Where are made the Conquest HD (1 Viewer)

[eronald]

I am pretty sure that Zeiss will not offer tours. You have to be set up specifically to do this on a regular basis because occasional visits are so disruptive. Just think of all the precautions necessary:
Ensure no new product prototypes or components are on view.
Ensure no documents, drawings or brochures concerning new product development are on desks, pinned to notice boards, or visible on computer screens.
Check in reception to ensure no brochures illustrating a forthcoming new product have been delivered and are visible (I include this unlikely example as this actually happened at a company I visited).
Ensure that no chalkboards or whiteboards in offices or meeting rooms have anything on them that reveals new product plans or thinking.

And then there are the stats often posted around offices and factory floors that you wouldn't want to reveal to outsiders:
Production targets for this shift/day/ week/ month vs actual production achieved.
Ditto sales targets.
Scrapped product figures, customer complaints figures etc etc etc

Lee

Lee,

What you say applies to any company or public establishment.

However many companies do manage to offer tours, and the risk of a brochure leak is in the end not much greater than that of someone forgetting a prototype in a pub

Customers and dealers like the climate of confidence in the process which a tour generates, and they are good PR. Among other things because they decisively clear up small but important questions like "where is the product really made" and also tech questions which interest specialists but which can be answered without giving away trade secrets.

And then also, there is the recruitement aspect ...

With a bunch of other PhDs, I took a tour of a satellite facility a few years ago in Germany, and in the lobby we were immediately asked whether one of us scientists would be interested in filling one of the available and very skilled jobs.

Edmund

 

[Troubador]

Lee,

What you say applies to any company or public establishment.

However many companies do manage to offer tours, and the risk of a brochure leak is in the end not much greater than that of someone forgetting a prototype in a pub

Customers and dealers like the climate of confidence in the process which a tour generates, and they are good PR. Among other things because they decisively clear up small but important questions like "where is the product really made" and also tech questions which interest specialists but which can be answered without giving away trade secrets.

And then also, there is the recruitement aspect ...

With a bunch of other PhDs, I took a tour of a satellite facility a few years ago in Germany, and in the lobby we were immediately asked whether one of us scientists would be interested in filling one of the available and very skilled jobs.

Edmund

Absolutely Edmund. To be clear what I meant was that while it is absolutely possible to organise a company to have regular tours by the public it is very disruptive if they happen only rarely or infrequently. Visits by dealers are a slightly different issue as they are privy to a certain amount of information that is not made available to the public and dealers are assumed to have a commitment to the company and to having a good trusting relationship.

Lee

 

[Gijs van Ginkel]

In addition to my previous posts with regard to company visits: I received an invitation to visit Steiner a couple of years ago and I got to see a lot of the production and quality control process. Years before I had also visited Hartmann and there mr. Hartmann showed me practically all details of their production process.
Similar experiences I had with Swarovski at repeated company visits.
Gijs van Ginkel

 

[jan van daalen]

Please let us take into consideration that since March 2020 we have COVID and visits are out of the question.
The Leica visit is like a museum tour. Although very interesting it has nothing to do with a factory visit.

Jan

 

[kimmik]

Just read the full thread - trying to figure out where victory SF is made: guessing here that german glass shaped and coated in hungary then assembled in germany?

Victory pocket and sfl now fully committed to japan, leica nv uv fully committed to portugal, does make me wonder if the next Victory will be labelled differently.

 

[AlphaFan]

That kind of guessing has fathered many internet rumors.

 

[Troubador]

Just read the full thread - trying to figure out where victory SF is made: guessing here that german glass shaped and coated in hungary then assembled in germany?

No need to guess, here is what Herr Christian Bannert (Vice President Operations, Consumer Products Business Group) of Zeiss, said in my interview published on Birdforum some years ago:

"To be clear, Wetzlar is now focused on high-quality assembly, testing and quality assurance, Hungary on the production of optical components (lenses and prisms) and subassemblies."

Lee

 

[kimmik]

No need to guess, here is what Herr Christian Bannert (Vice President Operations, Consumer Products Business Group) of Zeiss, said in my interview published on Birdforum some years ago:

"To be clear, Wetzlar is now focused on high-quality assembly, testing and quality assurance, Hungary on the production of optical components (lenses and prisms) and subassemblies."

Lee

Thank you Lee, thats the confirmation I was hoping for.

Waiting for the next “SF”, hoping for ”perfect” colours.

 

[Terrierkennedy21]

Does it really matter. The conquests are, in my humble opinion, after long testing sessions the best sub £1000 binos around, and built like a tank.
They push Alphas very close. Very close indeed!!
They probably need to source out a bit to hit that price.
Epic Binos, and besides, the Japanese are top drawer for manufacturing, be that cars, cameras, lenses etc.
Don't even start me on high end Jap watches, which will easily go head to head with Swiss timepieces.

You are indeed correct.
Grand Seiko man.

 

[SUPPRESSOR]

The same counts for China as long as the sample variation is in line and that is a matter of QC and that is a matter of investments which makes the bin less profitable, while the first reason to outsource is more profit.
It's all about profit and margins.
China makes the same quality as every other country.......... when paid for.

Jan

China makes the same quality as every other country.......... when paid for.
Some of the Chinese tripods are outstanding in design and quality.
Peter.

 

[SUPPRESSOR]

What, you’re not allowed to tell us where Bösendorfers are made?
Actually, I don’t think anyone really care where binoculars are made, but whether they can be serviced in Europe is an interesting question for those with Zeiss instruments that are finalized and collimated by a subcontractor.

Edmund

I don’t think anyone really care where binoculars are made.
Well, obviously some people do.

 

[UTGrad]

China makes the same quality as every other country.......... when paid for.
Some of the Chinese tripods are outstanding in design and quality.
Peter.

 

[roweraay]

The same counts for China as long as the sample variation is in line and that is a matter of QC and that is a matter of investments which makes the bin less profitable, while the first reason to outsource is more profit.
It's all about profit and margins.
China makes the same quality as every other country.......... when paid for.

Jan

This is a good point. I noticed that my absolute best camera lens, the Sony 135mm f/1.8 GM, is "Made in China". I assume the "Made in" is more of a final assembly point, of the fundamental optical bits that originated out of Japan, but nevertheless, that's what it states on the lens.

The "GM" designation on the lens is only provided to their top-end optics.

The lens is premium priced, and that's the point to be highlighted, attesting to your contention that you get a top quality product, "when paid for".