New Leica factory opening ceremony

[grouchomarx]

Some pictures taken yesterday at the new Leica factory in Portugal.
Thought you might like this.

complete set at http://portostreetshooting.blogspot.com/




The new factory opening ceremony chick

The #1 Employee

The Red Dot

M quality control checks

Regards from Porto, Portugal.

grouchomarx

 

[Dante_Stella]

So are those rejected top covers? It looks like the technician is deeply scratching them with a steel-pointed tool.

Dante

 

[grouchomarx]

So are those rejected top covers? It looks like the technician is deeply scratching them with a steel-pointed tool.

Dante

yes, the girl was manually inspecting the top covers and if something was detected it was marked with a soft pencil and put aside (that's a pencil she's holding).

grouchomarx

 

[MISH]

great shoots of something that many of us here would like to have a chance to see
(I checked out your blog and was very impressed)

 

[jarski]

so its not just Wetzlar factory (dont know if its operating yet, was suppose to replace Solms) thats new. good times for Leica!

 

[grouchomarx]

so its not just Wetzlar factory (dont know if its operating yet, was suppose to replace Solms) thats new. good times for Leica!

In 1972 Leica opened a factory in Northern Portugal, near Oporto. They used mainly specialized workers from some watchmaking facilities that were being closed.

The old factory was getting older 🙂 and in the last few years inadequate for the production needs and they decided to move to another location near the old one.

The project was started in 2007-2008 (I think) then at that time Leica wasn't doing well and they stopped, but then things got better with teh M9 I think and they endded up investing close to $30 million there.

By the way - the guys at the german factory they only glue the red dots in the cameras 🙂

grouchomarx

 

[bonatto]

How's it made in germany then?

In 1972 Leica opened a factory in Northern Portugal, near Oporto. They used mainly specialized workers from some watchmaking facilities that were being closed.

The old factory was getting older 🙂 and in the last few years inadequate for the production needs and they decided to move to another location near the old one.

The project was started in 2007-2008 (I think) then at that time Leica wasn't doing well and they stopped, but then things got better with teh M9 I think and they endded up investing close to $30 million there.

By the way - the guys at the german factory they only glue the red dots in the cameras 🙂

grouchomarx

 

[grouchomarx]

How's it made in germany then?

They've tried in the past to market the products with Made in Portugal or Made in Canada labels and sales dropped quite a bit, apparently.

grouchomarx

 

[DominikDUK]

How's it made in germany then?

Many made in Germany and Austria products are produced outside of these countries because the relevant thing for the made in label is not the place of construction but the place of added value (Wertschöpfung in German). Only a small part of the product has to be made in either Austria or Germany in order to receive the made in germany label, the important thing is that the red dot adds a lot of value to the product therefore most of the products value was created in germany = made in germany. Though I do believe that Wetzlar Solms do produce quiet a few cameras.

 

[Filzkoeter]

Many made in Germany and Austria products are produced outside of these countries because the relevant thing for the made in label is not the place of construction but the place of added value (Wertschöpfung in German). Only a small part of the product has to be made in either Austria or Germany in order to receive the made in germany label, the important thing is that the red dot adds a lot of value to the product therefore most of the products value was created in germany = made in germany. Though I do believe that Wetzlar Solms do produce quiet a few cameras.

I don't think that only glueing red dot adds that much value from a legal point of view.
IMO there has to be some kind of end-assembly and/or end-quality-control here.

 

[DominikDUK]

The red dot was a bit of oversimplification End control + Quality Control adds the most value and is mostly likely beeing performed in Germany. Adding the red button at the end = end assembly. As I've stated before I believe that Leica still produces cameras in Germany maybe the added the portugese factory because of production capacity problems in Germany. I stand by my point that not everything that is beeing marketed as made in Germany was/is really made in German.

 

[grouchomarx]

yes, i agree - just look at ipods and iphones made in china / designed in california. IMO "made in" should be used according to where more value is added (being that the physical product or the brand itself) and in the case of Leica thats Germany.

However, as far as I know lens and bodies (incl. electronics) of M and S2 cameras are manufactured in Portugal and only the sensor - and the red dot 🙂 - is assembled in Germany.

I'd say craftsmanship lies in the portuguese factory, having a 40 year experience - and marketing in Solms...

grouchomarx