Manufacturing

Beyond technology

Beyond technology

Even the most advanced manufacturing technologies cannot unlock their full potential without the right processes and leadership. Erik Larsen and Dr. M. Peter Scontrino explore how continuous improvement and Lean thinking can drive sustainable competitive advantage. Explore the full article.

Hand painted prosthetic contact lenses

Hand painted prosthetic contact lenses

Discover the fascinating world of hand-coloured contact lenses. Lefteris Karageorgiadis shares his techniques, experience and the craftsmanship behind creating individually painted lenses. Continue to the article.

True excellence

True excellence

Excellence in contact lens manufacturing is driven by leadership, culture and a constant willingness to improve. Inspired by observations from elite sports and international industry meetings such as the Global Specialty Lens Symposium (GSLS), this article explores what distinguishes highly efficient laboratories from average performers.

The legacy lab

The legacy lab

Too much “baggage” for success? Legacy labs sometimes rely on outdated technologies and processes, even when new equipment has already been acquired. This has many undesirable effects on efficiency and makes it difficult to compete with start-ups that enter the market with the aim of keeping pace with changes in the production landscape. However, it…

Erik Larson: The Problem ­Solver

Erik Larson: The Problem ­Solver

A visit to Larsen Equipment Design Together with his son Andrew, Erik Larsen shoulders a steel bar and carries it into his workshop. It smells of oil and metal here. A whole battalion of machinery is installed here. Large, old, new and small. And the really big ones, which easily have a footprint of 6…

Lab consultation

Lab consultation

We are assisting a start-up lab with developing their process to make contact lenses, both corneal and scleral. The owner does not have a manufacturing background and has a local optometrist who is advising her on the blocking and finishing aspects of contact lens manufacturing.