STEINHAGEN, Germany - This autumn Plasmatreat, a leader in atmospheric pressure plasma technology for the pretreatment of material surfaces, celebrated its 20^th anniversary at the company's new headquarters in Steinhagen, Germany, by hosting a party with over 300 guests.

“The one thing that typifies Plasmatreat is change.” These were the words used by Christian Buske, Managing Partner of Plasmatreat GmbH and President/CEO of the Plasmatreat Group, to describe the change that his company has experienced over the last 20 years.

In 1989 after completing a degree in cybernetics and automation technology at the Leipzig University of Applied Sciences, the 27-year-old Buske moved with his wife to Steinhagen, where he became fascinated by plasma. Together with his then partner, engineer and inventor Peter Förnsel, he developed the Openair^®-Plasma jet technology, filing a patent application for it in 1995, the same year that he founded Plasmatreat GmbH. 

Buske used the innovative technology to successfully apply atmospheric pressure plasma on an industrial scale for the very first time. It was Hella, one of the world’s largest automotive component suppliers for lighting technology and electronic products that bought the first Openair-Plasma system at that time, using it in series production for the pretreatment of car headlamps. Many large and smaller names were to follow, and Plasmatreat expanded around the globe. Right from the outset, the company's planning strategy was also characterized by targeted cooperation with universities and research institutes, nationally and internationally.

Within the last 20 years the original three-man start-up has evolved into a medium-sized company headquartered in Steinhagen, Germany. It operates in 35 countries and with 15 subsidiaries in 11 countries. Four of these subsidiaries are located in North America, chaired by Plasmatreat US in Elgin, IL. In 2014, the company generated a turnover of around 30 million euros.