Traub AG

Traub AG was a German machine tool manufacturing company founded in 1938 by Hermann Traub in Esslingen am Neckar, specializing in precision CNC turning machines and automatic lathes. Hermann Traub developed the first single-spindle automatic lathe based on the circular guide principle, presenting his revolutionary design at the Leipzig Fair in March 1938 before establishing the company on September 15, 1938, with just five employees. The company grew rapidly to become one of Europe's major machine tool manufacturers, publicly listed from 1986 to 1997 as Traub AG. During the early 1990s, Traub was recognized as one of the largest European machine tool manufacturers, known for innovative turning and milling solutions. The company pursued ambitious expansion during the 1990s, entering the milling machine business through a cooperation agreement with Berthold Hermle AG in 1993 and acquiring 50.1% of Hermle's shares in October 1994. Additionally, Traub AG acquired Heckert Chemnitzer Werkzeugmaschinen GmbH from the Treuhand agency in 1993 for 7 million DM, receiving a substantial restructuring subsidy of 117 million DM. However, a sharp decline in orders beginning in 1996 brought Traub AG into severe economic difficulties, leading to judicial composition proceedings in October 1996 and eventual bankruptcy proceedings that opened on February 11, 1997. The bankruptcy negotiations focused on two major German mechanical engineering companies: Gildemeister AG and Index-Werke GmbH. Ultimately, Index-Werke GmbH acquired Traub AG's assets in 1997, continuing the Traub brand as a subsidiary. Today, operating under the INDEX TRAUB banner within the INDEX Group, the company remains a leading manufacturer of CNC turning machines, automatic lathes, turn-mill centers, turn-grind centers, vertical turning machines, and CNC multi-spindle turning machines, maintaining facilities in both Esslingen and Reichenbach an der Fils, Germany.