Tratos Cavi Spa continues to strengthen its presence in the industry as one of the major European manufacturers of Electrical, Electronic and Fibre Optic cables. The success of the company is testament to uncountable hours of hard work and incredible dedication. But no success story happens overnight.
So where does the Tratos story start? Who better to tell us than Dr Ennio Bragagni Capaccini, Vice President, who remembers the story of his late Grandfather, Egidio Capaccini, and how he came to be the founder of Tratos Cavi spa.
“It is said that every end marks a new beginning. For my Grandfather, Egidio Capaccini, that time came at the culmination of the Second World War. His home town in Southern Tuscany had been almost completely destroyed by the Germans and, with little or no work available, he packed his bags and travelled to Argentina to find employment. After taking work in a new company as a General Worker for a year, fate stepped in and Egidio was offered a job in a factory making cables. With his passion and natural aptitude for business, he swiftly rose up the ranks to become the General Manager, as well as a shareholder in the company.
“In 1961, Egidio returned to Italy to recuperate after suffering a heart attack. However, rest was not the only thing on his mind. Egidio had bigger dreams – dreams of setting up his own company. When he was back to full strength, he began working as a consultant, which gave him the chance to earn money and travel the world, meeting many different people and learning more about the cable industry. Five years later, with enough funds and a great deal more experience under his belt, he returned to Italy and finally fulfilled his dream by establishing Tratos Cavi Spa. He found employees from the remnants of the textile industry that had once flourished in Southern Tuscany, whose experience proved useful when it came to covering the cables with textile, as was the practice at that time. The business expanded over the years and Tratos cables quickly gained a reputation for being exceptionally well-made and at the forefront of innovation.
“Egidio enjoyed running the business for over thirteen years until, sadly, his health began to decline and, in 1974, he passed away after suffering another heart attack. His daughter, Marta Capaccini and her husband, Albano Bragagni, took on the business and Tratos has continued to expand.”
The company is now an international cable manufacturer of repute, selling an extensive range of cables to 52 countries worldwide with manufacturing facilities in Italy and the UK. Tratos remains a family owned business to this day, with Albano Bragagni as President. Strong ties also remain with IMSA, the factory in Argentina where it all started. The dream and its very essence were pursued in earnest and blossomed under the excellent stewardship of my father Albano Bragagni, ensuring that the early but vital foundations laid by Egidio Capaccini have grown into a cable company with a world wide reputation second to none.
Ennio is proud to be a part of the Tratos story. He adds, “My Grandfather was a man of vision, dedication and commitment and these are qualities that have become synonymous with the name of Tratos. My Father and his pragamatic, hard working and headstrong qualities allied with the qualities of my Grandfather esnured a story of continued growth. Along with my sister Elisabetta, I am pleased and excited to carry on building Egidio Capaccini’s dream of making Tratos a world renowned, successful cable company, a dream which began over fifty years ago in a small village in Tuscany.”
