Carl Zeiss Moves Out Of Defense, Sells Optroncs Division

Carl Zeiss AG has sold 75.1% of its Carl Zeiss Optronics GmbH shares to Cassidian. The two companies made the announcement agreeing to run the optronics and optics activities of Carl Zeiss Optronics jointly in the future. Carl Zeiss will retain the remaining 24.9 per cent and will exit defence technology in the medium term. “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,” Cassidian CEO Stefan Zoller said in a statement. “In a market which has to cope with the drastically sinking defense budgets of NATO states and profound upheavals in regions such as Asia and North Africa, first-class market access and the strength of a globally leading company are among the most important factors for success,” Michael Kaschke, president and CEO of Carl Zeiss AG, said in the statement. 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.