British firm marks manufacturing milestone

Champagne corks were popped last week as British eyewear manufacturer and supplier the Optoplast Actman Eyewear Company celebrated its 70th anniversary at the Sky Garden in London.

Walter Conway and Herbert Thorn formed the company in 1946 in Guildford, Surrey, before going to produce frames for the NHS with a team of six staff. It also developed the PIMO machine, which inserted core wires into temples, a device the company said shaped the way spectacles were manufactured worldwide. Today, the company has more than 200 employees and four offices around the world.

To celebrate the landmark, the company has produced a limited run of its Walter and Herbert frames. Just 100 of each of the four jewellery-clad designs will be produced.