Rába (company)
_logo.svg){kind=logo} | |
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| BPSE: RABA BUX Component | |
| Industry | Automotive industry |
| Founded | 1896 |
| Headquarters | Győr, Hungary |
Key people | István Pintér (CEO&Chairman ) |
| Products | Military trucks, trucks, rail cars, trains, bridges steel structure |
| Revenue |  HUF 47.9 billion[1] |
 HUF 1.9 billion[1] | |
−1,075,000 United States dollar (2022)  | |
Number of employees | 1,990 |
| Website | raba.com |
The RÁBA Automotive Group (Hungarian: Rába Járműipari Holding Nyrt.), commonly known as Rába, is a Hungarian public limited company, listed on the Budapest Stock Exchange.[2] Rába engineers, manufactures and customizes automotive components, specialty vehicles and axles for commercial vehicles, agri-machinery and earth-movers.[2] The Rába has been building axles as well as complete vehicles since 1902. The company has three strategic business units.[2] The company is headquartered in Győr, employing more than 2000 people.[2]
History[edit]
Before WW1[edit]
The company was founded by local investor groups in Győr in 1896. The main (almost exclusive) product of the period following the founding of the factory was the railway carriage. Initially, freight and then passenger wagons were produced at a rate of 8-10 per day, which was outstanding with 1200 workers in 1898. The first production was a 15-ton, 2-axle tank wagon for the Galician-Carpathian Petroleum Co.
In 1898, orders were received in succession for the production of freight wagons (wine transporters, charcoal transporters, furniture transporters, poultry transporters, fruit transporters) and passenger coaches (coaches). By the end of the year the factory had produced its 1660th railway wagon.
In 1899, the Rába had started to export to foreign countries: it supplied railway passenger carriages to Egypt, the East Indies, Southern Africa, city tramcars to Amsterdam and Antwerp.
In 1900, the company was invited to the Paris World Exhibition, along with several other wagon manufacturers, where it exhibited 4 wagons. In the meantime, the equipment and raw materials needed for battery production were purchased.
The year 1901 was a big breakthrough on a world scale. The customers now included the East India Railways, the Costa Rican Railways, the British Colonies in South Africa and the London Underground Railway. The carriages of the London underground railway were constructed and manufactured in the Rába company. The London Underground Railway ordered 30 multiple-unit trains, 66 passenger cars for multiple-unit trains and bogies. The success was due to competitive prices, high quality products and adherence to delivery deadlines. The battery manufacturing division was transformed into a separate company.
As early as 1902, the company was already considering the idea of producing road vehicles, as evidenced by two orders, but actual production did not begin until 1903. The wagon factory started to produce military transport vehicles - in great secrecy - for the Vienna Artillery Depot. The company faced a major dilemma in choosing a production profile, because it had to choose a vehicle with a future. As the old engine factories were still mainly engaged in the production of stationary engines, the management of the Wagon Works bought the patent for the Stoltz gas engine. Car production was still in its infancy, the main driving force being sport. However, there was interest in commercial vehicles such as the military and the postal service. In Hungary, János Csonka and Donát Bánki pioneered the production of motor vehicles. Vagongyár contacted János Csonka and started to tender for the production of three-wheeled motor vehicles.
In 1903, when they bought the rights to manufacture the steam boiler, they were thinking not only of steam-powered railway wagons, but also of steam cars. However, the idea of a steam car was soon abandoned, and another plan was put forward, that of a petrol-engined commercial vehicle. With the start of car production, the factory's income became more steady because it could be produced for stock. The first test drive of the first automobile made in Győr took place on 25 February 1904. Unlike in France, the company's aim was, like that of Germany, to make commercial vehicles similar to passenger cars.
The specific demands of export orders mean that the factory has to be at the cutting edge of technology. Domestic customers mainly require steam heating and oil lighting, while foreign customers demand electric lighting. The company enters the Milan Exhibition of 1906 with its railway carriages, which are lavishly furnished and where a little has been sacrificed for comfort. The International Sleeping Car Company's order for a dining wagon was one of the most honourable. The successful completion of this demanding, high specification trial order resulted in a further 14 dining wagon being ordered by Wagons-Lits.
