Zeiss has seen a 21% plunge in orders for consumer lenses and opto-electronics products supplied to the defence and security industries.

Despite this, the Carl Zeiss Group notched up a record 42% rise in overall sales for the year to 30 September and says it is ?on track? for growth.

?Fiscal year 2009/10 was the most successful year ever in the company?s history,? said Carl Zeiss president and CEO Dr Dieter Kurz at a press conference in Stuttgart yesterday.

Overall profits for the group rose Euros 369 million, from a net loss of Euros 161 million the year before.

Revenue from sales of Zeiss consumer optics/optronics products rose 3% and the firm said it made a profit in all areas of the business.

Orders for Zeiss semiconductor technology shot up 279%, microscopy 14% and medical systems 10%.