Fraba, Fabrik Electr. Apparate
Köln-Klettenberg
Fraba-Europe: Köln, Zeppelinstraße 2

The company made mechanical and electonic relays of various kinds, Mercury switches and relay tubes  were made from 1930. 

Other trade names were POSITAL and VITECTOR  

In 1918 Franz Baumgartner founded Franz Baumgatrner Electrical Apparatus GmbH after succesfully developing and patenting his "Petri Switch". This was the first of many patents. He opened a factory in Cologne, Germany. In 1928 Konrad Adenauer, (Mayor of Cologne and after World War Two becoming German Chancellor from 1949 to 1963) contracted the company to design and manufacture remote systems for electric street lighting in cologne. Systems for Mainz, Munich and Duisburg followed shortly after.

In 1930 the company started in glass blowing for switching mechanisms. This activity was to include mercury switches. By 1939 there were ninety specialised staff. The company manufactured all kinds of electrical and mechanical relays and other safety devices in the following years. The 1942 catalogue ran to 108 pages and included things such as telephone, polarized, delay and other types of relays, magnetic coils, mercury switches, short circuit indicators, spring contacts, spring return switches sirens and signal lights.

The factory was destroyed in the early 1940's during bombing raids and the parent company moved to Bruchermuhle but by 1945 production had fallen off considerably. However research did continue in some aspects of the company, notably the invention of the gas pressure relay using mercury. An advertisement has been located from 1942 which the translation states: New switchgear, without iron, without copper, made of the domestic glass. A success of the total material conversion" The illustration in this ad. shows a tube somewhat resembling a radio tube. Two of these tubes have been located. in 1946 the company opened a new factory in Bergisch-Gladbach, with new foreign customers. By 1951 the company was the biggest of its type in Germany. As a result of the newfound activities the company opened a new factory Cologne-Niehl in 1953. In 1960 the company developed the first mobile dialysis system and in 1963 began selling their "Brush" absolute encoders.

Franz Baumgartner retired in 1968, with two of his nephews taking over the company. In 1970 the medical systems division was sold to Braun Meslungen. In 1993 the company was bought by Dr Achim, Christian Leeser and Axel Wieman. A complete restructure of the company into three independent companies was to follow. In 2000 the  company opened its first foreign subsidiary in Princeton, New Jersey. New manufacturing plants were opened in Poland in 2007 and Singapore in 2009. In 2011 the Product Development Unit was relocated to Aachen and the main office to Heelen. In 2015 the company opened in Shanghai.   

New products were announced in 2016 - 1) the POSITAL magnetic kit encoder and 2) the VITECTOR wireless connection of sensors for door controls. By 2018 the company had 220 employees in seven locations and ofered, apparently, millions of product varieties.