However, the Wagon Works also built the coaches for the Timisoara, Cassa, Oradea, Szeged city tramway and the Budapest HÉV. Among the orders in 1905 were the London Underground order for 30 motor coaches, 36 motor coach bogies and 66 trailers, 180 trailer bogies; and South Africa for 20 freight coaches.
In 1904, the production of the first petrol engine powered trucks started. In 1914, the company started to produce its first passenger automobiles: The RÁBA Alpha. The rest of the cars were made in Budapest. After hundreds of thousands of kilometres, the cars were still in use three decades later. Later that year, Spitz ordered chassis for passenger cars, which later won car races. The managers of the car factory department established a relationship with the armed forces. They built up a good relationship with the Austrian company Daimler, which led to the purchase of a licence for trucks and rental cars.
The iron forge (designed by Gustave Eiffel ) completed in 1906, was one of the most modern of its time.
According to the 1910 state subsidy for industry, taxis could only be Hungarian cars. So the Wagon Factory built its three-seater car. A lightweight wagon also dates from this period. However, the relationship with Daimler did not prove fruitful, and the parties terminated it by mutual agreement in 1911. Production started in the steel foundry, which was replaced by the Siemens-Martin foundry in 1914.
In 1913, the licence for the Czech Praha cars was purchased and production of the RÁBA "V" trucks and RÁBA Grand passenger cars began. The steward's office ordered a special RÁBA Grand for the personal use of Emperor Charles I of Austria.[3]
WW1[edit]
In 1914, the RÁBA-Alpha passenger car was produced, the first of its kind in the factory.In 1915, the production of Praha agricultural power machines began, which could be used to drive threshing machines, grinders and grinding mills. These machines were also exported.
The factory also produced military versions of the Grand passenger car. By 1918, the factory was a modern large-scale machine factory with iron and steel foundries, a materials testing laboratory, maintenance and tool-making workshops.
Interwar period[edit]
In 1922, a special armoured and then civilian version of the car was built according to the plans of Vilmos Szilágyi. The direction of travel of the vehicle could be reversed by means of a directional gearbox, it could be steered on both sides and operated in four gears in each direction.
In 1923, a RÁBA vehicle came second in the Austrian Hungarian Tour. A 1.5-ton "P" type truck, a modified version of which was also used as a fire engine, was built to order for the post office.
In 1925 another licence contract was signed with the Praha factory. On the basis of this contract, the three-ton trucks and buses "L" were produced.
From 1926 to 1929, the "Pe" type electric cars were produced for the post office in cooperation with the Ganz factory, which supplied the motors, and the Tudor factory, which supplied the batteries.
In 1927 the factory bought a licence from the Krupp works to produce 3- and 5-tonne trucks powered by four- and six-cylinder engines.
In 1928, the right to produce modern 'AF' cars designed by Austro-Fiat was purchased to replace the obsolete vans, which were produced until 1934.
1936-ban megjelennek a RÁBA Super 2,5 tonnás, majd a RÁBA Speciál 3,5 tonnás tehergépkocsik és teherautók, amelyek az AFI kooperáció segítségével készülnek. Ezek a gépkocsik 5 fokozatú sebességváltóval és első ízben hegesztett acél alvázzal készültek. Ebből a sikeres konstrukcióból 1951-ig 2500 darab készült.
Repülőgép műhelyt szerveztek, egyelőre csak az autógyár gépparkjának jobb kihasználása céljából. A technológia alumíniumöntődével és színesfém gyártással bővül. A repülőgép sárkány gyártásához mélyhúzást használtak.
1937-ben a német MAN gyártól licencet vásárol a RÁBA dízelmotor gyártására. A Super kocsikat 65 lóerős, a Speciálokat 80 LE-s motorokkal látják el, 100 LE-s motort a RÁBA-MAN D5 teherautóba és az 1940-től gyártott 50 személyes Trambuszba építettek be. Messerschmitt Me 210 vadászbombázó
1938-ban megkezdték a repülőgépmotor-műhely építését. A motorok vizsgálatára próbaterem épül fékpadokkal. Darányi Kálmán márciusi beszédében meghirdette a nevezetes győri programot, mely honvédelmi felkészülésre 1 milliárd pengős elsősorban hadiipari fejlesztést finanszírozott.
