REBO Lighting & Electronics

REBO Lighting & Electronics GmbH is a German automotive supplier specializing in innovative vehicle lighting systems. Headquartered in Eisenach, Thuringia, the company develops and manufactures complex interior lighting systems, exterior lighting such as brake lights, small lamps, and ambient lighting. It operates as part of the BOAO Group, a Chinese conglomerate based in Chongqing, and has around 400 employees. The company's history stretches back to the 19th century, with predecessor firms founded in 1868 and 1907. Over the decades it evolved through various ownership structures, including the East German VEB Fahrzeugelektrik Ruhla (FER), and later became Truck-Lite Europe GmbH before adopting the REBO name in 2017. Today, REBO serves automotive customers worldwide from its German headquarters and additional locations in the United States and China.

The history of REBO Lighting & Electronics GmbH is a complex tapestry woven from two distinct German industrial lineages. The first began in 1868 when Otto Schlothauer, together with his sons Christoph and Friedrich, founded Otto Schlothauer und Söhne OHG in Ruhla, producing meerschaum goods and wooden articles. By 1883, the sons had reorganized the firm as C. & F. Schlothauer OHG, employing ten to fifteen workers to manufacture metal hardware, before transitioning to gas and water fittings and electrical installation materials around the turn of the century. The second lineage started in 1907 when Alfred Schwarz established Metallwerk Alfred Schwarz in Eisenach, initially producing carbide and petroleum lamps, bulb horns, and candle lamps for horse-drawn carriages under the MELAS trademark. As demand for electrical devices grew, the company shifted focus to vehicle electrical products, including tail, stop, and marker lights, turn signals, and windshield wipers. By 1930, both firms were well established in automotive and bicycle accessories. Alfred Schwarz's MELAS turn signal became a bestseller, with one million automobiles equipped with the direction indicators by 1932. In the late 1930s, both companies were absorbed into armaments production, and by the end of World War II in 1945, their factories in Ruhla and Eisenach had been destroyed. After the war, the plants were placed under Soviet administration. The Eisenach works were reactivated on 17 July 1946 as Elektrowerk Schlothauer under the Soviet Electrical Engineering AG, and in 1947 it was transferred to the state of Thuringia. On 1 July 1948, it became a state-owned enterprise (VEB) named VEB Elektro-Fahrzeugzubehör, continuing the MELAS trademark. The Ruhla plant also became state-owned in 1950 as VEB Elektroarmaturenwerk Ruhla. In 1958, the two operations were merged into VEB Fahrzeugelektrik Ruhla (FER), headquartered in Ruhla. The combine grew steadily, and in 1968 the Kombinat VEB Fahrzeugelektrik Ruhla was formed with about 2,850 employees. By the 1980s, the workforce exceeded 12,000 across some 45 locations, primarily in Thuringia, Saxony, and Berlin, and it was a regular supplier to the Volkswagen Group. FER products were exported to more than 50 countries, with bicycle lighting sold worldwide. Following the political changes in East Germany in 1989, the combine was restructured under the Treuhandanstalt in March 1990. In April 1990, a joint venture agreement was signed with Robert Bosch GmbH of Stuttgart for a facility in Eisenach, and in May 1990, VEB Fahrzeugelektrik Ruhla was renamed FER Fahrzeugelektrik GmbH and converted into a corporation. In September 1990, the joint venture Robert Bosch Fahrzeugelektrik Eisenach GmbH was founded, with Bosch holding 90% and FER 10%, starting operations in November 1990. In January 1991, the Aufa Auto- und Fahrradelektrik GmbH became a wholly owned subsidiary in Eisenach. The company continued under the FER name until 2008, when it was renamed Truck-Lite Europe GmbH. In 2017, it was acquired by the BOAO Group of Chongqing, China, and renamed REBO Lighting & Electronics GmbH. Today, REBO operates three locations: Eisenach (Germany), Ann Arbor, Michigan (USA), and Chongqing (China), employing around 400 people in Germany and serving automotive customers worldwide.

• 2017

  Acquired by BOAO Group of Chongqing, China, and renamed REBO Lighting & Electronics GmbH.

• 2008

  Company renamed Truck-Lite Europe GmbH.

• 2002

  World's first fluorescent license plate developed, first installed in Volkswagen Phaeton.

• 1998

  First turn signals integrated into exterior mirrors manufactured.

• 1990

  VEB Fahrzeugelektrik Ruhla renamed FER Fahrzeugelektrik GmbH; joint venture with Robert Bosch GmbH established.

• 1968

  Kombinat VEB Fahrzeugelektrik Ruhla formed with about 2,850 employees.

• 1958

  VEB Elektrische Fahrzeugausrüstung Ruhla (EFR) and VEB Auto- und Fahrradelektrik Eisenach (AUFA) merge into VEB Fahrzeugelektrik Ruhla (FER).

• 1948

  Eisenach plant becomes state-owned VEB Elektro-Fahrzeugzubehör, continuing MELAS trademark.

• 1946

  Eisenach works reactivated as Elektrowerk Schlothauer under Soviet administration.

• 1945

  Factories in Ruhla and Eisenach are destroyed at the end of World War II.

• 1932

  One million automobiles are equipped with MELAS turn signals.

• 1907

  Alfred Schwarz founds Metallwerk Alfred Schwarz in Eisenach, producing carbide and petroleum lamps under the MELAS trademark.

• 1883

  The sons reorganize as C. & F. Schlothauer OHG, producing metal hardware.

• 1868

  Otto Schlothauer and his sons found Otto Schlothauer und Söhne OHG in Ruhla.

Development and supply partner for innovative vehicle lighting systems.

• High-mounted brake lights

• Interior lights (dome modules, make-up lights, trunk lights)

• Mirror turn signals

• Side marker lights

• License plate lights

• Ambient lighting

• Exterior lighting (e.g., brake lights)

1. 1REBO Lighting & Electronics GmbH official websiterebo-group.de
2. 2Unternehmensgeschichte | Rebo Lighting & Electronics GmbHrebo-group.de
3. 3REBO Lighting & Electronics - Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4REBO Lighting & Electronics - Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org