REGISTER NOW!
Registration is now open for the 2012 Optical Lab Division (formerly the Optical Laboratories Association) meeting, to be held September 5-8 at the Sands Expo & Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV. The annual event will once again occur alongside the education and exhibits of International Vision Expo West. The 13th annual Optical Pioneers Hall of Fame banquet, which brings together optical industry professionals, will take place on Wednesday, September 5, from 6:30 to 9:30pm at The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino. Tickets are $90 and can be purchased online at thevisioncouncil.org/labmeeting.
NEW LAB LIAISON TO THE VISION COUNCIL 
Mike Daley has taken over from Bob Dziuban as the new liaison to the Optical Lab Division of The Vision Council. Daley was very involved in helping the Optical Laboratories Association (OLA) merge with The Vision Council and decided to take advantage of the opportunity to join The Vision Council when Dziuban retired. “My job description is to represent our lab division members at the staff level to help them grow their businesses,” Daley said. There are about 450 Member Labs/Branches of the Lab Division.
According to Daley, The Vision Council has “tremendous resources” and since the lab division is new, “we need to make sure they are aware of the services and programs we offer,” he said.
Daley said he wants to get out and meet with labs to find out what they need from The Vision Council’s member services. “I’ll listen to the feedback and help them become more successful. My biggest mistake would be to try to presume what our members want and need.”
Daley has been in the industry for 40 years. He was previously past chairman of The Vision Council 2009-2011 and was on its board for 11 years until April 30, 2012. Bob Dziuban was vice president of the lab division and formerly the Optical Laboratories Association’s executive director for 17 years.
100 YEARS OF LENSES FROM CARL ZEISS
To commemorate 100 years of Zeiss eyeglasses, Carl Zeiss Vision (CZV) has launched an online vision screening tool that can help consumers identify uncorrected vision problems and encourage them to visit an eye doctor. The vision screening is available online at zeiss.com.
In addition, CZV has announced partnerships with two national buying groups: Vision West and C&E Vision of San Clemente, CA. CZV will provide members of both groups with competitive pricing and a range of practice building services.
SANTINELLI LENDS A HELPING HAND
Associates from Santinelli International joined Habitat for Humanity by sponsoring and building a home for a family in need on Long Island, NY. The company and its associates raised $2,500 for that day’s building materials.
DIGICON A BIG SUCCESS
Schneider Optical Machines Inc. hosted DigiCON Europe 2012 May 30-June 2 around the theme of “Discover the Innovation” for 100 international guests. For Schneider’s first-ever digital conference in Germany, lab professionals were invited to its newly completed world headquarters in Fronhausen. Customers were introduced to the company’s new premises as well as the newest developments in optical machinery and processing for the ophthalmic industry. The first day, the company showcased the machines and software from its new Modulo line: the CCU Modulo, a high performance blocker that comes in an alloy or alloy-free Connex version, an environmentally friendly high-performance plastic; the CCS Modulo, the new Schneider stacker; the HSC Modulo, the company’s new Rx and free-form generator for all lens designs; the CCP Modulo, a powerful polisher that uses an Advanced Polishing System; the CCL Modulo, a laser marking system with integrated power stabilization; an in-line optical inspection unit, PMD Modulo; and the LMS Modulo, a specially designed lab management system which features centralized production control. On the second day of the show, Schneider presented its all-in-one industrial edger, the HSE Freestyle, that has been designed as a five-axis edger. During the few days, the company had an entire Go-Kart course built in the parking lot and hosted the first ever DigiCON Racing Cup to determine the most skilled driver among Schneider’s customers.
PROFITCALC HAS A CUSTOMER
PFO Global’s technology group has launched the next generation of its Free-Form Calculation Software, ProFitCalc, with the first U.S. installation at the Premier Vision Group lab in Salt Lake City, UT.
“After extensive research and development for this software, we are pleased to have launched the second generation of our backside progressive/single vision free-form calculation program, ProFitCalc,” said Hoa Nguyen, executive vice president of technology and R&D for PFO Global.
