How SAF Solutions Funded a Carl Zeiss Axio Imager for Rolls Royce

Research & Innovation
Carl Zeiss

Rolls-Royce Civil Aerospace is part of one of the world’s most recognised names in aerospace engineering, where precision and reliability standards are central to everything they design and manufacture.

Building on their partnership with Carl Zeiss and supported by SAF, Rolls-Royce identified a need to finance additional equipment and sought to mirror a process undertaken with Zeiss for the procurement of a high-end microscope lab SAF Solution structured proposal for a Zeiss Axio Imager system to support automated material analysis, high-resolution structural imaging, and precise quality control across the Civil Aerospace division’s manufacturing operations.

Enabling Enhanced Quality Control with Bespoke Finance Lease

Operating across multiple sites and divisions, Rolls-Royce’s commitment to continuous improvement is actively supported by Carl Zeiss to ensure they remain at the forefront of industrial quality control and “Build-in Quality” (BIQ) methodology.

A finance lease offered the ideal structure, spreading the cost of the Axio Imager over 5 years on fixed, predictable payments. This gave Rolls-Royce certainty over cost throughout the term, whilst preserving the working capital that an upfront purchase would have required.

The structure also aligns with Rolls-Royce’s approach to continuous improvement in partnership with Carl Zeiss. Rather than a long-term commitment, the finance lease enables the system to be upgraded at the end of the term, ensuring imaging and quality control stays at the forefront of technology as it evolves

A Partnership That Continues to Deliver

For Carl Zeiss, this transaction secured another deal with one of the industry’s most recognised names and further reinforces the strong and enduring partnership between SAF and Zeiss, a supplier that remains one of our most valued supplier partners.

That partnership gave Rolls-Royce access to further industry-leading equipment to support their material analysis and quality control operations, whilst providing flexibility in terms of capital deployment.

We are delighted to have supported Carl Zeiss and Rolls-Royce on another successful transaction, reflecting the strong foundations established during the first agreement and the strength of our long-standing partnership.

This transaction is a fantastic example of how our partnership with Zeiss combined with innovative funding solutions allowed Rolls-Royce to get the material analysis and imaging capability they needed now, whilst incorporating the flexibility to upgrade to Zeiss’s latest technology once the term ends.

Phil Dring, Partner Specialist, SAF Solutions

David Canning, Industrial Microscopy PSM UK & Ireland, Carl Zeiss said:

Working with SAF has become a real asset to our sales process. They understand our customers and our commercial priorities, which means we can offer a finance route with genuine confidence rather than forcing customers to find funding elsewhere. Structuring a deal with a built-in route to upgrade to our latest technology once the term ends ensures Rolls-Royce remains at the forefront of technology, and we maintain a customer relationship that goes well beyond this transaction.