Company profile

The Munich based technology group develops, produces and sells a wide range of electronic capital goods for industry and government customers with a focus on solutions that contribute to a safer and connected world.

As an independent, privately owned company, Rohde & Schwarz finances its growth from its own resources. Since the company does not have to think in terms of quarterly results, it can plan sustainably for the long term.

The company was founded more than 85 years ago by university friends Dr. Lothar Rohde and Dr. Hermann Schwarz.

The Executive Board is composed of two members: Christian Leicher (President and CEO) and Peter Riedel (President and COO). On June 30, 2019, Rohde & Schwarz had approximately 12,000 employees, about 7500 of whom work in Germany. The group achieved a net revenue of EUR 2.14 billion in the 2018/2019 fiscal year (July to June).

Global player

Rohde & Schwarz has an extensive sales and service network and is present in more than 70 countries, primarily with its own subsidiaries. Exports account for approximately 85 percent of revenue. The company is headquartered in Munich, Germany, and has strong regional hubs in Asia and the USA.

Rohde & Schwarz is a high-tech company that thrives on innovation. To maintain its high quality standards, Rohde & Schwarz keeps almost the entire value chain within the company. The majority of products are developed in Germany. The Asian hub in Singapore also uses its comprehensive resources to develop, produce and market products for the global market. The company maintains smaller R&D locations in the USA, Asia and several European countries.

Since its founding, Rohde & Schwarz has benefited from the close proximity of development and production. Most products are manufactured in the company's Bavarian plants in Memmingen and Teisnach as well as in the Czech town of Vimperk close to the Bavarian border. Plants in Singapore and Malaysia keep production close to the company's R&D activities at its Asian headquarters.

Success factor employees

Thanks to its highly qualified and motivated employees, Rohde & Schwarz ranks among the technology leaders in all of its business fields. The company is committed to creating an ideal work environment where customer and employee ideas can be turned into creative solutions.

More than 800 training courses are offered per year, reflecting the importance that Rohde & Schwarz attaches to ongoing professional training. Another Rohde & Schwarz priority is to identify talented young employees at an early stage and prepare them for responsible specialist and management positions. Nationality, gender and organizational boundaries are unimportant, and international employee exchanges between headquarters and the various subsidiaries are very common.

The company is also committed to vocational training. Since its founding, Rohde & Schwarz has prepared thousands of young people for professional careers in Germany. Today, the company offers training in professions ranging from electronics technicians and IT specialists to industrial administrative assistants. Rohde & Schwarz trainees are regularly among the best in their year, both locally and throughout Germany. Trainees also have the opportunity to complete a combined vocational training/degree program.

Rohde & Schwarz focuses on people. The work environment is characterized by personal responsibility, mutual respect and appreciation. This outstanding corporate culture pays off. In 2019, the company received several awards, including the title of "FOCUS Top National Employer" for the seventh year in a row.

Technology and markets

T&M and monitoring solutions for the wireless market; T&M solutions for the automotive industry, A&D market, industrial electronics, research and education

In the past, wireless devices were primarily used for personal communications. Now they are conquering the world of things and connected machines, sensors and vehicles. However, the complex technology can only be mastered with the help of specialized test and measurement equipment. Rohde & Schwarz provides the necessary equipment for all phases of the value chain. Since the development of the GSM system simulator in the late 1980s, which was commissioned by the GSM consortium and paved the way for mass production of digital mobile phones, T&M equipment from the market leader has consistently set standards in the wireless communications industry. From the standardization of new processes to the development and manufacture of components, wireless devices and base stations, from the integration of new technologies into network operation to network monitoring and optimization, Rohde & Schwarz T&M equipment always plays a key role. It supports all established wireless standards and makes a decisive contribution to the development of the fifth generation of wireless communications (5G), connected car applications (V2X), machine-to-machine (M2M) communications and the internet of things (IoT).

The automobile is increasingly becoming a technology platform, and the complex interaction between the many different electric and electronic components has to be coordinated. Electric drives and energy storage, radars and sensors, computers and data networks, navigation devices, radio and infotainment modules coexist in the tightest of spaces. As a result, there is a rapidly growing demand for T&M equipment in the automotive industry. Rohde & Schwarz is ideally positioned to satisfy this demand with its unique portfolio of automotive solutions.

Rohde & Schwarz meets the high requirements of the aerospace and defense industry (A&D) with its high-end T&M instruments and systems for use in radar and satellite technology, avionics, navigation and military communications.

With its T&M equipment for industrial electronics, research and education, Rohde & Schwarz addresses all industries that develop, produce or test electronic components as well as universities and other educational institutions. The portfolio covers all price and performance classes, ranging from basic testers for training purposes to high-end RF test instruments for R&D labs and production facilities, millimeterwave technology for research, and completely equipped test chambers for EMC measurements.

Broadcast and media for the digital age

Like many industries, broadcast and media is under a lot of pressure to keep pace with ongoing digitalization and the shift towards internet based solutions. Rohde & Schwarz, an innovator in the field of broadcasting for more than 70 years, supports this transformation with groundbreaking solutions. Today, the entire signal processing chain, from camera output to transmission via the various broadcast channels, can be realized with Rohde & Schwarz products. The Rohde & Schwarz portfolio includes T&M equipment for development, production and quality assurance of consumer electronics devices and infrastructure components as well as monitoring products for broadcast networks.

