OBERKOCHEN, Germany — Zeiss will strengthen its activities in Russia, the Ukraine, the Commonwealth of Independent States and Georgia by acquiring a majority stake in the Optec Group, the long-standing sales and service partner responsible for this territory.

With this step, Zeiss is continuing and expanding its almost 115-year presence in the region. Optec is represented in the territory with approx. 300 employees and operates 16 subsidiaries and branches in seven countries. In the future the shares of the company will be jointly held by Carl Zeiss AG and the long-standing owner Family v. Korff. The shares of the former CEO and shareholder Maksym Igelnyk will be therefore fully acquired by Zeiss. Effective 1 January 2018, Optec will be led by Michael Hubensack (Zeiss) and Nicholas v. Korff.