Cassidian and Carl Zeiss AG have agreed to run the optronics and optics activities of Carl Zeiss Optronics GmbH jointly in the future. In a contract signed on 13 July 2012 between Cassidian's German legal entity and Carl Zeiss AG, the two partners stipulated that Cassidian would acquire 75.1 percent of the shares in Carl Zeiss Optronics GmbH, headquartered in Oberkochen, Germany. Carl Zeiss will retain the remaining 24.9 percent. The ownership interests are to be assigned to Cassidian once all the necessary authorisations and anti-trust approvals have been granted.
Incorporating this sector of Carl Zeiss is strategic on the part of Cassidian, who will expand its existing sensor product portfolio in the area of sensors. Carl Zeiss Optronics will be able to make use of Cassidian's global sales channels, offices and subsidiaries, as well as its know-how in the area of business development, and gains long-term prospects for its existing business activities as a result of this venture. The two partners expect the new enterprise to improve their global market access and international competitiveness. The agreement includes a site and job security guarantee until 2015. The company will be part of Cassidian's Sensors and Electronic Warfare Business Line.
Cassidian CEO Dr. Stefan Zoller said: "The acquisition of Carl Zeiss Optronics complements our existing industrial capabilities in the area of sensors, and will enable us in the coming years to develop an innovative, future-oriented and comprehensive 'Sensor House' which will provide the customer with complete sensor solutions from a single source and become well-established on the global markets."
The Carl Zeiss optronics division develops and manufactures optronic, optic and precision-engineered products for military and civil applications at its German sites in Oberkochen and Wetzlar and in Irene, South Africa, and has around 780 employees. Among its main focuses are border surveillance systems, optical and opto-electronic devices and components for vehicles such as sensors and optics, as well as submarine periscopes.
-----
Follow us on Twitter
Follow Laser Focus World on your iPhone or Android
Subscribe now to Laser Focus World magazine; it's free!