WW2[edit]
In 1939, the 38M Botond military all-terrain vehicle was built under the direction of Dezső Winkler, based on the Győr programme and based on the previously successful RÁBA-AFI family. Five other Hungarian companies joined the production, the first 150 units were delivered on 1 July 1939, followed by a further 1,252 units by 30 June 1940.
Heat treatment equipment for the production of armour plates is added to the steelworks and the old hydraulic presses are replaced. In addition to the direct investments for military production, wagon production is also being developed, new workshops are being built for the car plant and equipped with modern machinery.
The RÁBA-MAN 100 hp six-cylinder engine powered RÁBA 41 M artillery tractor is being built, the design of which has already benefited from Botond's experience.
In 1940, independent aircraft production begins, after the assembly hall and the parts warehouse are built. The first such design, the Levente school plane,[4] is a prototype. In the same year, 27 more WM-21 Falcon biplane close-in reconnaissance and bomber aircraft and 29 Focke-Wulf Fw 58 Weihe[5] military training aircraft are produced.
1940-1942 The factory builds the Danube bridge at Medve.
1942 Production of Messerschmitt aircraft begins: the Bf 109 single-engine fighter and the Me 210 twin-engine fighter-bomber. The first test flight of the Bf 109 produced here was made by the glider pilot Gyula Zsolt in the spring of 1943.
In 1944 the factory was hit by several heavy bomb attacks. Some plants and workers were evacuated to the surrounding villages.
"During the time of war, the majority of the capacity expansion that was carried out was destroyed due to bomb attacks. After the German occupation, the city experienced 18 major and 8 minor bomb attacks. The first and most devastating attack took place on April 13, 1944, lasting only 20 minutes, during which 385 bombs weighing 227 kg, 500 bombs weighing 45.5 kg, 2000 bombs weighing 20 kg, and 30-40 thousand incendiary bombs weighing 3 kg were dropped by American Liberators. The number of casualties exceeded 1000 people. The damage was severe to the Wagon Factory, the airport, the Distillery, the Gas Factory, the Cardo Furniture Factory, the Hungarian Machine Factory (MÁVAG), the National Electric Company (OVIRT), the railway station, and the railway tracks. Out of the city's 16 bridges, 15 were blown up, trees were removed from the city parks due to a shortage of coal, and water, gas, and electricity services ceased. Győr was rightfully referred to as a ruined city by contemporary authors."
1945 - 1956[edit]
On March 28, 1945, the factory came under Soviet military command. In the early years after the war, reparations accounted for a large portion of the factory's production.
1947: The prototype of a 45-ton steam crane is completed, and production begins in 1948.
1948: Introduction of a new product: electric forklift trucks of Bleichert type. Forklift production takes over the place of agricultural machinery production, which is gradually phased out. The bridge department manufactures the steel structures of the Budapest Árpád Bridge, the Tisza Bridge in Vásárosnamény, and the Révfalusi Bridge in Győr between 1947 and 1949.
1949: Design and production of a new two-ton forklift truck (V27 type). The country's most modern steel foundry with a capacity of 4-500 tons is built in the factory. Independent car production ceases for the purpose of profile optimization. Vehicle design is transferred to JÁFI (Joint Factory for Automotive Industry) under the leadership of director Dezső Winkler, who receives the Kossuth Prize in 1951 for his previous work. With the reorganization of vehicle production, bus production goes to Ikarus, while the chassis for running and pre-assembled trucks goes to Csepel Autógyár. In Győr, the production of chassis components, steering mechanisms, and gearboxes remains for the time being.
1951: The first 20,000 m3 gas tank is completed for the Győr gas plant. The bridge department manufactures steel structures for various major projects: chimney stacks and gantry cranes for Dunai Vasmű, tanks for Szőny, and various steel structures for the sulfuric acid plant in Szolnok. A notable product is a rotating bridge made for Egypt.
1953: The double-decker railway bridge connecting Romania and Bulgaria over the Danube is completed. The factory also constructs an aluminum bridge in Szabadszállás. It is the second aluminum bridge in Europe and the fourth in the world. Due to the immature technology, the road bridge was assembled using rivets.
