VEF

VEF, acronym for Valsts Elektrotehniskā Fabrika ("State Electrotechnical Plant"), is a manufacturer of electrical and electronic products in Latvia.

VEF (State Electro-technical Factory) was founded in June 10, 1919 as technical provider for post and telegraph. The company's first name was PTDGD; only in 1932 it was changed to VEF.

The building that was used for production had formerly belonged to the factory named UNION (1887).

Prior to World War II, VEF manufactured a wide range of products, including aircraft (for example the military fighter VEF Irbitis I-16) and Minox miniature cameras.

Between 1928 and 1933 VEF also produced a small, inexpensive car.

1936 - The most interesting creation was the design of inventor Walter Zapp, the sub-miniature camera MINOX (nicknamed as Spy camera).

During the Soviet period, VEF specialized in electronics and was a part of Latvia's electronic industry which supplied the former Soviet Union with telecommunications equipment and electronics for the military. The five largest state companies were VEF, Radiotehnika, Alfa, Komutators and Elar (which produced components for the other four). In its peak in 1991, VEF employed 20,000 people. Its best known products were telephones, telephone exchanges and radios.

The Latvian electronics industry had trouble competing with Western companies when the markets were opened in the early 1990s. Cited problems included poor service and product quality. Attempts to restructure these firms were not successful and their combined production fell more than 90% between 1993 and 1997. VEF was divided into six smaller companies, most of which no longer exist. Three remaining ones, VEF KTR, VEF Telekom and VEF Radiotehnika-RRR employ between 100 and 200 people each.

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