Stefan Köhler visits Imhof Hartchrom to discuss industrial regulations

European Parliament Member Stefan Köhler visited Imhof Hartchrom GmbH on July 27, 2026, to discuss the challenges facing surface technology and the future viability of industrial production sites in Germany.

The discussions focused on the importance of functional hard chrome plating for various key industries and the ongoing debate regarding planned restrictions on chromium trioxide, specifically the potential tightening of limit values. The company described its efforts to comply with the European REACH regulation as a “journey into the unknown” and emphasized the need for future regulatory measures to consider entire industrial value chains.

Hard chrome-plated components produced in Karlstadt are utilized in sectors including mobile hydraulics, mechanical and plant engineering, the food industry, the printing and packaging industry, and plastic injection molding machines.