In honor of Franz Morat's 100th birthday

On April 27, 2011, the entrepreneur, who was renowned far beyond the region, would have celebrated his 100th birthday. The second son of Franz Morat Sr. and Theresia nee Klaiber, he was born in Eisenbach, Germany on April 27, 1911.
In 1930, Franz Morat began studies in mechanical engineering at the technical college in Karlsruhe. After just three semesters, he ended his studies at his father's request to open up new sales markets for the business, which was in trouble due to the worldwide economic crisis. For this purpose, he went to Paris in February 1932. As he was not yet eighteen years old, he had to present his father's signature to register in Neuilly. In this suburb of Paris, he founded the Framex company to sell his father's and brother Hugo's products. These included the patented delayed-action shutter release and the timer for automobile turn indicators. Just imagine: In the first months, he assembled these products on a board in a hotel room until he could finally rent a small shop. He rode back and forth on his motorcycle – an English Royal Enfield – between Paris and Eisenbach wearing a backpack to pick up new parts. Soon, he was successful enough to purchase a Buick and a sports plane for the regular flights to London, where he had founded another company the same year in the automotive accessory area. In 1937, he went on his first ocean voyage to the USA to conclude a licensing agreement with one of North America's most important auto accessory manufacturers. During this voyage, he met his future father-in-law.
On June 1, 1940, he married Wiesbaden native Anneliese Charlotte Wilhelm in Eisenbach. Two children were born to the couple, Franz Armin in November 1943 and Gisela Christiane in October 1945. Immediately after the end of the war and lasting into 1949, the Eisenbach plant was severely impacted by the dismantling of German industry. For this and other reasons, Morat went in search of economic activity in the American zone. In the process, the American occupying authorities offered him the operations of a manufacturer of circular knitting machines in Stuttgart-Vaihingen. In 1947, the Hellige Morat & Co. GmbH company was founded in Stuttgart-Vaihingen. His knowledge of the potential of the electronics field, which was still new, gave Morat the idea to transfer elements of this technology to the field of mechanical engineering. Without a doubt, this was a stroke of genius and the mark of a true pioneer. After 15 years of development work, the world's first fully electronically controlled circular knitting machine, the "Moratronic," was built, making its debut in 1963 at the 4th International Textile Machine Exhibition in Hanover. The worldwide breakthrough came at the 1967 textile exhibitions in Basel and Paris. The rapid growth made it necessary to set up a new plant in Bonlanden, Germany, which in 1971 already had 2500 employees and a sales volume of nearly 300 million DM. This expansion with large investments was possible only with the support of Swiss mechanical engineering company Sulzer. Sulzer took over the majority of the shares incrementally; as a result, the company was renamed Sulzer Morat GmbH in 1974. The headquarters in Eisenbach participated in these expansions. The original plant, management of which was given over to his cousin Josef Morat in 1948, was initially enlarged by adding a new building in 1963. Necessary plant expansions took place in 1972 and 1985. In the vacated old facility, Oskar Haberstroh and cousin Franz Morat founded the plastics injection molding company F. Morat & Co. GmbH on April 1, 1963. In 1968, a branch facility was opened in Kenzingen to manufacture feeder motors for the circular knitting machines.
After 15 years of development work, the world's first fully electronically controlled circular knitting machine, the "Moratronic," was built, making its debut in 1963 at the 4th International Textile Machine Exhibition in Hanover. The worldwide breakthrough came at the 1967 textile exhibitions in Basel and Paris. The rapid growth made it necessary to set up a new plant in Bonlanden, Germany, which in 1971 already had 2500 employees and a sales volume of nearly 300 million DM. This expansion with large investments was possible only with the support of Swiss mechanical engineering company Sulzer. Sulzer took over the majority of the shares incrementally; as a result, the company was renamed Sulzer Morat GmbH in 1974. The headquarters in Eisenbach participated in these expansions. The original plant, management of which was given over to his cousin Josef Morat in 1948, was initially enlarged by adding a new building in 1963. Necessary plant expansions took place in 1972 and 1985. In the vacated old facility, Oskar Haberstroh and cousin Franz Morat founded the plastics injection molding company F. Morat & Co. GmbH on April 1, 1963. In 1968, a branch facility was opened in Kenzingen to manufacture feeder motors for the circular knitting machines. Franz Morat's tireless and successful career as an entrepreneur was not without consequences for his health. Starting in the mid-1970s, these prompted him to take a less active role in business operations. In 1975, he was designated an honorary citizen of Eisenbach, and he was a generous supporter of local organizations. In 1977, he handed over his shares in the business to his children, Gisela Brake-Morat and Franz Armin Morat. He remained part of the company as Chairman of the Advisory Board.
The ascent of the German economy from the ruins of World War II was not just an economic miracle. It was the result of the hard work of entrepreneurs with a good instinct and the courage to take on the possibilities. After a successful lifetime of hard work, Franz Morat passed away at his residence in Geneva on October 9, 1986. On the occasion of his 100th birthday, the Eisenbach-based companies Framo Morat GmbH & Co. KG and F. Morat & Co. GmbH today remember the most important entrepreneurial personality in their history.