Company foundation and first products On April 1, 1956 Elektron OHG was founded in Weikersheim by Herbert Brause, Erich Meinhardt and a group of 20 engineers and technicians. During the first few years the company manufactured various products, starting with machine parts and progressing to measuring instruments, household appliances and low cost tape recorders. To fully integrate the Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces) into NATO, English speaking officers and soldiers were needed. The Ministry of Defence issued a tender for language teaching equipment. Despite some well-established international competition, Elektron won the contract with an excellent technical concept for Europe's very first prototype of a professional language laboratory. Continuous research and development resulted in highly efficient, ruggedized language teaching equipment. By the late 1960's, the company had become market leader for language laboratories.

1956 Foundation of Elektron OHG in Weikersheim on April 1st Temporary production facilities in Weikersheim's municipal hall. 1957 Presentation of consumer tape-recorders, 3-speed fan-heaters and fans at the Hanover fair 1958 First orders for tape-recorders from the mail-order company Quelle 1959 First order for the development and production of professional language teaching laboratories from the German Armed Forces 1960 Elektron planned to introduce the newly developed equipment at the Hanover Industrial Air and to establish a world-wide reputation. However a fire in the Weikersheim plant destroyed the demonstration units a few days before they were to be shipped to the show. 1965 - 1969 Market leader for professional language laboratories World-wide supply of language laboratories types SLA15, SLA40 and SLA440

1969 The US based company Conrac Corporation approaches potential German partners to market display boards for the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. Takeover of Elektron OHG by Conrac Corporation, 1979 change of company name to Conrac Elektron GmbH 1970 Production of scoreboards and display boards in Weikersheim 1972 Supply of the full-matrix display board for the Olympic stadium in Munich as well as further boards for other locations 1975 Conrac Elektron supplies the first display boards to the airports Amsterdam Schiphol and Gothenburg 1977 - 1978 Installation of various Airport Information Systems in Saudi Arabia 1979 Delivery and installation of the Information System in the International Congress Center Berlin Development and production of microprocessor-based data terminals 1981 Foundation of the software company „Conrac Communications Software GmbH“. Development of the first „intelligent FIDS“ by courtesy of CONRAC GmbH Lindenstrasse 8 D-97990 Weikersheim