Carl Zeiss proposes to transfer core technologies from the UK based CellScience division to Jena, Germany, while provision of service and upgrades will be continued
Carl Zeiss Jena proposes to transfer core technologies from the recently acquired Bio-Rad CellScience division to its headquarters in Jena, Germany.
Bio-Rad CellScience division is a supplier of confocal and multiphoton microscopy instrumentation with eighty-four employees based in Hemel Hempstead, UK.
With the acquisition, 21 Bio-Rad sales and service specialists outside the UK have been integrated into the local Carl Zeiss subsidiaries worldwide.
Following an extensive five-week business review, Carl Zeiss proposes to consolidate its product line by discontinuing the production of the CellScience product lines Radiance, Clonis and CellMap.
Service of existing CellScience products as well as the provision of upgrade possibilities will continue to be available through the improved global support network resulting from the acquisition.
It is also suggested that key technologies should be integrated into the Carl Zeiss advanced imaging microscopy (AIM) product portfolio.
In order to achieve the smooth integration of these technologies, Carl Zeiss is currently offering more than 14 positions for specialists in different functions in Jena, Germany.
Carl Zeiss is entering into a five-week period of consultation with all affected employees in relation to the proposal.
As part of this consultation, alternatives to redundancies at the Hemel Hempstead site will be considered.
"In addition to the continuity in the provision of service and upgrade possibilities for the existing installed base, customers will find the key technologies of the former Bio-Rad Cell Science Division integrated into the Carl Zeiss product platform in the near future.
Thus, this move is expected to considerably accelerate future advances in confocal and multiphoton microscope instrumentation at Carl Zeiss.
With the proposed concentration of technological and application expertise in one place, we expect to gain maximum synergy effects across the complete Carl Zeiss AIM portfolio," says Ulrich Simon, head of the microscopy group at Carl Zeiss.
Zeiss says this strategic move further strengthens its position as a provider in microscopy solutions dedicated to the application needs in modern biomedical research.
