Zeiss Invests in UK Operations

The UK manufacturing and sales divisions of Carl Zeiss have cemented their roots in Cambridge with an expansion of their existing production site and the construction of new application laboratories, sales and service offices and customer facilities.

Coldhams Lane in Cambridge has been home to Carl Zeiss Microscopy Ltd for some years. Due to the sustained growth in international orders, the business had acquired neighbouring premises in order to increase production of their scanning electron microscopes, including EVO, ∑IGMA and process specific tools.

This provided opportune timing for the UK Sales and Service business, Carl Zeiss Ltd, to relocate from Welwyn Garden City to Cambridge where one larger campus could be formed. The new building has taken on Head Office status for both Carl Zeiss Microscopy Ltd and Carl Zeiss Ltd. The new facilities officially opened in February include 5 application laboratories for electron and light and microscopes as well as demonstration and training facilities for surgical microscopes, medical diagnostic equipment, camera lenses, binoculars and scopes.

The first recorded sale in the UK for the German-owned company stems back to 1851. Furthermore, as Cambridge Scientific Instruments, the company designed and developed the world’s first commercial scanning electron microscope in 1965. It is clear from today’s modern business that its long history has paved the way for its success as an international leader in the field of optics and opto-electronics.

Paul Adderley, Managing Director for Carl Zeiss Ltd, commented “Customers from several of the Carl Zeiss business groups, including Microscopy, Medical Technology, Camera Lenses and Sports Optics, will be able to visit us in Cambridge, the hub for innovative technology, for product demonstrations and expert applications support in our new facilities.”

The Cambridge site is one of a number of construction projects currently underway around the world. The end goal is to achieve a modern working environment for all employees with a consistent corporate design and welcoming environment for customers.

DSC 1680, Daren Sheward, Operations Manager, leads a tour of EVO scanning electron microscope production line
DSC 1699, Customer experiments with the brand new Trenion 3D HD system from the Meditec division of Carl Zeiss
DSC 1837 From Left: Paul Adderley (MD Carl Zeiss Ltd), Guest Speaker Ray Mears, Allister McBride (Sales and Marketing Director Carl Zeiss Microscopy Ltd) and Bob Taylor (MD Carl Zeiss Microscopy Ltd) in the new customer centre for light and electron microscopes, surgical microscopes, medical diagnostic equipment, camera lenses, binoculars and scopes.