Traktionssysteme Austria
An Austrian manufacturer of electric traction motors, drives, gearboxes, and generators for rail and commercial road vehicles.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Traktionssysteme Austria GmbH, commonly known as TSA, is an Austrian industrial manufacturer focused on electric propulsion equipment. Its principal products are traction motors, traction drives, gearboxes, and generators used in rail vehicles and electrically powered commercial road vehicles. The company is headquartered in Wiener Neudorf, south of Vienna, at an industrial site whose origins extend back to the Austrian operations of Brown, Boveri & Cie. and later ABB. TSA was established in 2000 after Trasys Beteiligungs- und Management GmbH acquired ABB's Austrian site through a management buyout. Franz Hrachowitz, Günter Eichhübl, and Robert Tencl were involved in the formation of Trasys, and the acquired business was subsequently renamed Traktionssysteme Austria. The business inherited substantial engineering and manufacturing capabilities in electric motors, generators, railway machines, transformers, and switchgear, while concentrating its later development on traction technology. The company supplies propulsion components for trams, metro and subway trains, rapid-transit vehicles, locomotives, and multiple units. Its rail portfolio includes traction motors, integrated or associated traction drives, and traction gearboxes. TSA also develops equipment for electric buses and other road vehicles, including asynchronous motors and gearboxes. For road-transport applications, it has developed permanent-magnet synchronous generators and related electric-machine technologies. TSA's technical development has included the DACS, or Double Air Cooling System, a cooling concept using separate inner and outer air circuits to improve heat management in traction motors. The company also introduced the TSA-Dur insulation system in 2010 and has worked on materials, insulation, cooling, and high-speed machine design. In addition to established rail and road applications, TSA has participated in research related to linear motors and magnetic-levitation propulsion for proposed Hyperloop systems. The company expanded internationally through subsidiaries and joint ventures. It established a manufacturing operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2010, formed a joint venture in India that began operations in Hyderabad in 2013, created a United States operation to support light-rail projects, and established a China-based procurement and commercial organization in Shanghai in 2019. TSA technologies have been used in projects across a large number of countries, with the company reporting an international footprint spanning nearly 70 markets. In 2020, Voith and Swiss investment company PCS Holding acquired majority stakes in TSA. The ownership structure described in company reference material allocates 48 percent to PCS Holding, 37 percent to Voith, and 15 percent to managing director Robert Tencl. TSA also invested approximately €1 million in 2020 to optimize rotor production, with the stated result of reducing lead times by more than half. Subsequent orders and projects included motors for the Berlin subway and Swiss Federal Railways, traction generators for Plasser & Theurer, and electric motors for Sydney's light-rail system. For fiscal 2023, the TSA Group reported revenue of nearly €120 million and approximately 690 employees within the group worldwide; total employment including the Indian joint venture was described as around 1,000 people. In 2024, TSA expanded its Wiener Neudorf headquarters with a logistics and assembly hall as part of a broader planned development referred to as TSA City. The company remains an independent, privately held specialist in electric traction systems rather than a mass-market vehicle brand.
