Tesla (company)
Encyclopedia
Conglomerate (company)
A conglomerate is a combination of two or more corporations engaged in entirely different businesses that fall under one corporate structure , usually involving a parent company and several subsidiaries. Often, a conglomerate is a multi-industry company...
in the former Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
.
The company was established as Elektra on 18 January 1921 and renamed TESLA on 7 March 1946. TESLA had a state-sponsored monopoly
Monopoly
A monopoly exists when a specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular commodity...
on electronics
Electronics
Electronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...
production in communist Czechoslovakia, and produced nearly all electronic products in the country until 1989. Many subsidiaries were created, including those at Liptovský Hrádok
Liptovský Hrádok
Liptovský Hrádok is a town in northern Slovakia, in the region of Liptov.-History:First mentioned in 1341, Liptovský Hrádok was named after the nearby castle. The castle, also known as Liptovský Hrádok, was built originally for use of the forestry commission, hunters of the area and the...
, Hradec Králové
Hradec Králové
Hradec Králové is a city of the Czech Republic, in the Hradec Králové Region of Bohemia. The city's economy is based on food-processing technology, photochemical, and electronics manufacture. Traditional industries include musical instrument manufacturing – the best known being PETROF pianos...
, Pardubice
Pardubice
Pardubice is the capital city of the Pardubice Region and lies on the river Elbe, 65 miles east of Prague. Pardubice has an antique centre square and old town, with many restaurants that stay open until late in the evening. There is an old Tower and a recently renovated Castle...
, Žďár nad Sázavou
Ždár nad Sázavou
Žďár nad Sázavou is a city in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has approximately 24,000 inhabitants and is the administrative capital of the Žďár nad Sázavou District. The city is a prominent centre of tourism, as a ski resort in winter and a popular destination for cycling and...
, Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
, and Nižná
Nižná, Tvrdošín District
Nižná is a village and municipality in Tvrdošín District in the Žilina Region of northern Slovakia.-Geography:The municipality lies at an altitude of 573 metres and covers an area of 27.779 km². It has a population of about 4,140 people....
. Later, some of them were transformed into independent state-owned companies.
While the company's wide range of production was impressive, quantity usually did not meet the needs of industrial customers. Many products gradually became obsolete simply because they were not updated; e.g. one particular type of diode
Diode
In electronics, a diode is a type of two-terminal electronic component with a nonlinear current–voltage characteristic. A semiconductor diode, the most common type today, is a crystalline piece of semiconductor material connected to two electrical terminals...
was manufactured for over 30 years without modifications.
Other products, e.g. some kinds of SCRs or Power-Transistor
Transistor
A transistor is a semiconductor device used to amplify and switch electronic signals and power. It is composed of a semiconductor material with at least three terminals for connection to an external circuit. A voltage or current applied to one pair of the transistor's terminals changes the current...
s were competitive with the world market and so TESLA was the supplier for all eastern Europe Countries.
Some high quality products were even exported to western countries for example turntables NC 470 or NC 500 under mark Lenco.
TESLA had to contend with both foreign and new domestic competition after the fall of communism
Velvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution or Gentle Revolution was a non-violent revolution in Czechoslovakia that took place from November 17 – December 29, 1989...
in Czechoslovakia, and had difficulty competing effectively, which resulted in dramatic downsizing and privatization
Privatization
Privatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of a business, enterprise, agency or public service from the public sector to the private sector or to private non-profit organizations...
of the majority of its stores and production facilities. TESLA's logo is a rare sight in the present-day Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
and Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
, as only a few of its subsidiaries have survived. One of its former subsidiaries, JJ Electronic is known for its manufacture of vacuum tubes and TESLA Litovel is known for its manufacture of high end turntables known as Pro-Ject.
External links
Former TESLA companies with new name:Some of the present TESLA companies: