Pioneers in milling lenses Mei is bringing the process of edging ophthalmic lenses via milling to the retail sector

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1 Issue #98 December 6 th 2017 Rudy Project opens its first interactive store The shop is located in Manila pg. 3 Verdissima s spring collection Pioneers in milling lenses Mei is bringing the process of edging ophthalmic lenses via milling to the retail sector Stefano Sonzogni, President and Technical Director pg. 5 pg. 2

2 Pioneers in milling lenses Founded in 1985 by Stefano Sonzogni and Raffaele Scudeletti, Mei has, throughout its history, focused on developing numerical control machinery. In early 2000, the company revolutionised the optical market by being the first to introduce milling into the process of edging ophthalmic lenses. From 2014, the company decided to bring this technology to small laboratories and retail stores. We sat down with the company s President and Technical Director, Stefano Sonzogni, to learn more about this business. What is your core business? Mei was the first company to introduce milling technology into the ophthalmic lens edging process and today remains a major supplier of industrial machinery to leading lens manufacturers and optical chains worldwide. Unlike the more common grinding process, the milling technology enables us to significantly increase not only the flexibility of machines (shapes and edge bevels that cannot be carried out with oldfashioned grinders) but also their productivity. In addition, the technology is suitable for lenses made of any kind of organic material and guarantees a faster and more stable process when compared to grinding. Thanks to this process, you can cut any kind of lens into a complex shape. The key areas that we are working towards are finishing and assembling eyewear: we make machines that use milling technology to edge corrective and sunglass lenses, so that they can then be fitted into frames. How is your company structured globally and what are your target markets? In addition to our headquarters near Bergamo, Italy where our manufacturing and research and development activities take place we have three more main sites located abroad in Chicago, Hong Kong and São Paulo that offer support services and have warehouses for spare parts. We work hard to offer solutions for all clients worldwide; we make machines of different sizes, productivities and with different automation levels so that any client from anywhere in the world can find a product suited to their own business volumes, regardless of the size of their company. What do you offer to optical laboratories? We offer machines that edge corrective lenses and sunglass lenses based on dry cutting technology. The special structure of the working area enables users to keep shear stress to a minimum, reduce waste, process oleophobic lenses effectively, increase cutting flexibility for wrap frames and improve the speed of the process. Starting in 2014 with the launch of our compact EzFit solution, we have been committed to bringing milling technology to small laboratories and retail stores. In actual fact, the machine is able to process any edge type, with different bevels, and to edge lenses for any type of frame. With the EzFit, customers can obtain the performance levels of an industrial machine within their stores, with the added advantage of a machine that is easy to operate. It features a system that allows tools to auto-calibrate, as well as guided walkthroughs on how to use the machinery, making it very easy to operate, even for first-time users. The machinery enables retail stores to increase productivity by speeding up processing times and reducing manufacturing costs. This is particularly beneficial for stores that deliver glasses within 30/60 minutes, which often suffer from high workloads during busy periods of the day. How do you deal with the issue of the environment with your products? Dry-cutting does not produce polluted water that has to be treated. It only produces easily recyclable residues. In addition, tools that are small in size enable the user to cut excess material into whole pieces, reducing the overall volume of leftover material. TBA technology which enables users to control power and cut without the aid of centering blocks, lens protective films and self-adhesive discs further reduces waste material. What are you going to present at MIDO 2018? We have a number of new developments in the pipeline, but for strategic commercial reasons, we can t reveal any details for the time being. world weekly wonders WMIDO 2

3 Safilo goes to Thailand and Cambodia The company has signed an exclusive distribution partnership for the Thailand and Cambodian markets with Supreme Eyewear. Supreme Eyewear is one of the strongest local eyewear distributors, with a significant experience in the optical industry, more than 40 years of business history, solid foundations both in retail and wholesale markets, strong customer service and multiple marketing channel knowledge and capabilities. With Supreme Eyewear as our Partner we position ourselves to gain market share in Thailand. The market has good potential across both the Diffusion and Luxury segments, including Atelier, said Luisa Delgado, CEO of Safilo Group. Rudy Project opens its first interactive store How nice to work for Barberini Barberini is one of the 400 Italian companies with the best work environment. This was the result of research promoted by the Italian magazine Panorama in collaboration with Statista, a German statistics website. The interviewees were 15,000 people in companies with over 250 employees - a sample of over 1900 companies in Italy. According to the survey, Barberini s employees think very highly of their company, which stands out thanks to its identity on the national scene. One of the questions asked was whether they would recommend their employer to acquaintances or family members. The result is a list of 400 companies with above average scores. Super and Andy Warhol between art and design Rudy Project has inaugurated its first experiential store in Manila (Philippines). The new flagship store, which covers 184 square metres, is located in the Uptown Place Mall in Fort Bonifacio and offers customers the chance to try out Rudy Project sunglasses and helmets via interactive galleries dedicated to different sports: from golf to cycling to shooting, in a virtual reality experience, or crash tests to check the impact resistance of ImpactX photochromic lenses. Next to the interactive booths, visitors can find the brand s entire range of products on display: sports sunglasses with three different lens technologies, safety helmets for cycling and triathlon, and a comprehensive collection of sports and lifestyle eyewear. The Manila store is the first interactive Rudy Project shop and joins the other ten single brand retailers already operating around the world. For the fourth year in a row, Super had the opportunity to design the exclusive and collectible eyewear collection in collaboration with The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. Centered around a 1950s iconic motif sourced from the fundation s archives - a series of illustrations of pupils and eyes hand drawn by Andy Warhol during his career as a successful commercial illustrator in New York City - the collaboration celebrates an avant-garde approach to creativity by interpreting the drawing in threedimensional form. The fourth edition of the collaboration between the New York-based foundation and the Italian brand includes two tongue in cheek sunglasses that interpret Andy Warhol s legacy at the intersection of art and design. world weekly wonders WMIDO 3

