Frako capacitor and plant construction

FRAKO Capacitors and Plant Construction GmbH
legal form	GmbH
founding	1928
Seat	Teningen , Germany
management	Matthias Sehmsdorf
Number of employees	106
sales	EUR 23.1 million
Branch	Electrical components and systems
Website	www.frako.com
	Status 2011

The Frako Capacitors- und Anlagenbau GmbH (proper spelling: FRAKO ) is one of the world's leading manufacturer of power capacitors , reactive power regulation systems and energy management systems with its own product development. Founded in 1928, the company is a pioneer in the field of capacitor manufacturing. FRAKO is still based in Tscheulinstrasse in Teningen to this day.

Companies

The company was founded in 1928 in Frankfurt as Fra nkfurter Ko ends capacitors factory founded in 1932 and moved its headquarters to Teningen . In the first few years, paper wound capacitors were manufactured for the post office and aluminum electrolytic capacitors for the young broadcast technology. Later were OEM - power supplies added to the product range.

Significance for early radio and telecommunications technology

Especially around 1930 Frako was of great importance as a producer of capacitors for the young radio equipment industry. At that time it was one of the few companies that began developing and manufacturing paper capacitors and electrolytic capacitors in a wide variety of designs, when these products became essential components required in large numbers for the flourishing telecommunications and radio technology. The relocation of the production site to Teningen in 1932 was due, among other things, to the fact that the Tscheulin aluminum plant was located there, which brought with it a considerable locational advantage: In this plant, aluminum foil was rolled for the first time in Germany in 1911 , which was then rolled out in the 1920s by the Production of electrolytic capacitors was used.

Company after 1945

From 1949 power capacitors as well as fluorescent lamp capacitors and power capacitors were manufactured. In 1957 the production of automatically regulated reactive power compensation systems was started and from 1975 the reactive power regulators were developed and produced in-house. In 1984 the power capacitor in the MKP version with overpressure breakaway protection came onto the market.

In 1985 the company employed 1,400 people at 5 production sites and achieved a turnover of 140 million DM.

In 1989 the electrolytic capacitor production area was closed and the machinery and know-how were sold to the Roederstein group of companies in Landshut, which is now part of the capacitor manufacturer Vishay .

In 1992 FRAKO presented the first energy management system.

In 1995 the FRAKO capacitors and plant construction GmbH became a subsidiary of the Berliner Elektro Holding AG, in 2000 the company Baugatz / Hoppe merged with FRAKO. Together with the acquired AGLK division of Moeller Engineering GmbH, FRAKO expanded its market leadership in the area of power quality to optimize power consumption and improve power quality.

In 2005, FRAKO put a new production hall for capacitor production into operation. At the same time, the shares in Frako were taken over by BET GmbH, a company of AdCapital AG.

2013 was founded with a sister company, "frako power systems GmbH & Co. KG" , a provider of combined heat and power units (CHP) and integrated systems for all aspects of combined heat and power units.

PCB in Köndringen

At the Köndringen location there is one of the largest PCB groundwater pollution in Baden-Württemberg. As a result of PCB discharges, concentrations in the groundwater are found that greatly exceed the limit values. The PCB contamination affects the groundwater in an area several hundred meters below the company premises. The community found fish contaminated with PCBs in a stream in the area. Although groundwater has been pumped out for more than 25 years, the PCB concentrations have not decreased and, when the groundwater levels are high, PCBs are also discharged into the environment through leaky sewers on the company premises.

An initiative by affected citizens brought the contamination to the public.

literature

The district of Emmendingen - district descriptions of the state of Baden-Württemberg; Edited by the Baden-Württemberg State Archives Directorate in conjunction with the district of Emmendingen; 2 volumes, Jan Thorbecke Verlag, Stuttgart 1999 and 2001, ISBN 3-7995-1363-9