By Andrew Karp and Jeff Hopkins
Monday, October 25, 2021 1:00 AM
The term “work in progress” accurately defines most prescription optical laboratories. No matter how smoothly a lab may be running, there’s always something that needs updating or replacing, whether it’s adding a single piece of equipment, reengineering an entire production line or even building a whole facility. It’s an endless cycle of invention and reinvention, and labs must learn to adjust to it while continuing to service customers, a challenge which can be daunting for any business.
By Andrew Karp and Jeff Hopkins
Tuesday, October 19, 2021 12:59 AM
Synopsis: In May, 2020, Cherry Optical Lab began a major expansion and equipment upgrade project adding 6,500 square feet of production and creating a four-building campus. Company president Adam Cherry described how the complex process unfolded, and what resulted.
By Andrew Karp and Jeff Hopkins
Tuesday, October 19, 2021 12:58 AM
Synopsis: Zeiss recently completed a multi-year, $20 million reengineering project at their flagship lab in Hebron, Kentucky. Barry Lannon, head of lab operations and supply chain for Carl Zeiss Vision, managed the Industry 4.0 process. He explained what it took to plan and execute the multi-level project, and how Zeiss customers are benefitting from the upgrade.
By Andrew Karp and Jeff Hopkins
Tuesday, October 19, 2021 12:57 AM
Synopsis: LBC Optics services Wisconsin Vision’s 38 stores. The regional retailer was ranked 31st in Vision Monday’s 2020 Top Retailer ranking. LBC’s reengineering project was two-fold. The first was constructing a new conveyor line that could transfer job trays automatically using existing equipment that has the capability to function in this capacity. Second was installing a new control stacker and two new auto polishers to complete a line that produced 100 lenses/hour from blocker to final wash station.
By Andrew Karp and Jeff Hopkins
Tuesday, October 19, 2021 12:56 AM
Synopsis: Plastic Plus underwent major expansions in 2008 and 2017, and is currently adding new equipment. (Most of this report refers to the 2017 expansion.) Lab owner and president Paul Faibish offered an inside perspective on how the lab was transformed by new technologies.
By Andrew Karp and Jeff Hopkins
Tuesday, October 19, 2021 12:55 AM
Synopsis: Wisconsin Vision Associates (WVA) is in the midst of a reengineering process that will more than double the lab’s capacity. WVA’s vice president for operations, Jeffery Erickson, discussed the goals of the project and the many steps involved in bringing it to fruition.
By Andrew Karp and Jeff Hopkins
Tuesday, October 19, 2021 12:54 AM
Satisloh, a leading supplier of lens processing systems and equipment, has developed this checklist of important items for labs to consider when undertaking a reengineering project, and the key success factors for such a project.
By Staff
Friday, August 20, 2021 12:21 AM
FRONHAUSEN, Germany—
Schneider, a leading supplier of production machinery for prescription laboratories, is introducing Modulo One, a new platform for spectacle lens manufacturing.
By Jeff Hopkins / Contributing Editor
Monday, August 2, 2021 1:45 AM
Private label brands, also known as house brands (or somewhat less kindly, generic products) are a common feature of grocery stores, providing shoppers with a lower-priced alternative to well-known and trusted brands. Often they are relegated to the lower shelves, with brand names occupying the coveted eye-level spots. Optical labs have sometimes referred to themselves as “grocery stores,” offering their customers a wide range of branded products to suit their preferences. As relationships with manufacturers evolved, some labs would give a particular name-brand prominence over others. Often labs would also offer a private label as a lower-priced, lower-shelf alternative. Today, some independent labs are flipping the script on brands, positioning their private-label in the foreground as their go-to product line, while offering established brands as alternatives. To understand this new phenomenon, we spoke to three independent lab execs whose labs are using this approach and having success with it.
By Sarah McGoldrick / Contributing Editor
Monday, August 2, 2021 1:44 AM
Despite a slump in optical retail sales caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 was a strong year for online optical sales. Total optical retail sales fell 17.4 percent from December 2019 to December 2020 and $36.05 billion in retail revenues during the same period, according to The Vision Council’s VisionWatch report for Q4 2020. Yet online sales of eyeglass frames topped 9 million pairs during the same period, a 22 percent increase over the previous year.
By Andrew Karp
Monday, August 2, 2021 1:43 AM
Precision Optical Group, Inc (POG Labs) in Creston, Iowa recently introduced a new and improved work ticket that consolidates needed manufacturing instructions to get orders through the lab fast and simplify the production process for laboratory technicians. As POG’s Alex Tamerius explained, “In the past, work tickets and order paperwork was routinely taken out of the job tray to follow processing instructions, which equated to unneeded loss in production time.”
By Staff
Friday, July 16, 2021 12:33 AM
HEBRON, Ky.—The “Zeiss Customer Experience”, featuring a model eyecare practice and optical store of the future, was on full display Wednesday, as Zeiss Vision Care executives welcomed visitors to the company’s new, 2,500-square foot Zeiss Vision Center showroom here. “We invite eyecare practitioners from across the country to visit our new facility so they can then open their own Zeiss Vision Center and provide a unique customer-centric experience for their patients,” said Jens Boy, president of Zeiss Vision Care U.S., who spoke to a group of invited guests and took part in a ribbon cutting ceremony, along with Kentucky state and local officials.
By Staff
Monday, June 21, 2021 12:15 AM
BATAVIA, Ohio—To accommodate continued strong growth from its prescription lens business,
R&D Optical Lab, a leading independent wholesale optical lab, will be relocating to a new, larger facility here in early July. R&D Optical Lab opened in 2018 in Cincinnati and experienced strong growth from independent eyecare providers, particularly in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. Company president Ronald Cooke, Jr. attributed the company’s success in part to its Visual Perfection HD Digital Lenses, non-glare coatings and anti-fog coatings, the latter of which it added last year during the COVID-19 pandemic
By Staff
Friday, June 11, 2021 12:18 AM
NEW YORK—
Vision Monday will once again be highlighting The Most Influential Women in Optical in our July issue, marking the 19th anniversary of our signature Special Report saluting women in the eyewear/eyecare industry. The deadline for submitting nominations has been extended to 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, June 13. We are currently seeking nominations via an
electronic survey form. Women’s influence in optical is undeniable and today, more women than ever before are playing vital roles at all levels of our industry.
By Staff
Friday, June 11, 2021 12:15 AM
NEW YORK—
Vision Monday will once again be highlighting The Most Influential Women in Optical in our July issue, marking the 19th anniversary of our signature Special Report saluting women in the eyewear/eyecare industry. The deadline for submitting nominations has been extended to 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, June 13. We are currently seeking nominations via an
electronic survey form. Women’s influence in optical is undeniable and today, more women than ever before are playing vital roles at all levels of our industry.