A total of 32 Thuringian businesses and researchers travelled to the west coast of the United States to present their latest developments at Photonics West, the world’s biggest trade fair for photonics, laser and optical technologies. The group comprised mainly small- and medium-sized companies alongside optics heavyweights Jenoptik and Carl Zeiss and a number of start-ups from Jena. Exhibiting at the event has become a ‘must’ for many Thuringian companies - and their order books show why. “66 per cent of the turnover of these companies comes from exports, which shows how strong their international links are.
The international market is predicted to continue growing in the coming years, especially in Asia and the United States,” says Klaus Schindler, Managing Director of the Thuringian photonics network, OptoNet e.V.
Attending Photonics West proved particularly worthwhile for three up-and-coming researchers from the Institute for Applied Physics at Friedrich Schiller University in Jena: Thomas Gottschall, Sven Breitkopf and Helena Kämmer received awards for the results of their research. Thomas Gottschall won the ‘JenLab Young Investigator Award’ for developing a laser source the size of a shoebox, i.e. 20 times smaller than comparable systems, which is in demand for medical imaging processes.
The eight Thuringian companies that made their way to Laser World of Photonics Shanghai in China in March also found the trip well worth it. Supported by the LEG Thüringen’s team Thuringia International, three of the companies exhibited at the shared Thuringian stand at this trade fair, while the other five had their own stands. All made a lasting impression on customers from the rapidly growing Asian market. (gro)
