Meopta

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The group Meopta is a Czech -American manufacturer of optical products such as binoculars and rifle scopes . Meopta includes Meopta-optika sro based in Přerov and Meopta USA Inc. in Hauppauge . 2500 employees work in the main Czech plant, producing 50–60,000 prisms and 80–100,000 lenses per month. 70% of the production consists of industrial optics for, for example, cinema projectors or surveying technology, 20% are made up of civil riflescopes and 10% military optics.

  • Meopta Flexaret, ca.1963

  • Meopta Milona

  • View-Master blank from Meopta

  • Axomat 3 enlarger

history

The company founded in 1933 as Optikotechna by Alois Beneš and Dr. Mazurek founded company also manufactured still cameras (Meopta Flexaret), cine projectors and stereo cameras . Mazurek designed the first enlarging lens ( telephoto lens ) manufactured in Czechoslovakia . During the German occupation from 1939 to 1945, Optikotechna manufactured direction finders, rangefinders , periscopes , binoculars and telescopic sights for the German military.

In 1946 the company was nationalized and renamed Meopta . By the 1970s, the company had developed into one of the most important manufacturers of enlargers and cinema projectors (e.g. Meo 5X).

The production of the photo enlargers (Axomat, Opemus, Magnifax) continues. The photo enlargers are an inexpensive alternative to enlargers from other manufacturers such as Kaiser and Dunco.

In 1971, large parts of the production were converted in favor of military optics for the Warsaw Pact states . This share was three quarters of total sales. From 1988 the production of telescopic sights was resumed and the military share of the production volume fell significantly. In 1990 the state-owned company began to be divided into several subsidiary joint-stock companies , and military production was completely discontinued. In 1992 the company was privatized and sold to Paul Rausnitz .

Meopta USA Inc. 2006 emerged from Tyrolit Company, Inc., founded in 1960, later TCI New York.

Web links

Commons : Meopta  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 80 years of Meopta. Glass and Gloria
  2. ↑ Company history (English)