“Nothing ventured, nothing gained”. Andreas Kaufman, Chairman of Leica, shared this expression, who today recalled the opportunity the brand saw in Famalicão when it decided to invest in a new production unit outside Germany in 1973. "Here we found competence and talent, and the risk we took in making that choice has brought us, 50 years later, to the success that this plant represents for our brand." 

At the ceremony commemorating Leica's 50th anniversary in Portugal, Andreas Kaufman made it clear that the company "will continue to invest in Famalicão, in a plan that we are defining until 2029".

The Leica unit in Famalicão currently has a turnover of 82 million euros and is one of Famalicão's main exporters. Mayor Mário Passos congratulated the brand on its investment in the municipality "which saw here the human capital for the success it wanted to achieve". Mário Passos took advantage of the presence of the Secretary of State for Labour and the Secretary of State for Internationalisation to say that it is necessary to review the offer of professional training in order to adapt it to the needs of the region so that more projects like this can have the capacity to grow, creating value for their employees and strengthening economic growth".

It was precisely the employees that were the focus of the tribute that closed the ceremony: in a work of art by Angelina Silva, "The hands of today", Leica aims to perpetuate "the passion and commitment of Leica employees in Portugal", an image that was very evident throughout the ceremony and which expresses the brand's five decades of history and tradition in Portugal.