Lens company merger given the go-ahead

The merger between the Carl Zeiss Ophthalmic Lens Division and Sola International is now complete, following the approval of antitrust authorities in the US and the EU as well as Australia and Switzerland.
The merger was approved by shareholders at the end of February, and they will receive US $28 per share in cash.
The new parent company Carl Zeiss Vision, privately held jointly by Carl Zeiss AG and EQT III fund, will be headquartered in Aalen, Germany and will be one of the world's largest manufacturers and a supplier of semi-finished lenses and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) products.
The company, under chief executive Jeremy Bishop, will have a workforce of 9,000 people, and annual revenues of around 800m. Bishop has been CEO of Sola International since April 2000. He will be joined by chief financial officer Klaus Leinmueller, who has been senior vice president corporate finance and controlling for the Carl Zeiss Group since 2002.
A number of general managers have been announced, including Mark Ashcroft, who will be responsible for Western Europe, covering the UK, Ireland, Benelux, Spain and Portugal, as well as the Sunlens business.
Bishop said that the merger between Carl Zeiss and Sola would bring significant benefits to customers and employees, including a strong regional focus to serve the different needs of customers in the various parts of the world.
'Our priority during and after the integration process is to ensure our customers continue to get the benefits of existing products and services, followed by the introduction of additional access to a more expanded portfolio,' he said.