Cooke Optics Expands to Meet Demand

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Fri, 02/10/2017 - 12:51 -- Nick Dager

Cooke Optics has confirmed that it is planning to open a second factory less than two miles from its current Leicester, England premises in order to keep up with growing demand for its award-winning lenses, as well as to facilitate the development and manufacture of new ranges. The new facility, scheduled to open in June, is expected to increase output by 25 percent.

“Following the expansion of our existing factory in 2013, we are in the enviable position of needing yet more space as demand for our lenses continues to grow,” said Les Zellan, chairman and owner, Cooke Optics. “With the ongoing affection for lenses that bring character to digital images, new ranges such as the Panchro/i Classics and modified series like the Anamorphic/i SF and uncoated S4/i are more sought after than ever. The new factory will help us to bring cinematographers more choices for their stories.”

The 700 square meter factory will generate approximately 12 new jobs associated with the assembly and inspection of Cooke’s handcrafted lenses. Initially, it will focus on building the new Cooke Panchro/i Classic range, which was announced at IBC 2016 and will make its debut at NAB 2017. The highly anticipated Panchro/i Classic lenses offer the original design and characteristics of Cooke’s vintage Speed Panchros, with new housing and PL mounts for modern cameras.