International Reputation as a Photonics Location

This cluster mainly consists of around fifty SMEs with over 2,000 employees in all, 1,300 of whom work in Rathenow. Industry leaders (Fielmann, Essilor) and more than twenty-five SMEs are based in this town. Further important locations are the three neighbouring towns of Teltow, Stahnsdorf and Kleinmachnow, where twelve companies with around 200 employees manufacture innovative products for the laser, measurement and communication technologies.

With sales growth in double figures and a considerable increase in the number of employees in recent years, the companies in the Berlin-Brandenburg Photonics cluster have enjoyed a very dynamic expansion in recent years. In ophthalmics and optomechanics, Brandenburg’s photonic industry achieves a real net output ratio that is unparalleled in the rest of Germany.

The Potsdam-Teltow area boasts an amazing concentration of R&D institutes and facilities with internationally recognised expertise in optics. Their activities focus on laser technology, semi-conductor radiation sources (laser diodes, LED), optical telecommunication technology (Internet of the next generation), packaging technology, silicon photonics, UV and x-rays, optical measuring technology, image processing, biomedical optics, and lighting engineering.