Zeiss aims to deeply invest in Chinese market

Zeiss Group, a German optical systems and optoelectronics manufacturer, said it aims to become deeply rooted in the China market and the company is eyeing significant business opportunities in the demand of microscopes, boosted by the country's scientific development and increasingly advanced medical needs.

The demand of microscopes in China is expected to come from sectors such as semiconductors, clinical, pathological and scientific innovation, Zeiss said.

Currently, China stands as the largest market globally for Zeiss' microscope business, followed by the United States and Germany, respectively. The business scale of microscopes in China is about 130 percent to 140 percent larger than the size of the US, the company said.

"We are not only bullish on the growth potential of the Chinese market, but we hope to comprehensively integrate with China's ecological and supply chains," said Allen Zhang, head of research microscopy solutions China and vice-president of Zeiss Greater China.

"Five years ago, we launched locally developed products from China and sold them in the global market annually. Such a trend and localization strategy will continue to strengthen in the next few years," Zhang said.

Founded more than a decade ago, the 177-year-old German enterprise's Shanghai Innovation Center has served as the sole R&D facility for Zeiss outside of Germany.

During this year's China International Import Expo held in Shanghai, Zeiss also signed intent agreements on innovation cooperation with Micro (Shanghai) Intelligent Technology Co Ltd and Xiamen Chip-nova Technology Co Ltd, which are companies with strong scientific research links to Fudan University and Xiamen University, respectively.

Zeiss said it would like to further contribute to local scientific research and innovation, achievement transformation, and talent cultivation in China.

"We hope to help promote China's local innovative achievements to the international platform based on the concept of 'innovation and integration', bringing more high-quality innovative solutions to the global market, and becoming an important driving force for global scientific and technological progress," Zhang said.

Since China optimized its COVID-19 response measures, the scientific research progress in the country has continued to grow. In some fields, such as semiconductors, microscopes are mainly used for quality control - and the demand is growing. Such demand mainly comes from the Yangtze River Delta and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Zeiss said.

In Suzhou, Jiangsu province, where Zeiss has its production lines of microscopes located, the company said two to three times of the current capacity has been reserved for expanding future production capacity. It is expected to help further promote the high-quality development of local manufacturing capabilities in China.

Main buyers of microscopes in China include universities and scientific institutions, and medical institutions in major cities. Some technical schools and local governments have also indicated emerging demand in recent years, industry insiders observed.