Rodenstock (company)
| Rodenstock GmbH
|
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|---|---|
_Logo.svg){kind=logo} |
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| legal form | GmbH |
| founding | 1877 |
| Seat |
Munich , Germany
|
| management |
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| Number of employees | approx. 4900 employees (as of January 2018) |
| sales | EUR 416 million (2017) |
| Branch | Optics |
| Website | www.rodenstock.com |
| As of February 7, 2018 | |
The Rodenstock GmbH , based in Munich is a German manufacturer of lenses and frames. The company was founded in 1877 by Josef Rodenstock from Thuringia and is represented in 13 countries with around 4900 employees and 14 production sites.
history
Founding years (1877–1920)
The company was founded in Würzburg in 1877 by Josef Rodenstock under the name of Optisches Institut G. Rodenstock . In the precision engineering workshop located there, barometers , spectacle lenses and frames, scales and various measuring instruments were initially produced. In 1880, Rodenstock developed his first patented product with the diaphragm eyeglass lenses and two years later exported to Austria , Switzerland , the Netherlands , Denmark , Italy and Russia . From 1883 the company headquarters were relocated to Munich and in 1898 a grinding shop was established in Regen in the Bavarian Forest . In 1899, Rodenstock manufactured the first corrective sun protection glasses with UV protection. As early as 1886, the Rodenstock company property on Isartalstrasse in today's Dreimühlenviertel was acquired, until 1905 when Josef's son Alexander Rodenstock moved the entire production to Munich.
Entry into lens and armaments production (1920–1953)
From the 1920s, Rodenstock produced large series lenses for numerous camera manufacturers. Our own camera production was discontinued due to pressure from the buyers of these lenses. 1930–1939 Rodenstock set up representatives and offices in all important markets worldwide.
During the Second World War , Rodenstock manufactured armaments, including armored telescopes and viewing prisms for tanks . However, eyewear production was retained because it was also considered "essential to the war effort". In the post-war period, the focus was again more on the business areas of spectacle frames and lenses, which were seen as core competencies .
Large German company in family hands (1953–2000)
In 1953, Alexander Rodenstock's son Rolf Rodenstock took over management of the company. The rise to a world-famous large company in the optical industry began. Since around 1954, the group has been investing in public advertising alongside advertisements in specialist magazines for opticians and ophthalmologists. In 1955 five million frames were produced. In addition to glasses, other optics were also manufactured, for example projection lenses for slide projectors (Splendars) . In 1968, the first self-tinting lenses were introduced in Europe and from 1975 Rodenstock produced the world's first lenses made of plastic.
Meanwhile, between 1972 and 1983, the network of foreign sales companies was further expanded. Rolf Rodenstock co-founded the optical-precision engineering company Industria Optica Rodenstock - Chile SA in Chile as early as 1950/51, not in the name of the company, but as a private individual , which was only gradually taken over by Optische Werke G. Rodenstock KG and which is still the market leader today when it comes to glasses in Chile. In 1983 Randolf Rodenstock joined the group of shareholders of Optische Werke G. Rodenstock as a personally liable partner ( general partner ) and managed the company together with his father Rolf Rodenstock.
In 1989 Rodenstock relocated a large part of the Munich production to the newly established series production site in Thailand and the Ebersberg production site in Malta . Sales, around 700 million marks in 1988, had fallen by around 10 percent in 1989. In 1991 the logo and trademark R was introduced.
1995–1996 the company built a new factory for recipe glasses in Klattau ( Czech Republic ). In 2000, the precision optics division (manufacture of lenses for analog view cameras, known among others under the brand names Sironar, Apo-Ronar, Grandagon ), enlargers (e.g. the Rodagon ) and digital view cameras with high-resolution digital backs (e.g. the one introduced in 1997 Apo-Sironar digital ) was sold to Linos AG , Göttingen .
Rodenstock GmbH (2000-2012)
The remaining glasses division was transferred in 2002 from Optische Werken G. Rodenstock to the newly founded company Rodenstock GmbH . In 2003 there was a serious corporate crisis due to business difficulties in the USA. In the same year, the Permira investor group took a 49% stake in Rodenstock. In 2004 Permira increased its stake in Rodenstock to 85%, the Rodenstock family continued to hold 10%. The remaining 5% was held by management. A comprehensive restructuring was initiated with Permira .
In 2006 Permira sold its 85% stake in Rodenstock to the investment company Bridgepoint; The Rodenstock family also sold the remaining 10% of their shares in Bridgepoint in 2007. Bridgepoint therefore holds 95% of Rodenstock. The remaining 5% stayed with the management. In the same year, new marketing areas were opened up for opticians with the ImpressionIST service terminal. Rodenstock has been running portfolios for near comfort lenses since 2009. In June 2010, the Federal Cartel Office took legal action against the Central Association of Opticians (ZVA) and against several lens manufacturers - u. a. against Rodenstock - fines totaling 115 million euros for cartel agreements.
Rodenstock - after 2012
In 2012, with the Eye Lens Technology, a spectacle lens was introduced onto the market in which the setting astigmatism and Listing's rule for proximity are taken into account and the physiologically correct near-fractions are calculated so that the eyesight of the spectacle wearer can be fully utilized.
