I was fortunate enough to visit the small town of Roznov in the Czech Republic a couple of days ago. There's an automated lighting manufacturer based there; perhaps you've heard of them. Does Robe ring a bell?
A few short years ago very few people had heard of Robe. In fact,they used to write out the pronunciation (Rō-bē) after their name in every press release they sent out because nobody knew how to say it. Today it's a name on the lips of many people.
Robe is an empire in the making. Their facilities in Roznov include over 11,000 square meters and counting, and they are in expansion mode. What started in a garage – literally – has evolved into one of the largest manufacturers of automated lighting in the world with about 350 employees worldwide. The factory is in the far eastern corner of the Czech Republic, not far from Poland and Slovakia.
When they first popped up on my radar, I wondered what the company must be like and why they were rising so quickly. My earliest recollection of what was then Czechoslovakia was of a dark, grey, colorless country behind the iron curtain, one that was portrayed in the media as a Communist country with food shortages, long bread lines, and heavy police oversight. What I'm told is that Czechoslovakia was at one time one of the most productive countries in the eastern bloc after WWII. After the Velvet Revolution in 1989, the Czech Republic became a market economy and has enjoyed economic expansion, which seems to be reflected by the automated lighting company at the intersection of two rivers from which the name Robe is taken. The key, they tell me, is the work ethic of the Czech people and the pride they take in building products. Now their moving lights are flying off the shelf.
As I left the factory, being driven to the airport by Josef Valchar, the CEO of Robe, it had been raining for several days. We were on our way to London for PLASA and Robe was preparing to send their own downpour of new products to the show. In the five short years since Robe went from being an OEM manufacturer to creating their own brand, Valchar has been behind the wheel, along with his partner, Larislav. Robe and company has been raining products ever since and there's no reason to think that it won't continue. Look for more of the same from the company that you can now pronounce in the country with the peculiar spelling.
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