Seiler Instrument is a contract manufacturer specializing in high precision machining and optical instrument assembly. In addition, Seiler is a distributor of surveying software and instruments, microscopes, and Zeiss Planetarium equipment. Seiler Instrument consists of 5 main divisions including Manufacturing, Geospatial, Microscopes, and Planetarium. Seiler’s corporate headquarters is located in St. Louis, Missouri, with additional Geospatial sales offices in Indianapolis, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Omaha, and Chicago.
Optical instruments have been a Seiler family tradition since 1913 when company founder Eric H. Seiler entered the Zeiss School of Fine Optics in Jena, Germany. After earning a Master’s degree in Fine Optics, Eric H. Seiler brought his craft to the United States where he and his wife, Dora L. Seiler, started Seiler Instrument and Manufacturing Company in 1945. With Eric H. Seiler’s knowledge of optics and the business management knowledge from his son, Eric P. Seiler, the company flourished.
Timeline
After several years of work that included the repair and refurbishment of existing survey instruments, Eric H. Seiler designed his first set of survey instruments for distribution in 1947, and by 1949, Seiler was manufacturing over 100 products, marking the advent of both the Seiler Manufacturing Division and Survey Division.
In 1950, the Seiler Microscope Division was created when Seiler formed an agreement with Carl Zeiss (Jena) to distribute their microscope line in North America. After many successful years as a North American dealer for Zeiss, Seiler and Zeiss parted ways which allowed Seiler to develop partnerships in Germany, South America, and Asia to create a new microscope to compete with the Zeiss product line.
In 1987, Seiler and Zeiss reunited through their planetarium line, and Seiler’s Planetarium Division was created to distribute Zeiss Planetaria throughout the United States and Canada.
In 1999, Seiler purchased McMillan Night Vision and began manufacturing and distributing day/night vision precision riflescopes for the military, law enforcement agencies, and hunters.
Eric H. Seiler’s appreciation of fine craftsmanship and pride in his work contributed toward a philosophy aimed at quality and customer service, a legacy he passed on to his son, current Chairman of the Board, Eric P. Seiler, and his grandsons: President, Rick Seiler and Executive Vice President, Tom Seiler. Recently, a fourth generation joined the company and plan to continue the family tradition.
SEILER MISSION STATEMENT
The employees at Seiler will manufacture and sell the highest quality systems, utilizing modern techniques and integrity, to anticipate and respond to the changing needs of our customers.
