The works
From a watchmaker's shop in 1958 to a state optical works with four assembly lines.
The company published its own timeline, with scanned photographs, and stopped it at "2021, to be continued". This page keeps its order and its wording. Where the company's four websites disagree with each other, the ledger at the bottom shows both values.
- 1958
A watchmaker and spectacles shop builds model 05.
"At the beginning of the year 1958, Chongqing Watchmaker and Spectacles Shop was established. First microscope model 05 was made out with 640x magnification in 1958. Only five working staff. Chongqing Yuzhong Optical Instrument Factory was established on 1st Aug. 1958. Some equipments were supplied by government."
The company's two photographs of the original premises, 500 pixels wide as published.
- 1964
State ownership, and the move to Xiema.
"In 1964, Local State Owned Chongqing Optical Instrument Factory was established. In Jul. 1964, factory was moved to Xiema Town Beibei District, Chongqing. In August 1965, microscope made by the factory passed the national test, government approved the mass production of microscopes."
"Old pictures of the factory in 1960s."
- 1976
Mass production and the first all-purpose microscope.
"Fast development of the factory. First all-purpose microscope was manufactured. Coarse grinding equipment was modified to half automatic. More types metallurgical microscope were manufactured in this period. Mass production started. Working staff dormitory were built."
- 1978
COIC is registered and exports begin.
"In 1978 COIC brand was registered and started business overseas. From 1978 to 1988 over 106 types of microscope were exported overseas to Europe and South-east Asia over 30 countries. In 1985 model XSZ-H fluorescent biological microscope was manufactured. We cooperated with Leica, Olympus, CETI, Swift."
"Overseas customers."
- 2000
Reform, ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.
"In 2000 factory was reformed to Chongqing Optical and Electrical Instrument Co., Ltd. IBE2000 inverted fluorescent biological microscope was manufactured. BS203ih module contrast microscope was manufactured. August 1999 ISO9001, ISO14001. Factory training. Equipments updated."
The banner reads "Chongqing Optical and Electrical Instrument Co., Ltd 2001 technical quality work meeting".
- 2010
MIC TECH is founded for export, and MEKEY is registered.
"Due to the development of the microscope market, Chongqing MIC Technology Co., Ltd was established in 2010, focus on export business of the factory. New brand MEKEY was registered. Company building was built in 1980s. Now becomes center of the Chongqing Municipality, 500 meters from shopping street."
- 2021
"To be continued."
The timeline stops here. The catalogue did not: the MIC-1200 research stand was added in 2025 and the MIC-1000iM metallographic stand in August 2026.
Plant and people
Two addresses, four assembly lines, 127 staff.
Head office, Jiangbei
No. 252 Diancecun, Jiangbei District, Chongqing. The building dates from the 1980s and now stands in the city centre, "500 meters from shopping street".
The works, Xiema
No. 1 Guangxue Village, Xiema, Beibei District, Chongqing, where the factory moved in July 1964. The gate carries the names Chongqing Optical and Electrical Instrument Co., Ltd and Chongqing Optical Instrument Factory.
Capacity, in the company's words
"Production capacity of 100 to 1000 thousand sets per year", "four assembly lines and one product line of making objectives/eyepieces given priority to computer control equipments", "127 working staff in the factory", "sales network over all provinces in China".
The company publishes no photograph of its present-day assembly lines, machine shop or inspection room. The newest plant photographs on its sites are the gate and the head office; the rest date from 1960 to 2001.
Brands and recognition
Three marks, two certificates, one municipal title.
COIC, 1978
The export brand registered when overseas business began. The timeline is headed "COIC-MIC TIMELINE".
MIC, from 1999 or 2010
The trading name of the export company. The older sites carry a copyright line from 1999; the timeline gives 2010 as the company's establishment. Both are shown in the ledger below.
MEKEY, 2010
The brand registered with MIC TECH. Its wordmark is the logo on the company's current site.
- ISO 9001 and ISO 14001
- August 1999
- Top Enterprise, Chongqing municipality
- 2008
- Ownership
- State owned
- Tenders
- Record holder
Timeline, 2000 entry
About Us page
"Controlled by the Chongqing Municipality Government", About Us
"The most times of winning bids and the maximum quantity in an one-off bid", About Us
No certificate scan is published. The company's own sites make no CE, FDA or ISO 13485 claim, so none is made here.
The ledger
Where the company's four websites give two answers.
A buyer who reads more than one page will find these. Listing them is cheaper than being asked.
| Question | One answer | The other |
|---|---|---|
| Founding year | 1957, About Us page and the Made-in-China showroom | 1958, the timeline and the 2011 site micscope.com |
| Assembly lines | Four, plus an objective and eyepiece line, current About Us | Two, plus the objective and eyepiece line, micscope.com About |
| Years of history | "Over 70 years", current site | "More than 56 years" on chinaslitlamp.com, "more than 50" on micscope.com, the same paragraph left unedited |
| MIC Technology established | 2010, the timeline | Copyright "1999-2026 Chongqing MIC Technology Co., Ltd" on the older sites |
| 0086 23 63913139 | Phone, current site | Fax, microscope-china.com |
Visiting
The works is at Xiema, the office is in the city.
Enquiries go to the head office in Jiangbei. Write first to info@chinamicroscope.com.