“PFO has taken full advantage of the latest free-form lens surfacing technology to create a highly adaptable and individually customizable lineup of progressive lenses,” said Dr. Brenden White, OD, of Premier Vision Group.
COBURN ACQUIRES UVMAX
Coburn Technologies, Inc. has announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Coburn Technologies International, Inc., has completed the acquisition of the patent and intellectual property of UVMAXQT, UVAR and related backside hardcoating products and formulations from Solaris Optical Coatings LLC. Along with the acquisition, Coburn has hired the R&D, service, sales, and marketing staff previously supporting the products. To focus more on the coating business, Coburn has opened a new office in Boca Raton, FL, for the newly hired staff which includes a complete high-tech R&D facility. “Three months ago, we licensed the distribution rights to UVMAXQT and UVAR backside hardcoatings and we couldn’t be more pleased with the technical performance and market success of the products,” said Alex Incera, president of Coburn.
VANTAGE ROADSHOW HITS THE SEAS
As part of Transitions Optical Inc.’s roadshow to launch its new photochromic lens with variable polarization called Transitions® Vantage™, senior executives stopped in New York City on May 16 to host an event on the World Yacht at Pier 81. Sarah Barrows, Transition’s marketing manager, Lens Manufacturers and Trade, gave an ABO-credited (one hour) keynote address about Transitions Vantage to eyecare and lab professionals from the tri-state area.
Pictured: Sarah Barrows, Transition’s marketing manager, Lens Manufacturers and Trade, and Brian Hauser, general manager, US and Canada of Transitions Optical on a World Yacht tour around New York City.MH LAUNCHES DIGITAL PROCESSING CENTER MH Optical Supplies, headquartered in South Hackensack, NJ, has opened a digital processing center. It is now an approved Varilux® manufacturer as well as an authorized SEIKO Succeed Free-Form manufacturing lab. MH Optical has been hosting a series of open houses to educate its eyecare professional customers about its new digital technology, such as Essilor of America, Inc.’s Varilux DRx™ and Varilux Physio® Enhanced lines, in addition to its own digital brands which it is processing in-house. Mitchel Hirsch, owner of MH Optical which also has labs in New Jersey, New Hampshire, Maine, and Florida, said he has invested more than $1 million on new equipment over the past two years to offer an automated digital processing and surfacing line. “There has been a revolutionary change in progressive lens processing,” he said. “We’re one of the first to adopt it.” FREE-FORM IS GROWING AT FEAFEA Industries in Morton, PA has acquired two additional high production, digital surfacing lines to support the ongoing growth of free-form products within its laboratory. The acquisition of this equipment and technology from Schneider Optical Machines Inc. will allow FEA to more than double its daily production of digital lenses, while bringing its total number of digital lines to four. “FEA has been focused on educating our customers about the benefits of free-form and we are now seeing the demand take off,” said Bill Heffner, owner of FEA. Last year, FEA added several free-form product lines, including its own Eagle progressive lens. Pictured: Bill Heffner, owner of FEA, with Gunter Schneider, Kevin Cross, and Kurt Atchison,
of Schneider Optical Machines.
TRI-SUPREME’S NEW LOOK
Tri-Supreme Optical Labs, based in Farmingdale, NY, has re-launched its Web site at trisupreme.com. It features a new look, easier access and navigation, and a customized dashboard based on a user’s browsing history. The Web site trisupreme.com is configured for mobile devices too. Customers of Tri-Supreme who create an account at trisupreme.com can take advantage of monthly promotions, view the company’s latest newsletter, download a price list, examine over 200 lens specification sheets detailing lens availability, and print cut-out charts for progressive lenses.
CENTRAL OPTICAL BOUGHT BY ESSILOR
Essilor of America, Inc. has acquired a majority interest in Central Optical, a family-run, wholesale optical laboratory in Youngstown, OH. Owner Lloyd Yazbek retains a share in the company and will remain president of Central Optical. Separately, Yazbek and his wife Linda have bought a minority stake in Optical One Inc., another wholesale lab in Youngstown, in which Essilor already has a majority share. The management of Optical One will report to Yazbek.
|
