The companies "Alfred-Schwarz" in Eisenach and "Schlothauer" in Ruhla started their production of supplied parts for the fast-developing automotive industry at the dawn of the last century.

In the beginning, around 1907, the number of produced pieces was rather low but within a short period of time it rose significantly.

Alfred Schwarz founded  the metal works "Metallwarenfabrik Alfred Schwarz" in Eisenach and sold his products under the name "Melas".

His first products were carbide and kerosene lamps, bulb horns, automobile, motorcycle and bicycle tools, candle lamps for droshkies and manually operated windshield wipers.

In 1925, since the demand for automotive electrical products was growing, the Melas products were subject to continuous improvement. 400 employees manufactured electric tail and stop lamps, side markers, turn signals, license plates and their lighting, signal systems, antifrost windshields, switches, windshield wiper systems and electric bicycle lamps.

After years of armament production and partial destruction in World War II, in 1945 the Melas plant was put under Soviet control after the end of war. Reconstruction was started and step by step the production of the pre-war range of goods was taken up. The plant became a state-owned company and operated under the name "VEB-Elektrofahrzeugzubehör", however, products were still sold under the brand name "Melas".

In 1949, due to the foundation of the GDR and the related changing political situation between east and west, East Germany was forced to establish its own automotive supplies industry. Already in 1947, the first automotive generator and in 1948, the first starter were manufactured in Ruhla.

1958 saw the plants "VEB Elektrische Fahrzeugausrüstung Ruhla" (EFR) and "VEB Auto- und Fahrradelektrik Eisenach" (AUFA) merged and became "VEB Fahrzeugelektrik Ruhla" (FER). Generators, starters, windshield wiper motors and systems, turn signals, rotating beacons, stop and tail lamps, headlamps and headlamp inserts, harness assembleys, bicycle lighting, switches and maintenance material were produced under the brand name "FER".

By 1978, the combine comprised 45 sites and more than 12,000 employees due to the affiliation of further companies.

In addition to other Western European automotive groups such as Seat, Peugeot and Citroen, the Volkswagen AG was supplied with FER products, too. A continuous extension of the supply relationship followed and the product range comprised headlamps, fog lamps, signal lamps, wiper motors, turn signal lamps and rear fog lamps.

In 1990, a cooperation agreement with the Robert Bosch GmbH provided for the outsourcing of the former core businesses headlamps, wiper motor systems, central tool shop and efficiency measures and the apprenticeship workshop. This agreement was realized with the establishment of a joint venture. FER, still held in trust, was transfomed into a GmbH (Limited Liability Company) and received an advisory and supportive supervisory board.

The success story began with the privatization in 1992. "On the way to new horizons", "Know-how with tradition", "Upswing in Eisenach" - these are only three of numerous headlines of reports on the automotive lighting engineers in newspapers, weekly magazines and prestigious news and business magazines such as Der Spiegel, Top Business or Handelsblatt.

On July 01, 1992, FER, having 571 employees, was privatized by MBI/MBO and at the same time a six-year supply contract was signed with the BMW AG to supply the BMW 5 and 7 Series with interior lamps.

In 2000, the joint venture FER-BELMA in Bydgoszcz (Poland) started the production of horns and trumpet horns.

In 2004, FER became a 100% subsidiary of Truck-Lite (member of the Penske Group).