Products & ideas for the laboratory professional.
Issue link: https://opticallabproducts.epubxp.com/i/538327
july 2015 11 opticallabproducts.com BUSINESS FEATURE X-CEL. SIMPLY MORE TRANSITIONS ® LENSES T H E U L T I M A T E V I S I O N ©2015 X-Cel Optical Company, all rights reserved. Transitions and the swirl are registered trademarks of Transitions Optical, Inc. ©2015 Transitions Optical, Inc. Photochromic performance is infuenced by temperature, UV exposure and lens material. and most fexible in the market- place, to show that IOTA's proprietary lens designs are just as good as or better than any brand available today." MORE OPPORTUNITIES These are but two of the ways in which optical labs have found to not only stay solvent, but to turn a proft. Other examples of labs that found success with alternative revenue streams include Precision Optical Group, Inc. (P.O.G. Labs), which, in addition to private label lenses, sells bulk frame bundles, proprietary coatings, lab instru- ments, and supplies (see "A Multi- Faceted Business Approach," p. 12). Eyenavision, Inc. created a niche for itself by coming up with a one-of-a-kind product in its Chemistrie lens layers. Each pair is custom-made to ft seamlessly over the patient's eyeglasses and is held in place with small mag- nets. Eyenavision found an untapped market by thinking outside the box and providing an elegant blue light or sun lens add-on for the presbyope who doesn't want to carry around a pair of Rx sunglasses. PFO Global, Inc. has focused on high-tech lab machines, as well as offering its customers a painless and effcient way to order lens jobs, such as sending tracer data through the company's cloud service to an appropriate laboratory. Some labs, such as Luxe Laboratory of Anaheim, CA, have set themselves apart by focusing on the artistry of the craft. Luxe creates beautiful, bespoke lenses in a variety of shapes and sizes, often with designs etched into the lenses themselves. The result is that each pair of eyewear Luxe produces emerges as a unique work of art unlike any other pair in the world. SILVER LININGS It's true that these are especially trying times for the optical lab industry. But as you can see, opportunities are out there to navigate and stay afoat in these troubled waters until the clouds break. One particular business strat- egy, however, is not advisable: "You can't do nothing," Misco says. "The labs just waiting for things to get better are going to disappear. It's not the same old way anymore. It sounds bleak, but there are always opportunities. Even if you fall, fall forward." Gardner agrees: "I think new opportunities for independence will continue to grow. We've always had a need in the U.S. for indepen- dence in everything, and based on the results we see from our existing partners, there is a healthy future for the independent lab business. Most labs will survive and come out stronger companies in the end." Concludes Misco, "We compete. It's what we've always done." Steve Curry is Editor-in-Chief of Optical Lab Products.