Although "ADDIATOR" and even "TRONCET" are often used as generic names for compact pocket calculators (so-called "slide adders"), the name "PRODUX" might be more appropriate. Many of the improvements and adaptations to these devices are due to Otto Meuter. He also had a strong influence on the devices made by Addiator and CBR (Correntator).
From 1928 Otto Meuter produced these machines in his workshop under the name "PRODUX". The special feature of these calculating aids is that the addition and subtraction fields are both on the front of the calculator, but one above the other. Initially, all production took place in Berlin, but from 1932, part of it was moved to the suburb of Klausdorf (Teltow). The "PRODUX" range consisted of a large (PRODUX RECORD), medium (PRODUX M and MA) and small "standard" edition (PRODUX ST). At the request of some distributors, the printing on the device could also be personalised (EFZET, RECHENHEXE, etc.).
The success story of Otto Meuter also knew a few lesser periods. Both Otto and his son Claus were captured by the Russians at the end of the Second World War. In 1948, Claus, now released, decided to leave the 'island' of Berlin. The presses and other equipment were moved to the Bremen area. Lucie Meuter, Otto's ex-wife and Claus' mother, stayed behind in Klausdorf (now part of East Germany).
In 1945, she founded the Record company there. In the post-war period, the large model of the slide adder was produced under the name "Record" or "LM" until 1983. This model was sold until 1988. As you can see on the machine in the exhibition, it cost 17.40 (Ost-)marks at the time. Note the mention of the EVP ("Einzelhandelsverkaufspreis", “Endverbraucherpreis”). This refers to the fixed retail price set by the GDR government that the end consumer had to pay. The EVP was valid throughout the GDR and was advertised on the packaging of products. This was possible because these prices remained unchanged for long periods. Only a limited number of products were not marked with a fixed price, for example if they were (also) intended for export. In the GDR, the Office for Prices (“Amt für Preise”) was responsible for setting prices from 1965 on.
After the Second World War, it was common for the victor in the Russian sector of Germany to empty entire factories and transport the machines to Russia. These machines could then be used to make similar or even identical products. The exhibition includes some of these clones of Swedish Facit machines, originally produced under licence in Dresden. However, the quality and finish was generally not as good as the originals.
Also companies that ended up in the GDR after the Second World War often had quality problems due to materials shortages, the quality of the steel supplied or the motivation of the workforce. Even in these "Volkseigene Betriebe", such as Rheinmetall/Soemtron, Mercedes/Melitta/Cellatron, Archimedes/Diehl and Triumphator, business was handled as well or as badly as possible, often more hindered than helped by the planned economy - you were never sure whether you, as a manufacturer of calculators, would (be allowed to) continue making calculators the next day (Triumphator stopped calculator construction in 1963), or whether you would be rationalised away and merged into a new group (e. g. Rheinmetall, Astra and Seidel & Naumann - first into the Kombinat Zentronic, later into the VEB Kombinat Robotron).
RECORD, PRODUX ((West-)Germany), 1928-195x
This largest Produx model is made of aluminium. It fits into a folding desk stand. If a number needs to be added or subtracted in the red area of a slider, the slider must be moved away from the result window.
Collection: E. Smet (item 11)
M, PRODUX ((West-)Germany), 1928-195x
This PRODUX model is made of sheet steel. Zeroing is done with the brass handle. The letter "M" on this model is very neutral. There is also a version in which an eagle's head is part of the letter M (less suitable for export?).
Collection: E. Smet (item 19)
MA, PRODUX ((West-)Germany), ca. 1955
The print on the left side clearly shows which direction to slide towards when adding or subtracting. This is a later version of this model.
Collection: E. Smet (item 200)
ST, PRODUX ((West-)Germany), 1928-1970
Zeroing is not done with a handle here, but simply by sliding the sliders that protrude from the bottom back inside. The green version is for calculations in English currency (before the decimal conversion in 1971). The extra notches in columns 1 and 4 are a mystery.
Collection: E. Smet (item 43 and 161)
EFZET and RECHENHEXE, PRODUX (Berlin, Germany), 1928-193x
These are variants of the Produx ST that Meuter made for Franz Zimmer ("EF" & "ZET") and for Walter J. Noske (RECHENHEXE model I).
Collection: E. Smet (item 385 and 96)
RECORD LM, RECORD Lucie Meuter (Klausdorf, GDR), 1965
The construction of this large model by Lucie Meuter is identical to the model of the same name by Otto Meuter. Note the EVP of DM 17.40. The "1" in the equilateral triangle was used in East Germany after 1950 to indicate that the product was "of high quality", although the explanatory description nuanced this slightly ("entspricht dem Durchschnitt des Weltmarktes" - "corresponds to the average of the world market").
Collection: E. Smet (item 74)
Kopernik, SZYLDY (Torun, Poland), 1940-(?)
The Polish mathematician and astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) lends a certain cachet to this Polish-made slide adder. He never used it himself, of course, but it never hurts to use a famous fellow citizen to promote your product.
Collection: E. Smet (item 7)
Rychlopoctar, (Czechoslowakia), 196x
"Rychlopoctar" could be translated as "quick calculating device". To what extent the letters "ZCB" refer to the manufacturer remains unclear.
Collection: E. Smet (item 208)
Ц.2P., Severnyi Press CII (Leningrad, Russia), 1974-1980
Universal •S•, Addiator (Berlin/Wolfach, Germany), 193x-1966
This Russian slide adder is a copy of the Addiator Arithma and the Addiator UNIVERSAL •S•. The symbol at the bottom right on the Russian "arithmetic rule" (АРИФМЕТИЧЕСКАЯ ЛИНЕЙКА) refers to the producer.
Collection: E. Smet (item 235 and 84)
s/n 3878, Dresden, Germany), 1932
The Swedish company FACIT was a pioneer in the ten-key setting mechanism for pinwheel machines, which it developed from 1932 onwards and also had built under licence in Dresden. The machine was further developed in Åtvidaberg into the later range of hand-operated Facit machines, and eventually the two-row ten-key keyboard became the three-row block arrangement of our current numeric keyboards (which, by the way, is different from the ten-key keyboard on a telephone - try opening your smartphone keyboard and then the calculator app...).
Collection: C. Vande Velde
Facit T clone, (Russia), 1971
The end of the Second World War also meant the end of Facit's production in Dresden. It is very likely that parts of the production were moved to Russia (or Ukraine). Almost identical clones were made there, but not of the same quality as the original.
Collection: E. Smet (item 61)
MADIX, VEB Feinwerktechnik Dresden (Dresden, GDR), after 1955
Around 1955, production of an East German version of the ten-key pinwheel machine began in Dresden, a variant (or knock-off...) of the popular Facit TK (more than 135,000 of which were built between 1936 and 1954). Models built after 1958 were inspired by the more modern look of the Facit NTK.
Collection: E. Smet (item 365)
