In 1921, Theodor Gräbener, together with eight other shareholders, founded the company Gräbener & Comp. located in Netphen-Werthenbach, a company for heavy iron and steel plate constructions. In the middle of the 20ies, the company already had 150 employees. The basis for the success: a wide product range, for instance pipes of all types for blast furnaces and steel works.
The production program was extended continuously: Civil engineering and bridge construction, high-pressure steam boilers and vessels were added to the production program. Henceforth, the machine building was added to the product range: among other machines with hoisting machines for pipe mills, roller conveyors and barrel extruders.
During World War II, Gräbener & Comp. mainly manufactured railway transport vessels. Over the years, more than 16,000 vessels were built. The post-war period above all was characterized by vast efforts of reconstruction so that the first heavy goods trucks loaded with vessels left the workshop in 1948 already.
In the beginning of the 50ies, steel and vessel constructions as well as assembly works were the main business. However, the machine building already achieved considerable turnover. Until then, it was exclusively based on customers' drawings but this was to change soon. In 1955, the number of employees increased to about 310.
In 1955, company founder Theodor Gräbener passed away. His sons Theodor and Hermann established a machine building department according to their own technical designs. The independent machine program soon comprised heavy plate shears, eccentric presses, press-brakes and toggle lever presses.
Gräbener constructed single and double column presses of various designs. The company soon established a reputation as specialist for toggle lever presses and offers presses with automation and transfer units. In the middle of the 60ies, the export share of the machine building department was at 42 percent. The absolute bestseller was the minting press.
1974 is the start of a new area: Gräbener started manufacturing large pipes. At the same time, the machine engineering was continued successfully. In 1980, Dr. Theodor Gräbener, representing the third generation, joined the company. In the same year, the sales of apparatuses and vessels was stopped the first foreign sales company was founded: in the U.S.
Gräbener continued to optimize the production of large pipes consistently. In 1983, Dr. Theodor Gräbener acquired a share of 52 percent in the company Wilhelm Schäfer GmbH & Co. KG, a renowned manufacturer of 3-roll bending machines.
In 1985, the Theodor Gräbener KG was separated into the Theodor Gräbener Großrohr GmbH & Co. KG and Theodor Gräbener Pressensysteme GmbH & Co. KG. Gräbener toggle lever presses had achieved an equally strong market position as the marked leader Schuler. In 1988, this company branch was ultimately sold to Schuler.
In view of the disappearance of the Eastern borders and the starting globalization, Dr. Theodor Gräbener decided to drop out of the production of large pipes. In 1996, he sold all pipe mill equipment to Indonesia and purchased shares in the newly founded pipe manufacturing company PT DSAW on Batam island.
Shortly after that, Dr. Gräbener and Dieter Kapp, shareholder and partner since 1999, founded the Graebener® Group. New companies were established: Hydroline Schrupp and Graebener® Maschinentechnik. In addition to this, Graebener® became the principle shareholder of H. Kleinknecht. The essential cornerstones "hydraulics", "mechanics" and "electrics" within the network of the "virtual factory" Graebener® Group were set.
Graebener® Maschinentechnik were quickly established as renowned brand on international niche markets. In 2001, the company initiated a revolution in the shipbuilding industry by supplying the new TWP technology to the Meyer shipyard for the manufacturing of ship deck sections. At the beginning of 2004, REIKA joined the group, a manufacturer of machines and lines for the pipe and bar processing.
Graebener® braved the financial crisis and implements custom solutions for four core markets worldwide: Pipe production, shipbuilding, automotive industry and wind tower manufacturing. In 2006, the Graebener® the PowerBoxx®. A unique press for the production of metal bipolar plates for fuel cells and electrolyzers – the course for a new technology field was set.
The state NRW awarded Graebener® the "Promotion prize for innovative medium-sized companies". Shortly after that Graebener acquired the former Schuler-Hydroforming production site in Wilnsdorf. The Prototyping Center could be extended to four hydroforming presses, including a 10,000 ton press.
The encyclopedia of world market leaders listed Graebener® as frontrunner in several market niches – above all with special machines for the pipe, wind tower and ship deck production. In 2016, the shares in H. Kleinknecht were sold. At the same time, Fabian Kapp stepped up as the company successor. He paved the way for the foundation of the Graebener Inc. in the U.S. and expanded the fuel cell and electrolyzer business.