|
|
Wild-Leica-Berliner Glas
Milestones of company history
2001/2004
Berliner Glas and SwissOptic: A head start because of synergy.
Since April 1, 2001, Berliner Glas KGaA has taken over 75% of SwissOptic AG's share capital. Since 2004, SwissOptic was fully acquired by BERLINER GLAS GROUP.
BERLINER GLAS GROUP is one of the leading European manufacturers of precision thin-film coated optical components, electro-optical assemblies, opto-mechanical modules, complex optical systems and first class, enhanced and coated technical glass.
In addition, the company develops custom wafer level packaging products for MEMS.
Design, development, production und measuring belong to our capabilities - from design to prototyping, from single unit to production and final testing.
|
1997
Foundation of SwissOptic AG
A young company with decades of experience
On October 6, the optical manufacturing facilities of Leica AG Heerbrugg become independent with the foundation of SwissOptic AG. This new situation provides SwissOptic with the opportunity to become even more market-oriented, to make its own decisions, and to act and react faster and more effectively.
In addition, SwissOptic has all possibilities to offer even potential customers accepted know-how, gathered during decades in precision optical components and other departments.
|
1990
LEICA corporation is created.
Several world-famous names under one roof.
Only three years after the creation of the WILD LEITZ corporation, the merger with the English "Cambridge Instruments Company plc" became the next milestone. The corporation was renamed LEICA and its subsidiary in Heerbrugg Leica Heerbrugg Ltd. Two years earlier, in 1988, the other world-famous Swiss manufacturer of optical instruments, Kern & Co KG in Aarau, had been taken over by WILD LEITZ.
In 1990, LEICA made headlines with a new type of opto-electronic instrument: the NA2000, the world's first digital level.
|
1987
WILD LEITZ corporation
Expansion of product range
Following the take-over in 1985 of the German firm of Ernst Leitz GmbH, Wetzlar, a world-famous manufacturer of high-quality microscopes and cameras, the WILD LEITZ corporation was founded at the beginning of 1987. The take-over of Ernst Leitz GmbH meant that the trade mark LEICA (from Leica Camera) also became the property of the new company. In the first half of 1987, the entire optical production was transferred to the new purpose-designed optical factory in Heerbrugg.
At this time, in addition to the products which were already a tradition, the manufacturing range included night-vision equipment, distancers, instruments for military use, and electro-optical survey instruments.
|
1954
WILD Heerbrugg Ltd
The WILD world-wide market is created
In 1954, the name of the company has changed to Wild Heerbrugg Ltd. The products manufactured at this time including various precision surveying instruments, aerial cameras, photogrammetric plotters, rangefinders and various models of quality microscopes.
During the following years and decades, the name of WILD became synonymous with top quality in opto-mechanical instrumentation. By 1953, the company already had more than 1500 employees world wide.
|
1921
Heinrich Wild
The beginnings
On April 26, 1921, the company "Heinrich Wild, Werkstätte für Feinmechanik und Optik" was founded by Heinrich Wild, Jacob Schmidheiny and Dr. Robert Helbling. They developed the first opto-mechanical theodolite, the T2, which is launched in 1923 and became highly regarded by generations of surveyors, particularly on account of its accuracy and reliability.
The first manufacturing facilities were located in Heerbrugg and represent the roots of WILD and LEICA, the two internationally-active companies which subsequently arise.
|
|
| Our salesteam |
|
Find your contacts here
|
|
