Global optical lenses major Zeiss Group will invest about Rs 2,500 crore on a new plant in Karnataka, primarily to augment its spectacle glasses manufacturing capacity. It will further support the company’s strategy as the Indian arm is set to play a critical role in the global supply chain.

The Group's arm Carl Zeiss India has procured 34 acres of land close to the (Bengaluru) airport and is also looking to add another nine acres for the plant. It will open up employment generation for about 800 people, initially, with a potential to employ 5,000 people on full operational capacity. 

The construction work on the plant is expected to start by middle of this month, and manufacturing is expected by October 2024 on parallel lines. The glass manufacturing in spectacle blanks is likley to reach two lakhs per day from about the current 30,000 per day capacity. For prescription lenses, the capacity could go up to about 60,000 per day from about 10,000 per day.

Apart from optical lenses, the new plant will also have space to aid medical technology or research microscopy, at a later stage. In optical lenses Carl Zeiss India manufactures spectacle blank and prescription lenses, with a majority for exporting to regions like Europe, Asia, and others, while 25 percent caters to domestic demand.