POSITAL’s parent company, FRABA, observes its 100th anniversary this year

The FRABA Group turns 100 years old in June.

A member of the FRABA Group, POSITAL is a major producer of industrial sensors for motion control and safety-assurance systems, like rotary encoders, inclinometers, and linear-position sensors. This year, POSITAL is helping to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the FRABA Group, an important collaboration of advanced product design and manufacturing processes.

This significant milestone comes at a time when the FRABA Group has recently achieved impressive growth in sales and profits. As one of the group’s four member companies, POSITAL is in a position to benefit highly from this ongoing success.

Hard work and careful planning

According to FRABA chief executive officer Christian Leeser, the group credits its success to a mix of “hard work and careful planning.” This combination has resulted in a turnover increase of 21.5 per cent over the year 2017, as well as total sales revenue of €31.5 million (about $47.6 million). Leeser adds that innovative POSITAL products, including its industrial sensors, magnetic rotary encoders, and Kit Encoders, have been well received in the marketplace.

But FRABA did not start out as a global industrial force. It began life in 1918 as Franz Baumgartner Elektrische Apparate GmbH, a small relay manufacturer based in Cologne, Germany. From there, the company expanded from a local manufacturer with a craftsmanship-based production model, to an international corporation with a range of innovative products. In 1993, Leeser and his brother Achim took over the organization and dramatically updated its strategy and structure. Today, FRABA is headquartered in Heerlen, the Netherlands, and has four subsidiaries: POSITAL and VITECTOR, which manufacture industrial sensors and other products; CONISTICS, which offers advanced manufacturing services; and CENTITECH, a research and development centre.

To celebrate its centenary in June, FRABA is heading back to its birthplace in Cologne – which is the home of POSITAL Europe. POSITAL remains a key factor in FRABA’s ongoing success, with production based on a data-driven “mass customization” business model: customers define the specifications of products, which the company assembles from standardized components, allowing for a wide range of product configurations. Competitive prices and quick delivery also contribute to POSITAL’s reputation.

For more information, contact POSITAL.

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