Products & ideas for the laboratory professional.
Issue link: https://opticallabproducts.epubxp.com/i/233472
OPINIONS IN THE LAB What's On Your Agenda? BY CAROL GILHAWLEY IS THERE anything special on your wish list this year? Are you content to have your lab stay independent or are you looking to sell it? Whatever route you decide to take, let's hope this coming year is a proftable one for you. Optical laboratories, just like other industries, are struggling to make money and to retain their staff and customers. Yet, they also need to reinvest money they earn into buying new, often free-form, equipment in order to stay in business. In this era of instant gratifcation, customers want to receive their new 4 january 2014 glasses "now". They're not prepared to wait a week for a pair of prescription glasses, even though those lenses may have anti-refective (AR) and anti-fog coatings and come in a wrap frame. So there's pressure on labs to produce products of the highest quality in the quickest time possible at the most affordable price. In "The Independent Lab's Competitive Edge" on p.12, a lab technician writes about how those wholesale labs that produce quality products have a major advantage over the big box manufacturers and retailers. So too, do those labs that have trained their technicians to become adept at skilled artisanship especially with challenging mounts and molding lenses to the shape of complex frames. So, in addition to investing in new equipment, it might also be prudent for labs to invest in retraining their staff. Our feature story, "Shining a Light on Anti-Refective Lenses," on p. 8 discusses the growth in AR coatings. In the past year, prices for AR lenses jumped as did demand. While AR is still considered a niche product in the U.S., the manufacturers of AR equipment are optimistic that sales will continue to grow. According to Steven Kodey, senior director of research at The Vision Council, AR sales during the 12 months ending September 2013 topped $4.66 billion, a dollar volume increase of 9.2% from the year before. So whatever your plans for 2014, let's hope you have a successful year. Carol Gilhawley is Editor-in-Chief of Optical Lab Products and can be reached at cg@visioncareproducts.com. totallyoptical.com