Leica Microsystems is a world leader in microscopes and scientific instruments. Founded as a family business in the nineteenth century, the company’s history was marked by unparalleled innovation on its way to becoming a global enterprise.
Its historically close cooperation with the scientific community is the key to Leica Microsystems’ tradition of innovation, which draws on users’ ideas and creates solutions tailored to their requirements. At the global level, Leica Microsystems is organized in three divisions, all of which are among the leaders in their respective fields: the Life Science Division, Industry Division, and Medical Division.
Leica Microsystems has six manufacturing facilities in five countries, with sales and service organizations in 20 countries. The company is headquartered in Wetzlar, Germany.
Leica Partners in the World
A History of Success
- 1847 - Foundation of Spencer Lens/American Optical Instruments in USA.
- 1849 - Carl Kellner establishes the "Optical Institute" in Wetzlar.
- 1853 - Foundation of the Bausch & Lomb Instruments Division in USA.
- 1869 - Ernst Leitz takes over the "Optical Institute" and renames the company Ernst Leitz.
- 1872 - Foundation of the precision engineering company R. Jung in Heidelberg.
- 1876 - Foundation of the optical company C. Reichert in Vienna.
- 1881 - The son of Charles Darwin, Horace, establishes the optical company "Cambridge Instruments" .
- 1907 - The 100.000th microscope is presented to Nobel prize winner Robert Koch.
- 1921 - Foundation of the optical company Wild Heerbrugg in Switzerland.
- 1972 - Beginning of cooperation between Leitz Wetzlar and Wild Heerbrugg.
- 1976 - Metals Research expanded and bought Cambridge Instruments (1st manufacturer of Scanning Electron Microscopes).
- 1981 - Foundation of the Wild Leitz group.
- 1986 - Takeover of Reichert-Jung by Cambridge Instruments.
- 1990 - The Wild Leitz and Cambridge Instruments groups merge to form the Leica group.
- 1993 - 1st Joint Venture Opening of the Leica group in China for specimen preparation.
- 1994 - Opening of the 2nd Leica Joint Venture for microscopy in China.
- 1996 - Acquisition of Jenoptik, E-Beam Lithography business and foundation of the Leica Microsystems Lithography in Jena.
- 1999 - 150 Years of Leica Microscope Optics for Progress in Science and Industry.
- 2001 - Launch of the 150x/0.90/248nm DUV AT objective in Airspace Technology.
- 2003 - German Innovation Award for the DUV objective.
- 2004 - Presentation of the World's first 4PI Confocal Microscope.
- 2005 - Danaher Corporation acquires Leica Microsystems.
- 2006 - German Innovation Award for high-resolution microscope with 4PI technology.
- 2006 - Prof. Stefan Hell receives German Future Award from the German Federal President for the STED microscope