History
The industrial history behind Traktionssysteme Austria reaches back to Österreichische Brown, Boveri Werke, the Austrian electronics business associated with Swiss Brown, Boveri & Cie. The company operated sites in Vienna and Steyr. After the Second World War, Brown Boveri reorganized its Austrian activities and developed an industrial location in Wiener Neudorf during the 1950s. A new factory followed in the 1960s, producing motors, generators, railway machines, transformers, and switchgear. The Wiener Neudorf operation remained within the Brown Boveri corporate structure as its manufacturing and engineering activities evolved. In 1988, the merger of Sweden's Asea with Switzerland's Brown Boveri created Asea Brown Boveri, better known as ABB. The Austrian site consequently became part of ABB's industrial network. During the late 1990s, Franz Hrachowitz, Günter Eichhübl, and Robert Tencl established Trasys Beteiligungs- und Management GmbH with the objective of acquiring the Austrian ABB operation. In June 2000, ABB sold the site to Trasys in a management buyout. The acquired business was renamed Traktionssysteme Austria GmbH, with Eichhübl and Tencl serving as managing directors at the time of formation. TSA's identity thereafter became closely associated with electric traction rather than with the broader range of electrical products manufactured at the site in earlier decades. TSA subsequently developed traction motors and drives for trams, underground and metro systems, rapid-transit vehicles, locomotives, and multiple units. Its product development included DACS motors using a Double Air Cooling System and convection-cooled traction motors. The company also created the TSA-Dur insulation system, introduced in 2010, and continued research into high-speed electric machines, thermal management, and insulation materials. International expansion followed. TSA established a manufacturing site in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2010; the operation was later known as Traktionssysteme Bosnia. In 2009, the company created Medha Traction Equipment in India as a joint venture, with operations beginning in Hyderabad in 2013. TSA also founded Traction Systems Inc. in Somerville, New Jersey, in 2012 to support light-rail programs in the United States, including projects associated with Phoenix, Seattle, and Silicon Valley. In 2019, Traction Systems China was established in Shanghai to manage procurement and related activities in China. In 2020, Voith and PCS Holding acquired majority stakes in TSA. That year the company invested approximately €1 million in production improvements focused on rotor manufacturing. TSA reported that the investment reduced production lead times by more than 50 percent. The company continued to serve international rail and commercial-vehicle programs, including orders between 2021 and 2024 for Berlin subway motors, Swiss Federal Railways motors, and traction generators for Plasser & Theurer. TSA also supplied electric motors for Sydney's light-rail system. Beyond conventional rail propulsion, TSA has pursued electromobility research involving linear motors and magnetic-levitation technology for proposed Hyperloop applications. Its road-vehicle activities include traction gearboxes and asynchronous motors for electric buses, along with permanent-magnet synchronous generators for road transport. The company reported nearly €120 million in fiscal-2023 revenue and approximately 690 employees in the TSA Group worldwide. Including personnel in the Indian joint venture, total employment was described as roughly 1,000 people. In 2024, TSA expanded its Wiener Neudorf headquarters with a logistics and assembly hall. The project formed part of the proposed TSA City development, intended to further develop the company's main industrial and engineering location.
- 2024
Headquarters logistics and assembly hall completed
[1]TSA expanded its Wiener Neudorf headquarters as part of the TSA City development.
- 2020
Voith and PCS Holding acquire majority stakes
[1]Voith and PCS Holding became majority owners of TSA.
- 2019
Shanghai organization established
[1]Traction Systems China was founded in Shanghai to manage procurement from China.
- 2013
Hyderabad operations begin
[1]The Medha Traction Equipment joint venture began operations in India.
- 2012
United States subsidiary founded
[1]Traction Systems Inc. was founded in Somerville, New Jersey, to support light-rail projects.
- 2010
Bosnian manufacturing operation established
[1]TSA established a site in Bosnia and Herzegovina, later renamed Traktionssysteme Bosnia.
- 2010
TSA-Dur insulation system introduced
[1]The company introduced its TSA-Dur insulation system for electric-machine applications.
- 2009
Indian joint venture formed
[1]TSA formed Medha Traction Equipment with operations later launched in Hyderabad.
- 2000
TSA established through management buyout
[1]Trasys acquired ABB's Austrian site and renamed the business Traktionssysteme Austria GmbH.
- 1988
Site becomes part of ABB
[1]The Asea and Brown Boveri merger formed ABB, bringing the Austrian operation into the new group.
Products and positioning
A specialist engineering and manufacturing partner for electric propulsion systems, emphasizing customized traction equipment, thermal management, reliability, and applications across rail transit and commercial electromobility.
