Our History

A story of passion, tradition and innovation, Tratos’ journey started during WWII when the young Egidio Capaccini had to abandon his home town in Southern Tuscany after it had been almost completely destroyed by the Nazis. With little or no work available, he packed his bags and travelled to Argentina. After taking a job as a general worker for a year he was offered a position in a factory making cables. Having swiftly risen up the ranks to become General Manager and a shareholder, it wasn’t long before he achieved his dream. After a period working as a consultant and travelling the world, he set up Tratos.

Tratos cables quickly gained a reputation for exceptionally well-made cables at the forefront of innovation with Egidio at its helm for more than 13 years until his health began to decline and, sadly, he passed away. His daughter, Marta and her husband, Albano Bragagni, subsequently took over the business in 1974 and Mr Bragagni became company president. A challenging programme of investments, product diversification and technological growth started. The business grew exponentially, thanks to Mr Bragagni’s eye for innovative new products and a practice of responding intelligently to opportunities in growing markets.

By 1978 Tratos started the production of Copper Telecommunication cables and Instrumentation cable for telephone companies and petroleum engineering companies. Two years later, Thermoplastic and Elastomeric compounds with low smoke, zero halogen materials were developed and Tratos set up a dedicated factory, Tramet, which still produces Insulation and Sheathing and Medium Voltage and Low Voltage compounds, as well as halogen-free, flame retardant, oil resistant, fire resistant, semi-conductive compounds. Later, Tratos became established in the UK in 1981, and in 1987, the company began producing fibre-optical cables in Italy. It became one of the major suppliers for the Energy, Trains, Transport and Infrastructure, Oil and Gas industries and became a specialist manufacturer of fire resistant cables and robust electric cables for mining and tunnelling equipment.

In the 1990s Tratos was producing Medium Voltage Cables at a new factory in Catania. In the early 2000s, the third generation of the family joined the company with Mr Ennio Bragagni Capaccini as Deputy Chairman. Tratos took on the production of umbilical cables for Oil and Gas and related applications, in partnership with the Brazilian company MFX. Tratos opened Cables Tailor Made, a division offering custom designed solutions. By 2008 Tratos acquired the UK’s North West Cables Ltd, a manufacturing company in Knowsley, Merseyside, and Modular Wiring Systems Ltd, its subsidiary, renowned for creative innovation in high and low-level power distribution systems. Tratos now had three UK sites.

Tratos strengthened its presence in Europe with Tratos Iberica in Spain and further branch offices in Germany and China. In 2009 the company began the production of H.V. cables and established a new factory in Pieve Santo Stefano. It went on to form an integrated group with industrial and commercial companies such as Smaltos, Braids, Tramet and Hamilton Cable. Flexibility, dynamism, constancy and reliability define Tratos’ approach and have seen it grow foreign market share. It’s now one of the largest companies in the industry globally.

It all started with one man’s vision and his determination to overcome significant early challenges to build the foundations of the business it is today. The company’s future is being forged by third-generation family members. The world-renowned, expert cable manufacturer that started with that dream fifty years ago in a small village in Tuscany is in good hands.

TIMELINE