4 Dragon Alliance joins the Asymbol artists Dragon Alliance (a division of Marchon Eyewear) has signed a partnership with art collective Asymbol and their talented roster of artists on a collection of Dragon eyewear styles. The featured artists Bryan Iguchi, Jamie Lynn, Schoph, and Iuna Tinta have created enduring pieces of art that have been combined with Dragon s renowned premium eyewear products to celebrate the intersection of action sports and art. The new collection includes top selling styles from each eyewear category, including three of Dragon s snow goggles (X2s, NFX2, D1OTG), one sunglass (Monarch) and one optical frame (Owen). Each artist s work will grace two goggle styles, one sunglass and one optical frame. The sun, optical and goggle styles are now available in the USA at as well as at key retailers and opticians. The sun and goggles styles are now available in Canada and key European countries and key sun styles are now available in Australia and New Zealand; product will begin rolling out to other key countries in the coming weeks. Vive la France The new Victory is in Sight campaign is about to start To underscore purely French savoir-faire, Vuarnet has decorated iconic models Glacier, Glacier Xl and the three Edge shapes in the colors of the French flag. To celebrate its sixtieth anniversary, the House wanted to pay homage to its facility at Meaux, near Paris, and to give these models a delicately discreet touch of color. The inside of Glacier is in blue, white and red acetate, which goes perfectly with the classic frame in blonde tortoiseshell. In the new Glacier XL version, a discreet tricolor is masterfully inserted around the edges of the frame. A tricolor cord completes this signature design. Vuarnet has also decorated three models in the Edge collection. The tricolor motif appears on the inside of the frame. In the round frame, red is the dominant color combined with tortoiseshell, in the square model, blue takes center stage mixed with matte black, and in the aviator model, white is the winner. OneSight, the eye care organization founded and sponsored by Luxottica, has launched the new Victory is in Sight campaign. Its purpose is to increase awareness of the fact that for many a simple pair of eyeglasses can make a huge difference and to invite even more people to contribute to the cause through ONESIGHT.ORG/ACT. The campaign will appear in movie theaters, in print, in out-ofhome circuits, online and also in a thousand stores in the LensCrafters chain in the United States. The initiative includes the 30-second video, VICTORY IS IN SIGHT, showing how OneSight clinics and eye care centers help people in the fight to protect their eyesight. The video is accompanied by other shorter films which show how the lives of many people have been changed thanks to the work of OneSight. During the campaign, the organization will open its clinics - already widespread throughout the world - is San Diego, Cincinnati, Duluth, Kansas City, Washington D.C. and Charlotte. Turn over design by Mario Milana Renato Borghi President (confirmed) Federazione Moda Italia Francesca Leoni Senior Vice President & Chief Brand Office Michel Kors Sebastian Suhl Managing Director of Global Markets Valentino Bill Vaughan President of VSP Retail VSP Global world weekly wonders WMIDO 4

5 Design, fashion & lifestyle Park Associati gives Luxottica a new look The architectural firm Park Associati won the competition for the new Luxottica office building in Milan and the building work has already begun. Founded in 2000 by Filippo Pagliani and Michele Rossi, Park Associati is an architectural design studio based in Milan, that works on a wide range of projects. The enlargement of Luxottica offices in Piazza Cadorna, deals with confronting a natural environment with a strong historical character and a contemporary property of recent refurbishment. The gap between those extremes, their peculiarities and the differences of language, creates the opportunity for a building that mediates and values the spaces. Verdissima s spring collection Verdissima s fresh and light SS18 collection is designed for romantic and refined women who don t wish to sacrifice their allure. Sensuality is also expressed in the choice of fabrics: soft lace with a retro flavor, silky microfiber and lurex details. Underwear and sleepwear lines are enriched by brush strokes of color, with numerous models to flatter any silhouette: from destructured to padded triangles, from bandeau bras to pushups to wear with a tanga or soft culottes. New for summer 2018 is the High Seduction proposal: exclusive models in black lace embellished with shining charm jewels. And the winner is Toro! Toro, the collection of chairs designed for B-Line by German designer Michael Geldmacher received the international prize Iconic Awards: Innovative Interior The annual award is presented to designers and companies for distinctive innovative products in the world of design and furnishings. Toro is characterized by an oversize tubular structure with a simplified line that makes it stackable. The versions with multilayer wooden or upholstered seats are suitable for indoor use, while chairs with backs in interwoven cord and a painted galvanized steel structure are designed for outdoors. Safety first Fedon has created Lockpack, the stylish backpack inspired by safety. Strong and lightweight, Lockpack s 15 laptop pocket protects technological devices thanks to the zip opening on the shoulder: it is secured by a combination padlock and has an 80 cm pull-out cord for attaching it when traveling. For technology enthusiasts, the backpack also has a Bluetooth tracker for localization of up to 50 meters, 2 side pockets for earpieces, a battery charger or for connection to the devices inside. Editorial Director: Francesco Gili MIDO Srl Unipersonale Via Petitti, Milano (Italy) Phone P. Iva IT Cod. Fiscale e n. Iscr. Ufficio Imprese di Milano Cap. soc ,00 i.v. R.e.a Company subject to the direction and the coordination of Anfao - Associazione Nazionale Fabbricanti Articoli Ottici WMIDO is published in cooperation with Publicomm srl Piazzetta Brera 24/ Milano (Italy) P. Iva redazione@wmido.com world weekly wonders WMIDO 5