leicapfile Posted August 13, 2007 Share #1 Posted August 13, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) FWIW-LHSA flier for the annual meet in Rochester, noted that Leica is moving manufacturing from Solms back to Wetzlar to a place called the 'Leitz Industrial Park'. Anyone else heard this? Jerry Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted August 13, 2007 Posted August 13, 2007 Hi leicapfile, Take a look here Goodbye Solms?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
marknorton Posted August 13, 2007 Share #2 Posted August 13, 2007 I believe it's all part of Leica being taken private by Austria Capital Management. They already have more than 95% of the company and were recently making noises about compulsory purchasing the remainder. ACM has interests in other companies in the Wetzlar area (some of which do work for Leica) and creating an industrial park for them is an ambitious plan which makes sense. Wetzlar is, of course, the spiritual home of Leica and Leica Microsystems are still based there. I think ACM want to reinforce the heritage (the font and red dot changes on the Summarit lenses are, I expect, just the start) and invest for the future. It's good news for Leica. Besides, the Solms site is constrained, being bounded on one side by a railway line: Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Scaling off the map suggests the Solms building is 125000 square feet, 11700 square metres. Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Scaling off the map suggests the Solms building is 125000 square feet, 11700 square metres. ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/30959-goodbye-solms/?do=findComment&comment=328086'>More sharing options...
marknorton Posted August 13, 2007 Share #3 Posted August 13, 2007 [Does make you wonder what would become of the street name "Oskar-Barnack-Strasse". If Leica move out, the only thing "Oskar-Barnack-Strasse" will lead to is a... sewerage plant - over the railway line]. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/30959-goodbye-solms/?do=findComment&comment=328090'>More sharing options...
Guest guy_mancuso Posted August 13, 2007 Share #4 Posted August 13, 2007 Jerry was that the rumor or the fact in the article. But yes I already know from my trip over there. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhsimmonds Posted August 13, 2007 Share #5 Posted August 13, 2007 I have also heard that when 100% ownership is achieved it is planned to change the company name back to the original Ernst Leitz AG. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
marknorton Posted August 13, 2007 Share #6 Posted August 13, 2007 I doubt that it would be an AG because that is a public stock company; more likely to be Ernst Leitz GmbH (Gesellschaft mit beschraenkter Haftung) - Limited Liability Company) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joop van Heijgen Posted August 13, 2007 Share #7 Posted August 13, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) I have also heard that when 100% ownership is achieved it is planned to change the company name back to the original Ernst Leitz AG. ... in the mean time the big part of production (M7, M8, R9) takes place in Portugal....! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
billh Posted August 13, 2007 Share #8 Posted August 13, 2007 How far is Wetzlar from Solms, and are they apt to lose some key employees if they make this move? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdai Posted August 13, 2007 Share #9 Posted August 13, 2007 How far is Wetzlar from Solms, and are they apt to lose some key employees if they make this move? 7.8km, 12min. drive ... ON PAPER. from: Wetzlar, Germany to: solms, germany - Google Maps Which is good ... I'd like to see them putting the Wetzlar engraving back on every genuine Leica product so people can tell apart them from those made by Panasonic. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guy_mancuso Posted August 13, 2007 Share #10 Posted August 13, 2007 It's very close to Wetzler and if anything better for the employees , no one seems to live in Solms Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
leicapfile Posted August 13, 2007 Author Share #11 Posted August 13, 2007 Guy, In the flier it listed some of the speakers. One (whose name I don't recall) was noted as the man who was in charge of relocating the facilities. So doubt if it was rumor, Surprised no one had mentioned it before, Best, Jerry Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
marknorton Posted August 13, 2007 Share #12 Posted August 13, 2007 I do wonder what the point of the LHSA is in the new Leica digital world. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdai Posted August 13, 2007 Share #13 Posted August 13, 2007 I guess it's like one of those fan clubs sponsored by record companies, every punk band needs one. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosuna Posted August 13, 2007 Share #14 Posted August 13, 2007 I think the Leitz family prevented the use of the name "LEITZ" when they lost the control of the company. The three resulting companies were renamed "Leica". Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ho_co Posted August 13, 2007 Share #15 Posted August 13, 2007 Rubén-- I worked for Leitz in the US at the time of the name change. Leitz Germany hired a team of consultants to ask what moves it should make to secure its future. One of their solutions was (my reformulation): "You have only one product with an internationally recognized name--LEICA. You would gain better recognition if that were also the company name. What's a LEITZ, anyway?" Could be that the Leitz family requested that their name not be used, but I think Andreas Kaufmann is home free on that one. The probable move was publicized as of February. See accompanying PDF (in German). Source: www.mittelhessen.de/Seite der Zeitungsgruppe Lahn-Dill, apparently currently accessible only to subscribers of the Wetzlarer Neue Zeitung. --HC Leica wieder nach Wetzlar zurück.pdf Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guy_mancuso Posted August 13, 2007 Share #16 Posted August 13, 2007 Guy, In the flier it listed some of the speakers. One (whose name I don't recall) was noted as the man who was in charge of relocating the facilities. So doubt if it was rumor, Surprised no one had mentioned it before, Best, Jerry Thanks Jerry it was one of my do not talk about but since it is out than that is what we were told Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
marknorton Posted August 13, 2007 Share #17 Posted August 13, 2007 Such a move will end years of under-investment and that bodes well for the future of Leica. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guy_mancuso Posted August 13, 2007 Share #18 Posted August 13, 2007 They need the space for the future and Solms is pretty full now. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosuna Posted August 13, 2007 Share #19 Posted August 13, 2007 Rubén--I worked for Leitz in the US at the time of the name change. Leitz Germany hired a team of consultants to ask what moves it should make to secure its future. One of their solutions was (my reformulation): "You have only one product with an internationally recognized name--LEICA. You would gain better recognition if that were also the company name. What's a LEITZ, anyway?" Could be that the Leitz family requested that their name not be used, but I think Andreas Kaufmann is home free on that one. The probable move was publicized as of February. See accompanying PDF (in German). Source: www.mittelhessen.de/Seite der Zeitungsgruppe Lahn-Dill, apparently currently accessible only to subscribers of the Wetzlarer Neue Zeitung. --HC Thank you very much HC!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruiespanhol Posted August 22, 2007 Share #20 Posted August 22, 2007 ... in the mean time the big part of production (M7, M8, R9) takes place in Portugal....! I hope this production still remains in Portugal even if Leica moves back to Wetzlar. I stay there in 2003 and I have one great friend mine who works on the factory. For the employees and for my country this factory is most important. I hope Leica still remains in Portugal for many years to come. Best, Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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