LOMO stands for Leningradskoye Optiko Mechanichesckoye Obyedinenie (Lenigrad Optical & Mechanical Enterprise). For more than 80 years LOMO has designed and manufactured optical devices for various applications. Beginning with its foundation in 1914 LOMO was largest optical device manufacturer for Russian Army. Times have changed and now LOMO works not only for military and space programs but also for science and industry and for the consumer products market.

In the last three to five years, LOMO has developed new lines of products, including new families of biological microscopes, fluorescent microscopes, and polarizing microscopes, night vision devices, consumer Maksutov telescopes, etc. Now LOMO employs military technology for designing and manufacturing new generations of optical products.

LOMO is situated in the city of St. Petersburg – well-known Russian scientific and cultural center, the most westernized in Russia. The staff of LOMO consists of highly professional designers and workers with wide experience – 8,500 strong. The company downsized from 34,000 within the last ten years as a result of changes in production structure. All of these changes have given LOMO the advantage to be competitive with other high-end optical manufacturers worldwide.

VOLUME AND STRUCTURE OF LOMO PLC EXPORTS

EXPORTS IN MILLION OF DOLLARS (NON-DEFENSE)	EXPORTS BY KINDS OF PRODUCTS IN 1999 NON-DEFENSE)	EXPORTS BY COUNTRY IN 1998  (NON-DEFENSE)

LOMO MILESTONES (NON-DEFENSE PRODUCTS)
	1914 Company opens for business under the name Russian Optical and Mechanical Company
	1914 — 1917 Company develops first optical devices for the Russian Army: stereo tubes, panoramic sights, sights for field guns, etc.
	1918 Company releases the first geodesic devices.
	1930 Company produces the first Russian photo camera.
	1933 Company introduces its first movie camera.
	1934 Company produces its first stilloscope and microscope.
	1936 Company develops its first special astronomical device allowing the observation of movements of celestial objects in eclipse.
	1937 Company produces equipment for the St. Petersburg Planetarium.
	1939 Company introduces its first student and biological microscopes. as well as its first manual movie camera
	1947 Company produces the first astrograph for the world renowned Pulkov Observatory.
	1948 Company develops the first photoheliograph employing a special optical Maksutov scheme, which allows a decrease in the length of the device by half.
	1950 LOMO introduces its first microscope for researching objects under UV light.
	1951 LOMO develops its first interferometer for checking of rough surfaces.
	1953 LOMO introduces its first microscope for precise measurements in nuclear photo-emulsions.
	1956 LOMO produces its first wide-screen-format movie projector and introduces its first fluorescent microscope for chemical structure analysis.
	1957 LOMO develops its first distance microscope for “hot” laboratories (radioactive materials analysis). LOMO’s microscopes win a Grand Prize and a Gold Medal at the World's Fair in Brussels.
	1960 LOMO produces Europe’s largest telescope, with a main mirror diameter of 2.6 meters (8.5 feet). Company develops its first infrared microscope for research with wave-lengths less then 0.0000012 meters.
	1963 LOMO introduces its first biological research inverted microscope for virusology and oncology.
	1966 LOMO introduces its first laser device for scientific research.
	1968 LOMO develops its first contact fluorescent microscope for examining live human tissue.
	1972 LOMO introduces new unified families of biological and inverted microscopes.
	1976 LOMO manufactures the world’s largest telescope, with a main mirror diameter of 6 meters (20 feet). Company develops the first laser device for surgery of oncology-related illnesses.
	1977 LOMO produces telescopes for research of astronomical objects using methods of spectrography, spectrometry and photometry. Company comes out with its first spectrophotometer controlled by a microcomputer. LOMO introduces its first series of endoscopes.
	1982 LOMO introduces a surgical ophthalmologic microscope with fiber-optical coaxial lighting.
	1983 LOMO releases its unique photo camera, the "LOMO-compact." Also, Company introduces the first laser device for thermonuclear synthesis.
	1988 LOMO develops the laser automatic interferometer – optical mechanical products allowing precise measurements of optical parameters with tolerances of 0.0000001 meter.
	1993 LOMO introduces its first submergible endoscope.
	1994 LOMO releases the infrared analyzer for determination of quality of grain. Company introduces its first consumer night vision scope.
	1996 LOMO introduces the first consumer day/night vision scope. Company develops its first hermetically sealed endoscope for medical research of intestines and kidneys.
	1997 LOMO introduces the series of safe-for-the-eye lasers for medicine (ophthalmology and neurosurgery), measurement, and ship navigation systems. LOMO America, Inc. is incorporated as an independent company – the exclusive master-distributor for all LOMO products in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
	1998 LOMO develops its first automated spectrophotometer with registration system on multi-element photo adapter.
	1999 LOMO introduces its new family of biological, fluorescent, and polarizing microscopes. LOMO develops its family of consumer Maksutov telescopes from 30 mm to 203 mm in diameter.