Following the transition from tape based workflows to file based solutions in recent years, film and TV production studios are now facing the challenge of preparing themselves for the ultra high definition HDR formats of the future. Almost all of their technical equipment has to be replaced. Rohde & Schwarz offers studios ingest and playout servers, video workstations and high-performance storage solutions.

UHD/HDR productions are already being broadcast to viewers via the classic satellite and terrestrial distribution channels. Regular broadcasts can already be received via these channels in many countries – in large part thanks to encoding, multiplexing and transmitting equipment from Rohde & Schwarz. South Korea, host of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games, was the first country to provide full UHDTV coverage for its citizens – with transmitters from Rohde & Schwarz.

Most terrestrial transmitter networks around the world have been upgraded to digital transmission technology. Transmitters from the Munich based market leader have earned the reputation of being the most advanced, energy-efficient transmitters on the market and account for a large share of countrywide installations on all continents.

Network operators can not only buy their transmitters from Rohde & Schwarz but also the T&M and monitoring equipment needed to install, maintain and monitor broadcast networks.

Consumer electronics manufacturers will appreciate the fact that the Rohde & Schwarz portfolio includes both the general purpose T&M instruments needed by all electronics manufacturers as well as signal generators and signal analyzers designed especially for the audio and video sector.

Network and cybersecurity solutions for business and government authorities

The digital transformation will leave virtually no area of the economy or society unaffected. In order for it to be a success, data and communications must be safeguarded. The dramatic proliferation of connected products increases the exposure to digital threats for businesses, government authorities and critical infrastructures. Rohde & Schwarz Cybersecurity GmbH develops and produces a full portfolio of technologically leading hardware and software products based on the security-by-design approach that prevents cyberattacks proactively instead of reactively. The portfolio focus is on highly secure encryption solutions for data transmission and data storage, firewalls, endpoint security products and network traffic analysis software. Solutions range from easy-to-use, all-in-one products for medium-sized businesses to scalable enterprise solutions.

The networks and cybersecurity business field offers business and government authorities more than IT security solutions. It also provides routers, switches and gateways from LANCOM Systems GmbH for secure intersite (WAN) and local (LAN and WLAN) networking. Cloud solutions for the increasingly important field of software defined networking supplement the hardware portfolio.

With more than 600 employees at its LANCOM Systems and Rohde & Schwarz Cybersecurity subsidiaries, Rohde & Schwarz is one of Europe's largest providers of network and cybersecurity equipment for professional customers.

Communications and reconnaissance equipment for armed forces; security products for critical infrastructures and public safety and security authorities and organizations

Rohde & Schwarz is committed to security. For decades, the company has supplied armed forces with radiocommunications and radiomonitoring systems. Relatively new additions to the company portfolio include security products for the civil sector, for instance security scanners and drone identification systems. And Rohde & Schwarz helps keep the skies safe with its ground-to-air ATC communications systems.

Communications and reconnaissance equipment for armed forces
Armed forces need their own highly secure communications equipment to succeed in their missions and safeguard national sovereignty. For decades, Rohde & Schwarz has supplied ground, air and naval forces throughout the world with state-of-the art communications and reconnaissance systems.

Software defined radios satisfy the highest security standards, enable network centric operations, and ensure interoperability between all branches of the armed forces and between allied nations. Communications is encrypted using both NATO and proprietary methods – drawing on the company's decades of experience and expertise in this field. Rohde & Schwarz radio systems protect communications in land based operations. They are installed in various types of aircraft and helicopters and integrated into naval vessels of all sizes. Rohde & Schwarz developed the joint radio system of the German armed forces (SVFuA). SVFuA is an important component in the D-LBO project, a major initiative to digitalize the land based operations of the German armed forces in the next few years.

Communications intelligence delivers a comprehensive operational picture – without exposing own forces. The Rohde & Schwarz portfolio includes detection, direction finding and analysis systems for all frequency ranges and platforms. Communications intelligence (COMINT) systems and radar intelligence (ELINT) systems mutually support each other.

Communications and security solutions for critical infrastructures
Rohde & Schwarz helps protect critical infrastructures with products from its various business fields.

Drones represent a security risk when they enter prohibited areas. They do more than threaten businesses' intellectual property and privacy through espionage. With their ability to carry loads up into the kilogram range, they also pose a risk to life and limb. The drone identification solution from Rohde & Schwarz uses the drone’s remote control signal to enable users to detect and locate drones and take any necessary countermeasures early on.

For security checks at airports and other access protected areas, the company has developed an innovative security scanner. Using millimeterwave technology and artificial intelligence, it automatically detects whether a person is carrying potentially dangerous items on their body or clothing. The scanner is in operation at numerous German and international airports.

Rohde & Schwarz ATC radio systems for cockpit-tower communications contribute to air traffic safety at more than 200 airports and flight operations centers all over the world. Their IP based system architecture allows virtual control centers to be set up, enabling air traffic controllers to manage airplanes over long distances and across borders without having to hand over to another controller. The air navigation service providers of Ireland and Iceland currently operate such a joint virtual control center on the North Atlantic route.

It is important to ensure smooth communications everywhere, not just at airports. Mobile telephony, government radiocommunications, navigation systems and broadcasting must operate smoothly in their allocated frequency bands. To make sure that happens, Rohde & Schwarz offers portable, mobile and stationary systems for detecting, locating and analyzing radiocommunications signals. Its system solutions meet all of the requirements and recommendations of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations agency responsible for regulating the use of the frequency spectrum.