The first time I went to Ostrava was a long time ago with Rainer Neumann – around 2010, I think, in December. I remember very well because it was totally foggy and we wanted to test the laser high beam; it was quite a challenge to evaluate the performance and the benefits. But it has always been a pleasure to go there and meet very passionate and skilled engineers.
The vehicle lighting industry has deep roots in this part of Czechia, going back 150 years to 1879, when the Joro company was established as an acetylene lamp maker in Novy Jicin. In 1950, the company became AutoPAL (not to be confused with the company in India by that name). Ford bought AutoPAL in 1993, and so the company became part of Visteon in 2000, which became Varroc in 2012 and OPmobility in 2023.
Hella, for their part, established a lamp plant in Mohelnice in 1993, followed by an R&D centre in 2000 in Olomouc. Then FLTC (2013), which become Wipac CZ and then Magna. ZKW (2021), Lumax (2021), and Uno Minda (2024) have operations in Czechia, as do Koito, Marelli, Mobis, Prettl, and Lightworks. This vibrant industry is supported by local universities in Ostrava and Brno. Ostrava is a nexus of the vehicle lighting ecosystem in Europe; around 1,500 lighting engineers work in the area. So there’s a lot of well-supported skill, innovation, and talent.
When the local lighting group contacted me to organize a DVN event in Czechia, I knew right away we’d succeed. After six months discussion, here we are: the theme will be Vehicle Lighting in Czechia: From History to New Tech & Innovation. The preliminary docket is up on the DVN website. Škoda Design and Škoda Lighting R&D will be there with the whole lighting community, and the expo booths are fully booked. We are expecting an event with 150-200 participants, that will permit great exchange and networking.
Come and join this event! You’ll meet some of the most passionate people to be found in our field. For me it will be a real pleasure to be back after my last trip around a decade ago; I am keen to see the changes!
Sincerely yours,
