Founded as a workshop for precision mechanics and optics in the German city of Jena in 1846, Carl Zeiss is today a global leader in the optical and opto electronic industries. There are currently approx. 13,000 employees in the Group. They have offices in over 30 countries and are represented in more than 100 countries, with production centers in Europe, North America, Central America and Asia. The company's headquarters are located in Oberkochen, Germany, in northeastern Baden Wurttemberg.

Their most important task, as seen, is to enable science and technology to go beyond what man can see. "We make it visible." their corporate slogan, and their promise to their loyal customers to open doors that were previously sealed.

Zeiss is a market leader in the majority of their fields. Their offer an extraordinary spectrum of leading edge solutions and products. The workshop for precision mechanics and optics opened by Carl Zeiss in Jena in 1846 already enjoyed a sustained period of prosperity during its early years. On the basis of Ernst Abbe's outstanding scientific achievements, a global player in the field of optics gradually evolved. This period of success continued for a century.

The enforced partition of Germany as a result of World War II led to two Zeiss companies, one in the West and one in the East. With the political changes taking place in the former East Germany in 1989/90, the two competitors reunited to form a single company in 1990. Reunited, Karl Zeiss became stronger than ever before in its eventful history. Today, Zeis looks to the future with optimism and anticipation.