VEF, Latvian acronym for Valsts elektrotehniskā fabrika (State Electrotechnical Factory), was a manufacturer of electrical and electronic products in Riga, Latvia.
After the war, it was the leading communication technology producer in the Soviet Union and the largest factory in the Latvian SSR.
[2] By the 1930s the factory produced all electronics that had any market demand - communication devices, phones, light bulbs, cameras, irons, radios, flashlights, as well as photo paper, work-tables, and even airplanes.
VEF entered the world market in 1936 with the development of the Minox subminiature camera, designed by Walter Zapp (Latvian: Valters Caps).
The five largest state companies were VEF, Radiotehnika, Elfa, Komutators and Elar (which produced components for the other four).
[10] The large assembly hall and administrative building, built in 1899 and designed by architect Heinrich Scheel (1829–1909), have eclectic facades facing Brīvības iela.
In 1912, a production building with a high tower in the courtyard, designed by German architect Peter Behrens (1868–1940), was constructed under the supervision of Riga civil engineer Friedrich Wilhelm Seuberlich (1850-?).
The VEF-TA had many different versions that ranged from classic style rotary phones to modern push button keypad.