By Andrew Karp and Brian Dunleavy
Monday, September 16, 2019 12:30 AM
NEW YORK—The optical lab business, at its most elemental, has always been a numbers game.
Running a lab, though, is a complex undertaking that involves more than simply dollars and cents. It also about the number of prescription jobs per day it can produce, and the percentage of those jobs that are rejected because they don’t meet quality control standards. It’s about maintaining a job average that’s calculated based upon production yields and the average price per job. It’s about the cost of capital equipment, consumables, overhead, labor and dozens of other budget line items.
By Staff
Tuesday, September 10, 2019 10:00 AM
VM’s Andrew Karp and
LabTalk’s Brian Dunleavy will co-host The Modern Lab, a special, live event that complements their Modern Lab Report in the September issue of
Vision Monday. In this
video, Karp and Dunleavy describe their program, which will feature exclusive research findings and a panel of lab experts who will discuss the strategic investments optical lab owners and operators are making in technology and personnel. Join them for this one-time-only event, which will take place at the Sands Convention Center in Las Vegas on September 19, 2019. To register, go to
www.visionmonday.com/modernlab.
By Staff
Tuesday, August 13, 2019 12:10 AM
PLYMOUTH, Ind.—
Hoya Optical Labs of America, a unit of Hoya Vision Care North America, plans to close its safety prescription eyewear lab here, a move that will impact 83 employees. In an Aug. 6 letter, Bruce Scott, general manager and vice president of Hoya’s Global Safety Division, informed the Indiana Department of Workforce Development that Hoya will shut down the lab in phases, beginning Oct. 4, 2019. “The plant closure will be complete as of March 2, 2020. We expect it to proceed gradually and in phases as work is transferred to other Hoya locations,” Scott said in the letter.
By Staff
Tuesday, February 12, 2019 12:21 AM
CHARENTON-LE-PONT, France—
Essilor International, an
EssilorLuxottica (Reuters: ESLX.PA) subsidiary, announced that it has completed four transactions worldwide, representing combined full-year revenue of around €48 million. Essilor is expanding its footprint in Europe through an agreement to acquire 100 percent of
Brille24 GmbH, a leading online retailer of optical products in Germany with annual revenue of nearly €25 million. The acquisition of Brille24 is subject to approval of the German competition authority (Bundeskartellamt). The deal will speed up the development of “a drive-to-store model that gives consumers access to the latest digital technologies combined with the expertise of independent opticians,” Essilor said in a statement.
By Staff
Wednesday, January 30, 2019 12:24 AM
CRESTON, Iowa—
Precision Optical Group, based here, (POG) has acquired
Precise Optical, a full service laboratory located in San Angelo, Texas. Details of the transaction were not disclosed.
By Staff
Monday, October 22, 2018 12:00 AM
LAS VEGAS—Owners and executives from both large and small labs, addressed concerns, opportunities and the effects of emerging technology at The Modern Lab – Propelling Optical’s Smart Lab Era, hosted by Vision Monday and Lab Talk.
By Andrew Karp and Jeff Hopkins
Monday, September 17, 2018 12:30 AM
NEW YORK—In today’s ultra-competitive service economy, the pressure to deliver products and services when, where and how consumers want them—the so-called “Amazon effect”—impacts all suppliers. Eyecare professionals and optical retailers are feeling the heat, and so are the labs they depend on.
By Andrew Karp
Monday, September 17, 2018 12:29 AM
Optical labs became increasingly automated in the latter part of the 20th century, thanks to the spread of computer controlled machines, advances in lab software and a streamlined approach to production that eliminated steps in the manufacturing process.
By Andrew Karp
Monday, September 17, 2018 12:28 AM
“The Amazon effect has been growing rapidly in the optical lab industry. As we’ve modernized equipment and processes, the demands grow, not only for quality but also speed and transparency. We’ve enabled a more demanding consumer by providing them faster turnaround of very sophisticated lens products. This overall improvement and modernization has helped us grow the industry.
By Andrew Karp
Monday, September 17, 2018 12:27 AM
All labs, no matter how big or small, depend on a Lab Management System (LMS). LMS software enables managers to control Rx processing, accounts receivable, inventory management, order tracking and sorting, production and interface with laboratory equipment.
By Andrew Karp
Monday, September 17, 2018 12:26 AM
Bob Niemiec is a keen observer of the optical lab industry, having managed labs for major retail and managed care companies during the course of his career. Now working as a consultant, Niemiec offered his perspective on how digital spectacle lens surfacing and automated finishing processes have reshaped the lab business.