January 10, 2001

Optics in Eastern Europe
Carl Lambrecht
Founder / General Manager
Laurel Industries, Highland Park, IL

To say that advanced optical technology was extant in the former Soviet Union is an understatement. Specifically, high precision polishing techniques developed in Russia are finally coming into use in the United States, and interferometers were used in production for many years before they became commonplace here. Now, unfortunately, traditional production practices have been abandoned such that the capability to produce, for example, aspheric lenses has been, in many locations, lost. Bureaucratic overhead, despite reorganization attempts by the government, still keeps manufacturing capacity at a low such that world market competition is unprofitable. Mr. Lambrecht will provide an overview of the economy, culture, and recent historical events that surround these issues. Also to be included will be Mr. Lambrecht's personal vignettes of the regions through which he has traveled.

Bio Sketch
Carl Lambrecht is the general manager of Laurel Industries. He founded the company in 1978 to export electro-optics to Central and Eastern Europe. After the dissolution of the USSR, Laurel Industries began to import instruments and components from the same region. Today, they are producing high precision custom glass optics in several locations at competitive prices. Although most of the imported products are being produced in short-runs, there is a substantial capacity for high volume production available at www.laurelindustries.com.

SMSI Minutes: 10 January 2001
Optics in Eastern Europe by Carl Lambrecht

With slides of various factories and museums and a few objects e. g. (corner cube prism), Carl Lambrecht presented a picture of fairly recent Soviet production of optics and the bureaucracy which controlled 10 - 20,000 workers per plant and where work on each project started from the earliest parts of production to the final proto-type. Quotas had to be met without any reward for exceeding production. High quality products were developed, but production in any mass quantity was shunned. Vodka was often a preferred currency and work could be done on the side. Old, junky looking products were easiest to get past customs. In Russia, there still exists areas capable of high production; however, the organizational structure currently does not exist. Carl Lambreht is Founder and General Manager of Laurel Industries, 280 Laurel Ave. Highland Park, Il (847)432-8204 which deals in optical instruments, lenses and lasers. LOMO Optics, Inc. - Home Page We specialize in high-quality, low-prices microscopes and microscope accessories from Russia.

Respectfully submitted, Stan Schmidt, Recording Secretary