VEB Robotron

VEB Kombinat Robotron (or simply Robotron) was the biggest East German electronics manufacturer. It was based in Dresden and employed 68,000 people (1989). It produced personal computers, SM EVM minicomputers, the ESER mainframe computers, several computer peripherals as well as home computers, radios and television sets.

VEB Kombinat Robotron

Type	Volkseigener Betrieb
Industry	Electronics manufacturer, computer software
Fate	Liquidated / converted into corporations
Founded	1 April 1969 in Dresden, German Democratic Republic
Defunct	1 July 1990
Headquarters	Dresden , German Democratic Republic
Key people	Friedrich Wokurka
Products	A 5120, PC 1715, Robotron K 1840, Robotron KC 87, …
Number of employees	68,000 (1989)

Divisions

One of the 17,000 workers at the Kombinat Robotron in the German Democratic Republic in 1987 working during the weekend to produce typewriters

A worker at an assembly plant producing the ES 2655 mainframe.

Robotron managed several different divisions:

• VEB Robotron-Elektronik Dresden (headquarters) — typewriters, personal computers, minicomputers, mainframes
• VEB Robotron-Meßelektronik Dresden — measurement and testing devices, home computers
• VEB Robotron-Projekt Dresden — software department
• VEB Robotron-Buchungsmaschinenwerk Karl-Marx-Stadt — personal computers, floppy disk drives
• VEB Robotron-Elektronik Hoyerswerda — monitors, power supply units
• VEB Robotron-Elektronik Radeberg — mainframes, radio receivers, portable television receivers, directional radio systems
• VEB Robotron Vertrieb Dresden, Berlin and Erfurt — sales departments
• VEB Robotron-Elektronik Zella-Mehlis — computer terminals, hard disk drives
• VEB Robotron-Büromaschinenwerk Sömmerda — personal computers, printers, electronic calculators (Soemtron 220, 222, 224), invoicing machines (EFA 380), punched card indexers and sorters (Soemtron 432).
• VEB Robotron Elektronik Riesa — printed circuit boards
• VEB Robotron-Anlagenbau Leipzig — general contractor, design and assembly for computer and process calculation systems in the GDR and export, training center

On 30 June 1990 the Kombinat Robotron was liquidated and the divisions were converted into corporations. In the 1990s these companies were sold, e.g., to Siemens Nixdorf, or also liquidated.

Robotron Datenbank-Software GmbH is a company which emerged from one of the former divisions of Kombinat Robotron It was newly founded on 23 August 1990, just before German reunification.

Rebranding activities

Robotron printers were sold in Western Germany as "Soemtron" or "Präsident", and the West German branch of Commodore used some Robotron parts for their printers.

In East Germany, Epson printers were sold under the Robotron brand (but the technical description on the back side was with the "Epson" logo).

Robotron computers and typewriters

• 
  Robotron A 5120 office computer, 1982
• 
  Robotron KC 87 home computer, 1987
• 
  Robotron A 7100 and EC 1834 (XT-compatible) personal computer, 1986
• 
  PC 1715
• 
  Robotron RVS K 1840 (SM 1710), DEC VAX-11/780 Clone, 1988, recorded in the Technical Collections Dresden
• 
  A Robotron 204 electric typewriter from the 1980s
• 
  VEB Robotron K8911
• 
  Robotron calculator with a printer

See also

• Rolanet
• Single User Control Program (SCP)
• Disk Control Program (DCP)
• Electronics industry in East Germany

References

External links

• Robotron.foerderverein-tsd.de — The History of Robotron narrated by former staff members. German language site.
• Computer-archiv.de — On-line generalised list of computers including Robotron. German language site.
• Robotrontechnik.de — On-line museum of Robotron companies and products. German language site with some English translations.
• Soemtron.org — Technical data for the Soemtron 22x series (220, 222, 224) desktop calculators manufactured by VEB Robotron Büromaschinenwerk Sömmerda.
• Typewriter "Erika" — DDR Museum, Berlin
• Company History — Company History Robotron Radeberg.