Rail propulsion
Rail traction motors
TSA develops and manufactures electric traction motors for trams, metro and subway trains, rapid-transit vehicles, locomotives, and multiple units. Designs include DACS and convection-cooled configurations intended to manage heat under demanding duty cycles. The motors are supplied as components or as parts of broader traction-drive systems for rail operators and vehicle manufacturers.
Electric drivetrain
Traction drives and gearboxes
The company's drivetrain portfolio includes traction drives and gearboxes for rail vehicles and electrically powered commercial vehicles. These systems transmit motor output to the vehicle's wheelsets or axles and are engineered for application-specific space, speed, load, and reliability requirements. TSA also supplies traction gearboxes associated with electric-bus propulsion systems.
Electric machines
Generators
TSA produces generators for transport and industrial applications, including permanent-magnet synchronous generators for road transport and traction generators for equipment such as railway construction machinery. The company has received orders for traction generators associated with Plasser & Theurer equipment.
Commercial-vehicle electromobility
Electric bus motors
For electric buses and other commercial road vehicles, TSA develops asynchronous motors and associated traction gearboxes. These products extend the company's electric-machine expertise beyond rail and address the packaging, durability, and operating demands of road-based public transport.
Motor thermal-management technology
DACS cooling concept
DACS, or Double Air Cooling System, uses separate inner and outer air-cooling circuits in a traction motor. The arrangement is designed to improve heat exchange and support high-performance operation. It represents one of TSA's identifiable engineering approaches to thermal management in electric traction machines.
Electrical insulation technology · 2010
TSA-Dur insulation system
Introduced in 2010, TSA-Dur is an insulation system developed for the company's electric machines. It forms part of TSA's focus on improving the durability and operating performance of traction motors and related rotating electrical equipment.
Brand decisions
2024
Expand the Wiener Neudorf headquartersStrategyBackground
TSA sought to expand its main engineering, logistics, and manufacturing base in Wiener Neudorf.
Action taken
The company added a logistics and assembly hall as part of the planned TSA City development.
Aftermath
The expansion increased the capacity and infrastructure of the Austrian headquarters.
2020
Sell majority ownership to Voith and PCS HoldingM&ABackground
TSA pursued a new ownership structure after operating as an independent Austrian traction-system manufacturer.
Action taken
Voith and PCS Holding acquired majority stakes in the company, while Robert Tencl retained a minority holding.
Aftermath
The reported ownership structure became PCS Holding 48 percent, Voith 37 percent, and Robert Tencl 15 percent.
2020
Optimize rotor productionStrategyBackground
Production lead times for rotor manufacturing were identified as an area for operational improvement.
Action taken
TSA invested approximately €1 million in optimizing rotor production.
Aftermath
The company reported that lead times fell by more than 50 percent after the investment.
Production optimization investment. Approximately €1 million invested (2020)
2000
Acquire ABB's Austrian traction-equipment siteM&ABackground
Trasys Beteiligungs- und Management GmbH was created to acquire the Austrian industrial site operated by ABB and its predecessors.
Action taken
Trasys completed a management buyout from ABB in June 2000 and renamed the business Traktionssysteme Austria GmbH.
Aftermath
The transaction created TSA as an independent specialist focused on traction motors, drives, and generators.
Recent events
- 2024
TSA expands Wiener Neudorf headquarters[1]
Other
A new logistics and assembly hall was added to the Wiener Neudorf headquarters as part of the planned TSA City development.
- 2021
TSA receives orders connected with Berlin, Swiss, and road-equipment projects[1]
Other
Between 2021 and 2024, TSA received orders for motors for the Berlin subway and Swiss Federal Railways, as well as traction generators for Plasser & Theurer.
- 2020
Voith and PCS Holding acquire majority stake in TSA[1]
M&A
Voith and Swiss investment company PCS Holding acquired majority interests in Traktionssysteme Austria.
- 2020
TSA invests in rotor-production optimization[1]
Other
The company invested approximately €1 million in optimizing rotor production and reported a reduction in lead times of more than 50 percent.
Sources2 sources
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