For generations Tonbridge in Kent was well known for the production of cricket balls and it is in one of the old factories associated with that trade that prescription house Kentoptic is based. Looking through photographs of its former use provides a contrast between the old leather production methods and the ultra modern machinery that now occupies the same place.
Kentoptic was founded in 1973, having previously operated as Crest Optical since the 1940s. The company has come a long way since its inception and now serves clients all over the UK.
'Up to around 10 years ago Kentoptic was mainly a prescription house for Kent and Sussex in recent years we have taken it forward to go national,' says Jamie Edney, director of Kentoptic. 'So although our main client base is the South East and London, we do work for practices all over the UK - from Scotland and Northern Ireland to the north west of England. The high quality delivery services available today have removed the obstacles to maintaining our service to distant places.'
The surrounding area still benefits from Kentoptic's van service which covers Kent, Sussex, Surrey and parts of south east London. Just as the geographical reach of Kentoptic has expanded, the services and products it supplies have increased too.
'We aim to be a one-stop optical shop so that in theory you could run a practice and use Kentoptic to supply pretty much everything. One invoice covers all the supplies, whether it be lenses, glazing, surfacing, repairs, rimless or solutions, frames, ophthalmic drugs, cases and accessories. This is how a lot of our clients use us because an optometrist or dispensing optician has better things to do than source things from here, there and everywhere.'
Easy to order
In terms of frames, Edney says that Kentoptic stocks products from companies including Viva Eyewear, Continental and Optical Services. 'Obviously we are not Luxottica but we save practices from tying up resources in stock. This simplifies the operational side of running a practice too as everything can be ordered via a quick phone call or email.'
The company is run by Edney and two other directors, who are all dispensing opticians by trade. 'We have experience of being in practice and we understand what managers want from a company like ours.'
With the recent closure of the nearby Gilco prescription house, Kentoptic is looking at expanding further thanks to the transfer of Gilco's business.
'Gilco was six miles away from us and had a similar set up and ethos to us,' says Edney. 'We were delighted when Keith Stevens [managing director of Gilco] came in and said he was recommending all his client base to use us in the future. The immediate benefit has been an increase in work but we've been really pleased to have found jobs here for four of his staff including Anthony Hollemby, who was works manager at Gilco. The way things are going we are hopeful of getting more onboard.'
The possibility of experienced staff being lost to the industry animates Edney, particularly given that there are no formal training courses for the majority of the roles within a prescription house.
'Having skilled staff is hugely important in this business. We have almost 400 years of glazing and surfacing experience between our staff members and it is so important to protect this knowledge. Of course the industry is becoming more automated but automation can only cover the bulk of the work because there are always jobs that fall outside of the capabilities and this is where skilled staff make all the difference. It is a shame there are no qualifications at the moment that recognise the expertise these people have.'
Edney is confident of the value of such expertise and this is why he questions the thinking behind practices increasingly electing to glaze in-house.
'I can understand this from a short-term financial outlook. But when I was in practice myself, I found it more effective to spend my time developing the business rather than saving a pound by edging a lens to only 80 per cent of the standard that could be achieved. Every patient that is lost because of a faulty or poorly glazed pair of glasses is very costly to a practice, so to me it makes more sense in the long run to pay a little more to get the best job possible done.'
As you would expect of a lab that supplies customers all over the country, Kentoptic deals with a wide spectrum of practices. 'We do a little work for multiples, which tend to be their trickiest jobs, and we deal with the budget end with entry level packages right up to the top end Mayfair and Knightsbridge practices,' says Edney. 'We've also just acquired an account that does a lot of spectacle work for the film studios so we will be doing glazing for the likes of Angelina Jolie!'
In addition to being approved by Essilor, Seiko and Nikon, the lab is also ISO 9001 registered, which involves an external yearly audit. 'The ISO 9001 has been fantastic for us in terms of quality control,' says Preston Everard, executive manager of Kentoptic. 'It really instils good practice and helps produce a consistent quality of work because you have to do the same thing to every job.'
Attention to detail
Everard, who runs the facility on a day-to-day basis, feels that a high level of attention to detail on all parts of the operational side of the business ensures that clients get as good a level of service as possible.
'There are endless little checks and fail-safes built into the system. For example, we don't have our order enterers tracing the shapes instead our glazing staff do this. This is because after the advent of titanium and very flexible frames, you take the display lenses out and the frames collapse and that is the shape you are going to scan. The glazers take the display lenses out and then check that the frame is the same shape as when the lenses were in and make adjustments if necessary. Another example is that when the frames are finished and assembled the final assessment is always conducted by someone who has not been responsible for the actual work.'
Kentoptic has recently installed a state-of-the-art Nidek computerised robotic lens edging system (Nidek RHU-1000) which is designed to replicate or produce a lens to within 100th of a millimetre. 'This is a fantastic piece of equipment with excellent shape reproduction,' says Everard. 'A bonus is that it is rarely sick and never complains about working lunchtimes!'
Everard stresses Kentoptic's willingness to provide services for its clients that are not directly profitable. 'We have quite a few areas that do not make money as such - hard coating, repairs - but gives us an edge with our clients as providing these services ourselves means we don't have to involve a third party which is time-consuming and adds additional expense. At Kentoptic everything is geared up for our clients to rely upon us 100 per cent.' ?
? If you know of a lab that would like to be profiled in the Looking at Labs series please contact Mike Hale on 020 8652 8591 or mike.hale@rbi.co.uk
