Looking at labs: Changing with the times

Sinclair Optical Services began in humble surroundings in 1984, working from a small barn at founder Arnold Sinclair’s home. What started as a glazing workshop fulfilling 30 orders a day for independent opticians is now, some 6.1 million lenses later, a full-service lens laboratory that supplies independent opticians across the UK.

Initially lending a hand during his spare time to help the company get off the ground, site manager Dave Pitt went on to become one of the company’s first employees.

The past 32 years have seen major developments both in the industry and within Sinclair Optical, and Pitt recalls the early stages of the company’s trading when key components were put in place that helped to set it on the road to where it finds itself today.