1954: As part of the national dieselization program, the Győr factory is assigned the production and development of a family of Ganz-Jendrassik engines. The factory workers play a significant role in the fight against the floods in the Szigetköz region.
1955: The road and railway bridge in Helwan, Egypt is completed. Modern production technologies are introduced in welding, heat treatment, and painting.
On October 27, 1956, the Workers' Council is formed and temporarily takes over the management of the factory.
1956-1990[edit]
"In 1957, the members of the Pattantyús Brigade: János Bors, Jenő Kapuváry, Lajos Maróti, Sándor Pécsi, and Sándor Rátz, engineers, received the Kossuth Prize for the innovative hot machining process introduced in the production of the Ganz-Jendrassik engine crankshafts.
In 1963, following a government decision, they purchased the license for the production of diesel engines, which would become the power source for Hungarian buses and trucks in the coming years. They multiplied and modernized the production of chassis. Large-scale investments were initiated.
In 1967, the first results of technological development were achieved: Ikarus presented the first models of the 200 series bus family at the Budapest International Fair, with the rear axle and the MAN-licensed engine provided by RÁBA.
In 1969, the new engine factory was inaugurated (the old engine factory became a maintenance workshop from then on). The production of 16-ton RÁBA trucks and 22-ton 3-axle trailers for semitrailers began.
In 1973, they purchased a license from the American company Steiger for the production of heavy agricultural tractors, which also included other agricultural machinery. The 10,000th chassis was completed.
From 1974, the factory started exporting more rear axles, including to the United States, where they established close ties with the Steiger tractor factory.
In 1980, the DAF 241 type cabins appeared on the trucks. Rába's trucks originally used cabins supplied by West German MAN, but from 1980 on DAF's F241 cabin was used.[6] A few Roman cabs (of MAN origins) were also supplied from Romania in return for engines.[7] Rába's engine mainstay was itself of MAN origins, with the old D21 inline-six diesel massaged up to 300 PS (221 kW) with the help of turbocharging and intercooling.[6]
In the 1980s, the development of the RÁBA H series military vehicle family began. Initially, they were equipped with Kamaz cabins, later with DAF cabins. The series production models have been produced for the Hungarian Defense Forces since 2003."
In the 1980s, Rába built no more than about 2,000 trucks per year, although it was Hungary's third biggest employer. Being an important provider to Hungarocamion, a publicly operated international trucking firm, helped raise their international profile.[6] In 1985, Rába's business mostly consisted of engine and axle manufacturing, with only 15% of turnover being represented by trucks. Of these trucks, however, nearly 90 per cent were exported, with the lion's share going to Yugoslavia.[7] In 1986, Rába introduced a more powerful, 370 PS (272 kW) diesel engine (D11TLL) in order to help their trucks compete internationally and to meet Hungarocamion's needs. The new engine range was loosely based on the earlier MAN units, but were now of 11.05 litres, and were developed together with the Linz Institute of Graz, Austria.
After the fall of Communism[edit]
"In 1992, the factory once again transformed into a joint-stock company. In 1997, as part of the implementation of the privatization strategy, the shares of Rába Rt. were listed on the Budapest Stock Exchange.
In 1993, new truck models with MAN F90 cabins were introduced.
In 1998, they switched to DAF cabins. The Rába FA27 all-wheel-drive forestry vehicle and the SL18 semi-trailer appeared.
In 1999, a large part of Rába Rt.'s activities were organized into external companies, and it transformed into a holding company.
In 2001, the economically unviable engine plant was sold, and bus production ceased.
In 2003, the production of special vehicles for the military began.
In 2005, the company transformed into a NyRt. (Nyilvánosan Működő Részvénytársaság), which stands for publicly traded company."
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Rába közgyűlés: stabil eredményeket hozott a 2014-es év" [Rába board meeting: 2014 brought stable results] (Press release) (in Hungarian). Rába Nyrt. 16 April 2015. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
- ^ a b c d "Our Profile". raba.hu. Retrieved 2014-03-31.
- ^ "the History of Rába". Retrieved 2021-01-29.
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ a b c Bennett, George (December 1986). "Eastern Block". TRUCK. London, UK: FF Publishing Ltd: 56.
- ^ a b Bennett (Eastern Block), p. 58
External links[edit]
