100 years FRIZLEN

Start-up in the Great War - control resistors for early electrotechnology

In 1914 electrical engineer Carl Frizlen founded the Elektron GmbH in Ludwigsburg, Southwestern Germany - a company today operating as FRIZLEN GmbH u. Co KG. In 1922 the young company started manufacturing regulators and electrical starters - a business unit which can be seen as direct antecessor of the current product portfolio of FRIZLEN. In order to raise the necessary capital, it was converted into a share company, Sueddeutsche Elektron AG.

Starters for German ships and ripe bananas

In 1950 the founder's son, Karl Frizlen, recognised the importance of shipbuilding as a market are for DC current electrical starters and successfully built up this product branch. 1960 the company's founder retired and Karl Frizlen took over the management. The 1970ies had been affected by the relocation from narrow production site in Ludwigsburg to the current location in nearby Murr moving into new bigger buildings. At the end of the decade the production of steel-grid resistors started - an inexpensive product for high dissipation.

Braking resistors for speed-controlled electric drives

Ernst Gehrung joined the management team in 1980, representing the third generation of the family. He boosted the sale of power resistors for speed adjustment and braking of DC and AC motors and achieved a strong growth of the company. The most recent development was focussed on a significant extension and modernisation of production capacities. In 2011 Julia Horn joined the management team representing the fourth generation of the family. Today FRIZLEN is a specialist in power resistors in various designs for different fields of application, reacting promptly on the customers' needs. The strengths that gave FRIZLEN a very good market position are highly qualitative technical advice, high development expertise and a very flexible production.

Optimistic outlook into the future

As most traditional and single significant independent manufacturer we are well set for the future. Current trends represent further opportunities: many future technologies such as renewable and decentral power generation and electromobility imply new fields of application for power resistors. The management is confident being able to achieve stable growth also in the years to come.

Events around the anniversary

As kickoff a press conference took place on May 8th in which representatives of professional journals and of local press participated. The guests got the opportunity to satisfy themselves of the modern production and the company's capability.
In July the anniversary is celebrated with all employees. At the end of the anniversary year customers will be invited to a booth party on the trade fair sps/ipc/drives in Nuremberg in November.