EKA = Brand name of Engel Károly Elektromos Szerelésianyagok és Készülékek Gyára
Iroda és raktár - Office and warehouse: Vörösmarty utca 16., Budapest VII.
Gyár - factory: Bethlen Gábor utca 21-23, Budapest VII

Company founded by Engel Karoly, made many models using chassis from other companies (Standard etc.) in cabinets of own design.
Also manufacturer of measurement equipment devices, for example tube tester etc.

Company was found in 1888 by Károly Engel. During his young age travelling accross Europe he understood new trading potential in electric market. In the beginning he sold on ground floor of own house Concardy products, like carbon rods and electrodes, imported from Germany. Business went very well, in a few years he could hire more employees and to build a new palnt, not to sell only German products, but to produce own ones. On beginning of 1900-ies company had around 20 employees. In 1905 came to company young engineer, Pál Horlitscher, former leader of experimental laboratory of Ganz és Társa plant. Old and ill Károly Engel in 1906 sold him company, however, name of company was not changed. New owner was very active, number of employee in 1910 was over 50, they moved to new building at Vorosmarty street 16. In 1913 he published the first electric parts catalogue on territory of Hungary, later Elektrotechnika journal.After Big War company moved again under Bethlen Gábor utca 21-23. Horlitscher started a cooperation with big European electric companies, as an exclusive dealer in Hungary. Between wars he extended company to Balkan, EKA had representatives in Beograd, Cluj, Timisoara, Zagreb, Bukarest or in Turkay. His son, Géza was working in EKA since 1930, like an engineer, later owner too. In 30`s company started a mass production of measurement devices. First volume product was electric tuning indicator for Orion radios. Another successful and patented product was clip-on ampermeter, allowing measurement in power AC circuits without its destroying.

Since 1931 company started Orion gramo records production in cooperation with Carl Lindstrom Berlin. Unfortunately, caused by Jude persecution, contract was cancelled in 1942. During WW2 EKA production went to army, post and railways. Company building survived battles on end of WW2 in Budapest without bigger harms, in April 1945 production started again. However, in 1948 company was nationalized, in 1949 was split to 3 different companies: electrical devices like EKA – Elektromos Készulékek és Anyagok Gyára, gramo records and studios like Tonalit Hanglemezgyár and trade company VILLÁRD (later VILLÉRT). In 1950 EKA became a part of EKM, where in the future production of electrical measurement devices was established and transferred, probably until 1955, from what time is the latest EKA measurement device catalogue. Production was later focused mainly on public/open space illuminating engineering, later high power market for train, trolley-bus, cranes etc. In 1996 company was transformed to Hofeka Ltd., this subject is today the legal successor of Eka since 1888