Carl Zeiss of Oberkochen, Germany, has opened its first production facility in China, in the city of Suzhou, approximately 80 km west of Shanghai. Initially the factory will house the volume manufacture of optical modules for digital projectors and, at a later date, for rear-projection televisions. The company has invested approximately h7.5 million in the building and in its machines and equipment.

The company also plans to supply the Asian market. Carl Zeiss Display Technologies (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Carl Zeiss Jena GmbH, was founded last year, and roughly 80 percent of its customers are located in the Far East or have their manufacturing facilities there.