asphericon expands its headquarters

New sustainable building in Jena

Jena, March 2022: asphericon GmbH has launched its biggest construction project to date. The tech pioneer is expanding its premises with a four-storey administration and R&D building, which will also contain staff facilities. Necessitated by the firm’s growing workforce, the timber structure taking shape on the company’s site in Jena will combine sustainability with a pleasant indoor climate. Construction will take 12 months and is part of a €15 million investment package.

On 12 March, the construction of asphericon’s new four-storey office block began at company headquarters. It will provide a total of 1,200 square metres (nearly 13,000 square feet) of new floor space for asphericon’s administrative and development departments, tripling the current size of its premises there. “Above all, we’re naturally delighted to be able to give our colleagues more room,” explained CEO Alexander Zschäbitz. “Last year, despite the pandemic, we stayed on course with growth exceeding 50%, and we’re continuing to create new jobs and grow our product range. We therefore now need to invest in our headquarters here in Jena. This includes expanding staff facilities, modernizing the washrooms, and a lot more besides,” added asphericon’s CEO.

Throughout the construction project, particular attention will be paid to sustainability. The result will be the first building in the optics industry to be constructed out of sustainable timber. “Ever since we first built our own premises here in Jena back in 2011, we’ve managed to operate without gas or oil. In the meantime, we’ve added two more sites – and again, they don’t use any gas or oil. Accordingly, this new building fits in perfectly with our sustainable strategy, which already includes our own solar power system, around 25 electric cars, onsite charging stations, and over 50 company bicycles,” said Zschäbitz, outlining asphericon’s sustainability drive. As in the company’s existing buildings, the new structure’s indoor heating system will run on waste heat. Moreover, electricity will be generated using a photovoltaic system.

According to Zschäbitz, a total of €15 million has been earmarked for investment. Apart from the new building, this will also cover additional plant and machinery. In addition to the site in Jena, almost a third of this amount will be invested in asphericon’s Czech factory.

About asphericon

As an independent and recognized specialist, asphericon is the technology leader in the field of aspheric systems. The production is based on a self-developed and patented technology for the control of CNC grinding and polishing machines. With this worldwide unique equipment, it is possible to produce small quantities up to large series with high accuracy. asphericon accompanies its customers from optical design, production and coating, full-surface interferometric measurement and documentation up to the assembly of optical components as well as their optical characterization.

For further information

Dr. Thomas Hegenbart
Tel.: +49-3641-3100500
Fax: +49-3641-3100501
E-mail: presse[at]asphericon.com