs, but bureaucracy and tax burdens also form obstacles for the industry. Ms Lockl called for clear policy measures to compensate for these location-related disadvantages.

"The Weiss Group is an excellent example of the type of high-performance companies Hesse has to offer. Such companies need the support of politicians – more specifically, by finally reducing the excessive bureaucracy and simplifying approval processes. For us Free Democrats, this is a task for the economic turnaround that we need so urgently," according to the parliamentary group leaders Wiebke Knell and Stefan Naas on behalf of the visitors from the FDP. 

Founded in 1815, the Weiss Group is committed to innovation and international expansion in order to remain competitive in the future. The FDP delegation's company visit emphasised the importance of political support for Hesse's medium-sized economy.