Our story

We celebrate 30 years precision and innovation!

…and look back on a successful company history. Together with customers, suppliers, business partners and employees, we celebrate the past 30 years.

Certified sustainability at POG

We set an example in terms of sustainability. With the introduction of our environmental management system, we received the corresponding ISO 14001:2015 certification from the Chamber of Industry and Commerce at the end of the year.

We are dealing with the Corona crisis and lockdown together.

Production is up and running, we are adjusting shift schedules and enabling home office & childcare options for staff.Thanks to our new company building, we have more than enough space to continue working with safe social-distancing.

Good bye!

At the end of the year, one of the company founders, Aleksander Wlodarski, bids us farewell as he heads into well-deserved retirement. He hands the responsibilities for POG‘s Research and Development division to Dr. Stefan Müller-Pfeiffer. We say THANK YOU to an outstanding optical designer and courageous company founder. His skill as a leader and innovator will continue to influence POG for years to come.

A big step for more growth.

We are investing EUR 14 million in a new company building, infrastructure and the expansion of our production and will move into our new location in Löbichau at the beginning of 2019. Now we have 80,000 sf of production space, 10,000 sf of clean room and substantially more offices for engineering and adminstration.

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EUR 5 million invested in manufacturing.

At the end of 2015, we successfully complete a major investment project: the expansion of our microstructuring and optical systems technologies.

All in the family

A valuable member of POG since 2004, Jan Schubach takes over the management role of POG from his father in 2011. Company founder Manfred Schubach remains active at POG and is involved in apprentice training and the promotion of young talent.

More space for research and development.

We inaugurate our new production area for microstructures and create more space for our R&D employees. Four physicists, numerous engineers and material scientists now work at POG as of 2010. The area has grown to 10 employees that develop customer solutions and new products.

We are 100.

On February 1, 2008, we hire our 100th employee. We are proud of a growing team with a balanced gender ratio and an average age of 41.

We invest in microstructructuring and clean room.

The largest investment project in the company’s history to date is successfully completed. A completely new cleanroom environment for microstructuring is created and we can now respond even faster and more reliably to customer requirements.

TÜV certified and well connected.

We receive our innaugural TÜV certification in accordance with ISO-9001 for the development, production and distribution of precision optical components, assemblies and devices from UV to IR. We are one of the founding members of OptoNet e.V., the new trade association representing the interests of the Thuringian photonics industry.

Excellent export ratio.

From our start, we have invested much effort in helping customers internationally. Our share of export sales grows to 33% in 1997. Especially strong relationships were in the USA, Israel and Western Europe – where have numerous partners in the technology sector. For this achievement, we were awarded the ›Export Prize of the East German Economy‹. Since 1997, the share of sales generated abroad has continued to grow – reaching 65% in 2020.

Business stabilizes. We start vocational training.

We initiate a training program to fulfill our own need for skilled workers. Over the years, more than 50 precision opticians, industrial mechanics and microtechnologists have successfully completed vocational training at POG – most of whom are still with the company today.

Company foundation in turbulent times.

The three “Zeissianer” Manfred Schubach, Ray George and Aleksander Wlodarski take a leap of faith and found the company POG Präzisionsoptik Gera GmbH through a management buy-out following the closure of the ZEISS plant in Gera. Of the 3,500 workers previously employed by Zeiss, 42 of the most skilled and motivated join the new venture when the company starts operations in 1992 in the Keplerstrasse industrial park.

POG in a Germany TV documentary on ›30 years of economic and monetary union‹ from 20.9.2020