This is one of the company's largest investment projects worldwide: Since 2019, a new, state-of-the-art high-tech Zeiss site has been rising on an area of approximately eight hectares in the center of Jena. Currently, around 80 trades with 500 to 600 employees are working on the gigantic construction site. The next phase will involve the interior fit-out and the installation of the technology for the building complex. Designed by the Neu-Ulm-based architectural firm Nething, the complex, with approximately 118,000 square meters of usable space, is scheduled for completion by the end of 2026. Located near Jena's Westbahnhof train station, formerly occupied by the high-tech company Schott, the site will house all of Zeiss's development units in Jena, as well as a large portion of the local production and administrative departments. The company expects that consolidating these departments will lead to increased synergies in its operational processes and facilitate Contact with suppliers and partners. In two years, around 2,000 of the 3,500 ZEISS employees currently working in Jena will relocate to the new site, where they will conduct research and develop new products. The vacated land within the city of Jena will be developed and marketed primarily by LEG, the city's economic development agency.
Jena is the world's second-largest ZEISS location; the company has its roots in this city in eastern Thuringia. It was here that the mechanic Carl Zeiss founded the company in the 19th century. The new ZEISS High-Tech Campus will further strengthen Jena's reputation and importance as a traditional yet future-oriented investment and high-tech location.
