The company was established on February 4, 1914. Since then the history of the first and nowadays the largest Russian manufacturer of optical devices has started.

During the first years the plant constructed on Chugunnaya Street in St. Petersburg produced equipment for the Russian Army: sights, range-finders, periscopes, as well as optical and optomechanical devices for civil application (photographic objectives, small astronomic instruments, geodetic and meteorological devices).

In 1918 the company was nationalised. The plant bore different names (the most famous of them was GOMZ - stood for the State Optical and Mechanical Plant named after OGPU). In 1962 GOMZ and several Leningrad companies formed the Leningrad Optical & Mechanical Enterprise (LOMO). Some time later LOMO brand became well known not only in our country, but also all over the world.

Many devices created at LOMO were the first in their lines and contributed much to developing new branches of science and engineering. It was LOMO that developed the country's first cinema-projector, popular amateur camera, telescope, videotape recorder, endoscope, laser, as well as the world's largest telescope with the main monolithic mirror 6 meters in diameter.

In 1993 the enterprise was transformed to LOMO Public Liability Company and nowadays it is a private enterprise. Among its shareholders are about 16 thousand legal persons and individuals.

The products of the company are based on high technologies. Today LOMO manufactures a wide range of devices - more than 150 types:

• microscopes for medicine, education, metallurgy, criminalistics;
• surgical microscopes for ophthalmology and neurosurgery;
• endoscopes (bronchoscopes, gastroduodenoscopes, colonoscopes, etc.);
• spotting scopes, telescopes, night vision devices, sights;
• devices for weather conditions control in airports;
• spectral devices;
• eye-safe lasers;
• defence products for the Land Forces, the Air Defence and the Navy, aerospace products (target seekers for rockets and missiles, optoelectronic devices for fire control systems, optoelectronic cameras for remote probing of the Earth surface).

LOMO has certificates confirming that the company's quality system meets all the requirements of international standard ISO 9001. The certificate for civic products was granted by the world-known company TUF (Germany) and for military products by the company Oboronsertifika.

LOMO PLC actively promotes its products through its dealers network both in Russia and abroad. Export to dozens of world countries, including the USA, Germany, Austria, Israel, Japan, South Korea, India, China, makes a significant part in LOMO sales volume.

A strategically important line for LOMO is developing its own devices, production of precise mechanics and optics, assembly and adjustment of products. In other directions of production activity LOMO is searching for stable and reliable partners in Russia and abroad.

The company's production capacity and personnel potential allow LOMO to manufacture high quality products. The company uses high-precision equipment of the world leading firms from Switzerland, Germany, Japan. LOMO is able to produce high-precision mechanical and optical parts from 0.5 mm to 1.5 m and more.

High level of education along with professionalism, competence and responsibility of the staff are traditional for LOMO. The company carries out versatile training programs in its educational centre.

People have always worked at the highest level at LOMO. During the Soviet period the company was the only one awarded with three highest awards of the country - Orders of Lenin. Time passes, but traditions remain. LOMO has also been awarded a number of international awards for quality, commercial prestige, dynamics of production and effective management.