Rohde & Schwarz

When Dr. Lothar Rohde and Dr. Hermann Schwarz developed their first measurement solution, there were hardly any other suppliers of professional test and measurement equipment. In 1933, they established the Physikalisch-Technisches Entwicklungslabor Dr. L. Rohde und Dr. H. Schwarz (today known as Rohde & Schwarz). In the 1940s, the company added the field of broadcasting to its existing test and measurement business. In the mid-1950s, radio-monitoring and radio-location as well as radio-communications followed. Among its achievements, the company counts the world’s first vector network analyzer (VNA), Europe’s first VHF FM transmitter, the first GSM system simulator, and the first professional encryption device for mobile phones.

As an independent, family-owned company, Rohde & Schwarz generates its growth from its own resources. Currently, the company employs 8700 people worldwide. Almost 5500 of them work in Germany—including about 2300 at the Munich headquarters. In the 2011/2012 fiscal year (July to June), the company generated a net revenue of € 1.81 billion. Around 16% of its annual net revenue is invested in R&D.

Year formed: 1933