Under the motto "75 Years of Driving Innovation," Rohde & Schwarz celebrated its anniversary in the company's technology center, opened in 2005. More than 200 guests from around the world attended. The prime minister of the state of Bavaria, Horst Seehofer, delivered a greeting; American physicist and futurologist Michio Kaku provided a glance into the high-tech world of the year 2025; and representatives of the founders' families and of the executive board were also in attendance.
Michael Vohrer, president and CEO, pointed out during his speech how important innovations are for Rohde & Schwarz as a high-tech company: "They are our foundation, our future." He made it clear that anyone who wants to survive in today's market must remain constantly in search of new ideas and concepts. "This requires first and foremost highly qualified and motivated employees — particularly in times like these," Vohrer said. He said that the international thrust of the group of companies is a further basic requirement for spotting future trends and promptly offering innovative products to drive them forward.
Dr. Hermann Schwarz and Dr. Lothar Rohde founded the company in 1933, initially under the name "Physikalisch-Technisches Entwicklungslabor Dr. L. Rohde und Dr. H. Schwarz." Today, the electronics group has 7500 employees worldwide. The sons of the two founders, Friedrich Schwarz and Ulrich L. Rohde, looked back over 75 years of company history during the festivities.
Friedrich Schwarz took stock of his 35 years at Rohde & Schwarz — first as a member of the executive board then as president and CEO from 1995 to 2005. He pointed out how vital it is for the company, especially in times of crisis, to continuously reinvent and further develop itself both internally and externally. He painted an optimistic picture of the company's future: "We address two basic human needs — communications and mobility. This will still be true in 25 years."
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