Beyond vision: A 'triple leap' witnessing Shanghai speed

[Video/Wenhui Daily]

For ZEISS, Shanghai has been the starting point of a remarkable localization journey in China.

In this episode, Frank Xie, chief operating officer of ZEISS Greater China, describes how the company has grown with Pudong's opening-up and development. ZEISS, founded in 1846, has been in China for 69 years. Xie says its rapid growth has benefited from "Pudong speed": when China runs 24/7, the company's services must also run 24/7.

ZEISS's first "leap" came in 1999, when it established a trading company in Waigaoqiao, taking its first step in localizing operations in China. The second came in 2013, after the Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone was upgraded into the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, where ZEISS set up its Greater China headquarters.

The third leap is even more significant: ZEISS is investing 1.2 billion yuan to build an integrated Greater China headquarters campus in the free trade zone. The more than 50,000-square-meter campus is expected to be completed and put into use in early 2028.

For Xie, this is a new campus and a leap into the future, one that shows ZEISS's confidence in Shanghai, Pudong and China's innovation ecosystem.