After 126 years on the Isar, Rodenstock moved to Elsenheimerstrasse in the west of Munich in early May 2012.
In 2018 Rodenstock brought the DNEye Pro technology onto the market.
Current product range
The company is currently involved in the development, manufacture and sale of spectacle lenses, spectacle frames as well as sunglasses, sports, reading, screen and driver glasses.
Marketing takes place via the Rodenstock own brand as well as via the license brand Porsche Design .
The range includes single vision lenses , progressive lenses , near comfort lenses as well as tinted lenses and self-tinting lenses. The company also makes special designs , including for antique lorgnets , monocles , hold-ups, pince-nez or diving masks .
Production facilities
- Glazing service: Denmark , Italy , Norway , Sweden , Switzerland , Australia , United Kingdom
- Regional glass manufacturing locations: Brazil , Chile , Uruguay
- Central glass production sites: Regen , Klattau , Bangkok
- Series production: Bangkok
- Subsidiary: optoVision in Langen (Hessen)
Rodenstock has production facilities at 14 locations in 13 countries. The company employs around 4,900 people worldwide.
Awards and design prizes
Since 1994, 60 glasses models have received design awards : Rodenstock and Porsche Design glasses have won an iF Product Design Award 23 times . Spectacle frames have received the RedDot Award 12 times .
In 2012 the ImpressionIST 3 video centering system received the iF Product Design Award from Industrie Forum Design Hannover. In the glass sector, Rodenstock received three Silmo d'Or awards in 2012 .
The “Rodenstock Perfection R8005” glasses frame won the “Special Mention” award for exceptional design quality in the Lifestyle category of the German Design Award 2014.
Trivia
At the time of the Wilhelmine Empire , Josef Rodenstock was court optician for the German emperor. During the First World War, Rodenstock produced, among other things, gas mask goggles under the name "Robra" for the German army. In addition to product information, advertising was also used to cultivate the brand's image from the 1950s onwards. Rodenstock was the first to employ internationally known stars in the industry, such as Brigitte Bardot , Carl Möhner , Curd Jürgens , Gina Lollobrigida , Hildegard Knef , Senta Berger , Toni Sailer or Roy Black , as advertising media.
In the 1990s , a guarantee was first introduced on eyeglass lenses.
literature
- Dirk Reder, Severin Roeseling: Eyes. The history of the optical works G. Rodenstock. Piper, Munich et al. 2003, ISBN 3-492-04482-4 .
- Martin Schäfer: Josef Rodenstock (= Ullstein 35942). Ullstein Buchverlage, Berlin 1999, ISBN 3-548-35942-6 .
- German Design Council (ed.): Design culture. 1953-1993. Philosophy, strategy, process. German Design Council, Frankfurt am Main 1993.
- Rodenstock (ed.): How We See the World. The story of better vision. teNeues, Kempen 2016, ISBN 978-3-8327-6913-0 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ https://www.rodenstock.de/de14/de/unternehmen/uber-rodenstock/organisation.html&checkbox0=true&checkbox1=true&checkbox2=true&checkbox3=true
- ↑ People + Perspectives | Beatrice Rodenstock , IHK table talk 09/2010, accessed on November 7, 2015
- ↑ Glasses: cloudy optics . In: Der Spiegel . No. 46 , 1989 ( online ).
- ↑ Franziska Brüning: The name of glasses - The family company Rodenstock has stood for high-quality glasses since the 19th century. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung , June 12, 2012.
- ↑ http://www.manager-magazin.de/unternehmen/artikel/0,2828,431595,00.html
- ↑ http://www.manager-magazin.de/unternehmen/artikel/0,2828,431595,00.html
- ↑ http://www.manager-magazin.de/unternehmen/artikel/0,2828,459502,00.html
- ↑ http://www.handelsblatt.com/unternehmen/industrie/permira-verkauf-rodenstock-wieder;1191743
- ↑ " Rodenstock: Sometimes you go so completely " - Manager Magazin from Jan. 12, 2007
- ↑ Bundeskartellamt - homepage - 115 million euros fine against eyeglass lens manufacturers. Retrieved March 11, 2019 .
- ↑ http://visionplusmag.fourplusmedia.com/?p=1446
- ↑ http://www.tz-online.de/aktuelles/muenchen/rodenstock- sucht-nach-laim- 910336.html
- ↑ The breakthrough in ophthalmic optics. | Sattler and Sattler GmbH. Retrieved on February 7, 2019 (German).
- ↑ Rodenstock home page. Retrieved February 7, 2019 .
- ↑ Company website, accessed on December 20, 2016
- ↑ About Rodenstock . Rodenstock GmbH website, accessed on February 7, 2019.
- ↑ http://exhibition.ifdesign.de/entrydetails_de.html?beitrag_id=84533
- ↑ http://www.euro-focus.de/index.php/netnews/comments/rodenstock-bestoten-fuer-servicequalitaet .
- ↑ Rodenstock: German Design Award 2014 | EURO FOCUS Netnews. Retrieved February 25, 2019 .
- ↑ Berlin and the Berliners. People - things - customs - beckons . outlook Verlag, Bremen 2011, ISBN 978-3-86403-088-8 , p. 501 ( limited preview in Google Book search).