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SCHOTT: The Jena Glass Dynasty Survived Two World Wars Through Wafer Technology and Vaccine Vials

Founded: Otto Schott, Ernst Abbe, Carl Zeiss · SCHOTT AG

JOURNEY

Key Fields

FIELD STAMPS
IndustryEnergy
RegionEurope
ScaleGiant
ChannelB2B

Origin

Born in 1851 to a family of glassmakers in Witten, Germany, Otto Schott studied physics and chemistry at a vocational school after primary school, frequently observing processes in chemical and glass factories. Despite his traditional background, he insisted on transforming the industry through scientific methods. In 1887, he synthesized a new type of glass containing lithium and boron in his laboratory, solving the century-old problem of glass shattering due to temperature differences. In 1884, he moved to Jena to establish the world's first optical glass factory. In 1888, he co-founded the predecessor of SCHOTT AG with Abbe and Zeiss. His motivation was to turn glassmaking from a 'craft' into a 'science,' winning orders through reproducible formulas rather than the experience of master craftsmen.

Milestones

1884
Founding Period Turning Point
In 1884, Otto Schott moved to Jena to establish the world's first optical glass factory. Four years later, in 1888, he formally established the 'Schott & Genossen Glass Technology Laboratory' with physicist Ernst Abbe, precision mechanic Carl Zeiss, and Zeiss's son Roderich, forming the prototype of today's SCHOTT AG. At its inception, the laboratory's product catalog featured fewer than 50 types of optical glass, but it rapidly expanded the variety and applications of glass. The glass industry was subsequently described as having undergone a 'quantum leap' into the modern industrial sequence during this period, which lasted from 1884 to 1888.
1887
Material Breakthrough PMF
Building on the new glass synthesized in 1887, Otto Schott systematically developed heat-resistant and chemically resistant borosilicate glass between 1887 and 1893. This became the core formula for the world-renowned 'Jenaer Glas,' providing reproducible chemical standards for laboratory equipment, thermometers, and medical tubing for the first time. Around 1908, SCHOTT introduced this material into medical packaging, and borosilicate glass became the global gold standard for pharmaceutical packaging. By the outbreak of WWI, SCHOTT had achieved a near-monopoly in the optical glass field.
1919
Foundation and Expansion Turning Point
In 1919, SCHOTT's shares were transferred to the Carl Zeiss Foundation, making it a foundation-owned enterprise. By that year, the company had over 1,200 employees. This equity arrangement allowed the company to survive the hyperinflation and political turmoil of the Weimar Republic. From 1918 to the 1920s, the company launched the heat-resistant consumer glass 'Jenaer Glas,' offsetting the decline in military demand after WWI with the civilian market. In 1927, Otto's son, Erich Schott, took over, expanding the single laboratory into an industrial group through the acquisition of multiple glass factories, establishing the group structure that exists today. This phase lasted from 1919 to 1927.
1939
WWII and Military Industry Failure
During WWII, the Jena factory produced optical and electronic glass for the Nazi military-industrial system and utilized forced labor. In March 1945, the factory was partially damaged by an air raid. This history of complicity with the regime became the heaviest moral and legal burden for SCHOTT. Fortunately, management resisted orders from superiors to destroy the facility, facilitating a non-combat handover of Jena, which preserved key equipment and archives and prevented the total destruction of the factory, leaving a spark for post-war technical reconstruction. This phase lasted from 1939 to 1945.
1945
Division and Relocation Turning Point
After WWII, the Soviet occupation zone nationalized the Jena factory, and SCHOTT's core assets changed hands overnight. The original management led 41 glass experts (known as the 'Migration of the 41 Glassmakers') to relocate to Mainz to rebuild from scratch, with the new factory officially starting production in 1952. After German reunification, the East German Jena plant and the West German Mainz plant merged into Schott Glaswerke AG. The Mainz plant developed into one of the world's largest optical glass production bases, and SCHOTT has been headquartered in Mainz ever since. This phase lasted from 1945 to 1952.
2020
Vaccine Vial Boom Growth
During the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately three-quarters of global vaccine R&D projects used SCHOTT's borosilicate pharmaceutical glass. Several domestic COVID-19 vaccine projects approved for clinical trials also directly selected SCHOTT-manufactured vials, leading media to call the century-old company the 'maker of 1 billion safes for vaccines.' SCHOTT Pharma leveraged the pandemic to transition from a niche packaging supplier to a global strategic supplier. The pharmaceutical business has since remained a primary growth engine for the group's overall performance. This phase lasted from 2020 to 2022.
2024
Semiconductor Second Curve Growth
The group's revenue for the 2024/25 fiscal year was approximately 2.83 billion EUR, with the semiconductor business accounting for about 10% of revenue, showing a compound annual growth rate of about 7% from 2015 to 2023. In March 2026, SCHOTT debuted its advanced packaging glass substrates, high-purity quartz glass, and fiber optic inspection solutions at SEMICON China 2026. In the same month, it announced an additional investment of over 60 million RMB in Suzhou, targeting an annual output value exceeding 1 billion RMB by 2030, channeling cash flow accumulated from 'vaccine vials' into the glass wafer and substrate track for AI chip packaging. This phase lasts from 2024 to 2026.

