Fronius turns 80. Founded in 1945 as a regional specialist repair shop for radios and electrical equipment, the company is now an integral part of the industry worldwide. Cohesion, perseverance and consistency have always characterized the history of the Austrian family business.
It is Günter Fronius laying the foundation on June 20, 1945. At this time, he officially announced that he was offering maintenance work on radios and electrical appliances. A short time later, a revolutionary idea was born: the trained electrical engineer invented a device with which car batteries could be recharged and thus used for longer. The first Fronius product is well received and the success story can begin.
“If you look at the conditions at the time, our beginnings were characterized by innovation, daring and solidarity. The scarce resources awakened my grandfather’s inventive spirit and encouraged him to make the best possible use of what was available, to make it repairable and to make it affordable for a broad section of the population,” says Elisabeth Engelbrechtsmüller-Strauß, Fronius CEO and granddaughter of the company founder.
SUCCESS THROUGH PERSEVERANCE
Just five years after starting out the business, Günter Fronius expands the product portfolio to include welding transformers. On this basis, Fronius grows into an impressive medium-sized industrial company. 1980 saw the handover to the next generation: Brigitte Strauß and Klaus Fronius took over the helm. The two initiate a course of growth and internationalization that leads to the founding of numerous subsidiaries all over the world – today there are 37 of them. Since 1992, Fronius has also been focusing on solar energy, which was considered ridiculous at the time, but is now an integral part of the energy industry.
“We are passionate about renewable energies and are consistently adhering to our vision of 24 hours of sun. The solar market has been and continues to be characterized by ups and downs, and the effects of the recent crisis are still clearly noticeable. But our 80-year history has taught us that even in challenging times we do not give up, but – on the contrary – emerge stronger.
Because consistency and perseverance are what Fronius is all about,” explains Engelbrechtsmüller-Strauß, who took over the management of the company from her mother and uncle in 2012
SUCCESS THROUGH PROGRESS
Fronius’ anniversary marks a significant milestone in Austrian industrial history: with its products and solutions, the technology company has shaped economic progress worldwide and thus contributed significantly to the growth of other companies, for example in the automotive industry.
Fronius is currently active in two strategic business areas. The Welding Solutions division continues to revolutionize welding technology, while Solar & Energy Solutions aims to make optimum use of solar energy and optimize battery charging systems for intralogistics. As different as these business areas may appear at first glance, the mission defined 80 years ago and pursued by around 7,000 employees in 37 countries is clear: To research and control electricity as the fuel of the future. “And this future must be worth living in – for us and future generations,” says Engelbrechtsmüller-Strauß.
SUCCESS THROUGH FORESIGHT
Looking back also provides an opportunity to look ahead: Fronius will continue to research the conversion of electricity and develop, produce and drive forward solutions in this field. The company is constantly breaking new ground in this area, but some things
are set in stone, according to the Managing Director: “Nobody can say what the future will bring in concrete terms. However, we will remain financially independent and continue to strengthen Austria as a location and thus our clearly European-oriented value creation. We also live our spirit of research and focus on quality and user-friendliness.”