Hoya has marked its recovery from last year's devastating floods in Thailand with the launch of a freeform progressive lens based on a new design philosophy.
The InnoVision concept was revealed in Berlin in front of 160 international guests who heard that visual perception, prescription accuracy, lens design technology and the wearer's behaviour all played a part in good design.
Through a series of tie-ups with laboratories and universities around the world these elements had been brought together to design the Hoyalux iD LifeStyle V+ lens. This replaces the LifeStyle lens and is available in two versions, Harmony and Clarity. Hoya will be spending time with opticians in the coming weeks to explain how to identify the ideal wearer for each version of the lens.
One year on from the flooding of Hoya's Ayutthaya plant, Gerald W Bottero, chief executive officer and president of Hoya Vision Care, said production capacity would be back up to speed by the end of the year.
In the six months following the flood 18bn Yen (€180m) in sales and operating profits of €120m were lost by the company. Extraordinary losses of €60m were posted in the second half as a result of the floods and €160m has been spent on rebuilding production. This included a 5.4m high, 11km long barrier and $3m spent to stop water ingress through floors. Many lessons had been learned by the Thai government which had implemented early warning systems and a more open approach to flood management.
Bottero said much of the damage was insured and plans to spread production around the world had been implemented. This included a €23m superlab in Hungary.
'I'm happy to announce that the flood is something we have returned from,' he said.
Bottero also praised the dedication of the workforce and the support provided by suppliers and even competitor lens companies. 'It tells us a lot about our industry,' he added.