History

1919

In 1919 after the World War I and following the disintegration of the Austrian-Hungarian monarchy the Kabelwerke GmbH (SKW) residing in Schwechat near Vienna established a branch in Prague - Vysocany, which helped it to preserve a significant position in the market of the period.

1921

In 1921 the firm of Dr. Emil Kolben took over the company and started with a construction of a new cable factory in Prague - Hostivar. The new factory was registered as Prazska kabelovna, s.r.o., under the trademark "PRAKAB".

1922

In 1922 the first cables were produced in the factory. Shortly after this, the production of rubber mixtures began and a lead press was installed.

1923
In 1923 PRAKAB was the first factory in Czechoslovakia which started to produce varnished wires. As large volumes of copper were necessary for enamelled wire production, a company wire drawing plant with a gas heated annealing unit was built in 1923.

1930

The company infrastructure was improved through a construction of a works siding, which enabled the connection of the factory with the railway station Prague-Hostivar.

1932

The increased requirement of copper wires compeled the construction of a drawing mill. The production programme was extended and included wires with rubber or textile insulation, indoor telephone cables, cables with lead sleeving, lift (elevator) cables, and high-frequency cables, dynamo wires, and varnished wires with diameter ranging from 0.05 mm to 3 mm.

1943

In 1943 PRAKAB merged with another stock company, Prague Copper Works and Electrotechnical Works Krizik S.C. The interest of the new owner was concentrated in establishing of production of telephone cables and paper insulated high voltage power cables 10 kV. For this purpose a new production hall of 4000 m² was built.

1946
In 1946 the company was nationalized and at first became a part of the national enterprise Electrotechnical Factory Krizik, and later was incorporated  together with other cable factories into the national enterprise Kablo Bratislava.

1948
Organizational changes connected with the policy of specialization influenced the production programme of PRAKAB. In 1948 the production of outdoor cables, medium- voltage cables and rubber-insulated ( incl. textile - insulated) conductors was stopped. The copper cables with PVC insulation with the rated voltage 1kV, indoor telephone cables, control cables and aircraft wires became  parts of the sortiment of PRAKAB.

1950
The company became independent again, however this time under the name Kablo Hostivar. From 1958 the company was integrated in the national enterprise Kablo Kladno.

1968

The limits of the production area gradually began to restrict the growth of the enterprise. This was the reason why in 1968 a new construction on the company's site started. Within ten years, six production halls were built with total area of more than 8000 m². Ten new spacious 10m-high halls allowed production by individual product groups using independent production lines. The first stage ensured production of 1 kV power cables with PVC insulated aluminium wires and cross section of up to 240 mm. The installation of a second stranding line enabled production of armoured cables, including cables with a concentric neutral wire.

Production of indoor telephone cables was organized in the same way. Two insulating lines with in-line drawing machines supplied a fully automated store from which the insulated wires were unwound and stranded on a S-Z stranding line. Because of high demand for multiwire signal cables a fundamental modernisation of the enterprise was carried out. A fully automated store with two insulating lines was constructed, which is why it is now possible to produce at the same time up to 48 insulated wires on the stranding and sheathing lines of cables at the same time. In addition to that two supplementary varnishing ovens were installed. They produced the compressible varnished wires for TV deflecting coils.

1984
In 1984 the construction of a new railway siding along with a loading ramp served by overhead travelling crane took place on the southern site of the company premisis and the following year was also completed a building transverse to the production hall.

1991

Because of a lack of high quality copper wires, the headquarters of ZSE - Works of Heavy-Current Engineering Prague - decided to construct an upward casting system; UPCAST. This system with a capacity of 9000 tons per year was launched in March 1992.

Major political and economical changes in Czechoslovakia after the year 1989 had influenced the running of the enterprises associated in the ZSE combine. PRAKAB became a stock company on November 11th, 1991, with a view to finding a suitable strategic foreign partner. A number of discussions regarding the entrance of the majority share of PRAKAB were held with potential investors at that time.

1992
A decision to sell 51 % of stock to the Austrian cable producer Schwechater Kabelwerke (SKW) was reached following long  negotiations. The transfer of the majority share was realized on the bases of a contract concluded on September 26th 1992.

Due to this transformation the original relationship between the two firms, interrupted after the Second World War, had been renewed. A year later the name of the firm was changed into today's valid title "PRAKAB Prazska Kabelovna, a.s." After buying further stocks and injecting further capital into the company, SKW increased their share to 98 %.

1995

Certifcation of the system of quality RWTÜV ISO 9001 : 2000 / EN ISO 9001 : 2000.
Production of telephone cables was renewed as part of a large investment program in the value of 150 billions CZK. Construction of a new expedition and further production halls on the area of 6 000m².

1996

Building of a new modern central store on the premises of the company PRAKAB, a.s. was finalized.

1997

The persisting crisis of the West European cable industry led to changes within the SKW Group. The production originaly situated in Austria was moved from Schwechat to PRAKAB - while at the same time the production capacity of energy cables was doubled.

2001

The production possibilities of signalling cables were enlarged through extension of the production halls.

2002

Enlargement of the capacities for production of FRNC cables in PRAKAB.

2003

Succesfull certification of the system of quality according to the new
EN ISO 9001 : 2000 and of the system of environment protection according to ISO 14004 / EN ISO 14001.

2004

Following the huge progress made by the company, PRAKAB PRAŽSKÁ KABELOVNA, a.s. had become a modern industrial company with a production area of more than 31 000m² and 380 employees. It ranks among the most important companies in the field of cable production.

2005

The segment of flexible industrial cables was defined as a new development focus based on an in-depth strategic analysis. In order to be able to extend the production capacities required, a new company, ICS Industrial Cables Slovakia, s.r.o., was founded in the western Slovak town of Nitra comprising a total of 40,000 m² production and sales premises.

2007

Brand new 4.500-m² -production halls were built in order to accommodate machinery for production of power cables up to 35 mm² and over-head cables.
The production halls were finished in the first half of 2007 and machinery installed subsequently.

2008

New production equipment in the new factory buildings have been put into operation. The company’s production capacities have been increased by up to 20%.
Extended and better quality product assortment of fireproof and halogen-free cables. Special cables for higher building safety, such as PRAFlaDur, PRAFlaGuard, PRAFlaSafe and PRAFlaCom, are being certified (CPD and Ordinance No. 23/2008 Coll.).
Extending and accreditation of the laboratory for measuring and evaluation of behavior of cables under fire conditions (spread of fire, functionality under fire conditions, reaction to fire, etc.).