Turning Points

  • Co-founding the joint laboratory with Abbe and Zeiss in 1888, transforming glass from manual recipes into mass-producible, certifiable chemical science.
  • Transferring equity to the Carl Zeiss Foundation in 1919, using foundation ownership to isolate the company from family inheritance, war, and regime change risks.
  • The 1945-1952 relocation of 41 experts to Mainz after the nationalization of Jena, proving that the truly portable assets of a technology company are its talent.
  • The 2020 COVID-19 vaccine vial demand surge, upgrading borosilicate pharmaceutical glass from a niche business to a global strategic resource.

Failures & Pitfalls

  • Producing optical and electronic glass for the Nazi military and using forced labor during WWII; the 1945 air raid on the Jena factory remains the darkest page in the company's history.
  • The confiscation of the Jena factory by the East German government after WWII, which instantly split assets and brand; the relocated team had to rebuild from scratch in Mainz, not resuming production until 1952, effectively resetting the savings of the 1930s to zero.
  • The contraction of German military demand after WWI forced the company to pivot to civilian markets in the 1918-1920s, launching 'Jenaer Glas' to find new growth, proving that a single-customer military model was unsustainable.

关键成功要素

  • Defining material standards through chemical formulas: The borosilicate glass invented in 1887 turned heat and acid/alkali resistance from artisan experience into reproducible, certifiable industrial standards, remaining the gold standard for pharmaceutical glass today.
  • Foundation ownership locks in long-termism: By transferring equity to the Carl Zeiss Foundation in 1919, the company does not rely on family succession or external capital, allowing it to withstand a century of war and nationalization shocks.
  • Prioritizing talent during crises: Rebuilding the Mainz plant after 1945 with 41 relocated experts demonstrates that the moat for deep-tech manufacturing companies is the formula and the talent, not the factory equipment.
  • Dual-wheel business hedging cycles: Pharmaceutical borosilicate glass and semiconductor glass wafers/advanced packaging substrates belong to two long-cycle tracks (pharma and electronics), supporting the group's annual revenue of approximately 2.8 billion EUR.
  • Localized R&D for incremental markets: Transitioning from a manufacturing base to an integrated R&D, production, and sales hub in China, with over 60 million RMB in additional Suzhou investment in 2026, binding local innovation to Chinese policies and orders.

Lessons

  • Even the most traditional industries can be reshaped by basic material science; the foundation of SCHOTT's century-old business began with a single bottle of borosilicate glass formula in a laboratory in 1887.
  • For family businesses to survive a century, they must often learn to relinquish family control; the Carl Zeiss Foundation's takeover in 1919 was more risk-resilient than any inheritance plan.
  • War and nationalization can wipe out factory buildings, but formulas, talent, and customer relationships are portable; this is the underlying logic of SCHOTT's relocation and reconstruction.
  • Niche material companies need decades of preparation for 'black swan' orders; before the vaccine vial boom, SCHOTT had accumulated over 110 years of pharmaceutical glass certification and capacity.

Core Data

  • Group 2024/25 Fiscal Year Revenue：Approx. 2.83 billion EUR (Company disclosure, as of 2026, independent verification not performed)
  • China Region 2024/25 Fiscal Year Sales：320 million EUR, growth rate over 10% (Company disclosure, as of 2026, independent verification not performed)
  • Global Employee Count：Approx. 17,000 (Company disclosure, as of 2026, independent verification not performed)
  • COVID-19 Vaccine Glass Market Share：Approx. 75% of global vaccine R&D projects use its borosilicate pharmaceutical glass (Company disclosure, as of 2026, independent verification not performed)
  • Semiconductor Business Revenue Share：Approx. 10%, with a compound growth rate of approx. 7% from 2015-2023 (Company disclosure, as of 2026, independent verification not performed)
  • Suzhou 2026 Additional Investment：Over 60 million RMB (Company disclosure, as of 2026, independent verification not performed)
  • Suzhou 2030 Target Output Value：Over 1 billion RMB (Company disclosure, as of 2026, independent verification not performed)

Competitors / Peers

SCHOTT's specialty glass competitive landscape is divided into two lines: pharmaceutical packaging faces direct competition from Gerresheimer (Germany), Nipro (Japan), and Chinese rivals like Shandong Pharmaceutical Glass and Zhengchuan Pharmaceutical Packaging, with the latter using cost advantages in low-to-mid-end borosilicate vials to capture volume. Semiconductor and optical materials compete directly with Corning, AGC, and NSG. Corning excels in display glass and fiber optics, while SCHOTT bets on pharmaceutical borosilicate glass tubing and advanced packaging glass substrates. Compared to Corning's mass manufacturing scale, SCHOTT follows a multi-product, small-batch, foundation-led long-termist route, with more dispersed customers and stronger resilience against single-industry cycles and geopolitical risks.

Sources

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⚠️ This entry draws on self-reported accounts and public reporting, not independently verified, and is not investment, startup, or legal advice; revenue figures are case-specific and not representative of typical results.