Wednesday, February 09, 2005
VISION PERFECT: GKB OPTICALS
By Saon Bhattacharya
India’s eyewear and eye care industry has been up and growing over the years. Chief among the fast growing enterprises in the optical and ophthalmic sector has been GKB Rx Lens Pvt. Ltd.—India’s largest ophthalmic lens manufacturing establishment. Having been around for the last 40 years, this technology intensive company is India’s premium producer of lenses, together with a range of other eye care and optical products. IR takes a look…
In the business of manufacturing as well as exporting quality optical products since the 1970s, the company has recently ventured into the retail sector under the name GKB Opticals. This ISO-9001 certified organisation works in collaboration with global leaders in the optical industry, such as Sola Optical (Australia), Shamir Optical (Israel), Corning (France), Seiko (Japan), Satis (Switzerland) and LOH (Germany), to keep itself abreast of the latest developments in the field of prescription and cosmetic lenses and eyewear.
Manufacturing and Export
The company manufactures its special niche products in the optical industry through its automated plants across the country. India's largest Rx lens manufacturer, GKB Rx Lens has a total capacity of producing 5000 Rx lenses everyday in all its high technology labs in Kolkata, Chennai, Cochin, Bangalore, New Delhi and Mumbai. Additionally, 4000 lenses are daily produced in its mass production plant. Its high quality manufacturing abilities have helped GKB to become a premier plastic, glass and polycarbonate lens processing facility in the country.
Currently serving more than 4000 opticians in the domestic market, GKB Rx Lens has been successful in pioneering the production and export of the finest eyewear and eye care products in the Indian optical scenario through its various advanced automated plants located in Germany, France and Switzerland. Having been in the business of exporting its products since the ‘70s, GKB has since bagged several Export CAPAXIL Awards. At present, the company exports to nearly 50 countries around the world, including the USA, Canada, France, Australia, Russia and the United Kingdom among others. GKB has registered an annual growth of about 23% in this sector alone.
Innovative Product Development
GKB offers a range of safety eyewear products and services for industrial and laboratory conditions. Fitted with ‘duralens’, GKB’s line of safety eyewear comes with this polycarbonate lens material that is thinner and tougher than conventional glass or plastic lenses. The self-same material that actually goes into the making of helmet visors for astronauts—talk about space-age eyewear! Practically indestructible, duralens offers the best possible eye protection against all kinds of mechanical (mineral/fibre/dust projectiles), chemical (aerosol liquids/fumes/biological and viral agents) and radiation hazards. These light, yet strong corrective lenses with anti-reflection coating are also fog and scratch-resistant. Available in single vision, bifocals and progressive lenses, GKB’s range of safety eyewear comes with clear prescription, non-prescription and tinted lenses; as well as with impact resistant frames in nylon, polymer or cellulosics.
In addition to its safety eyewear line, GKB also manufactures Panorama Lenses, an innovative range of progressive lenses. The product of years of R&D and high technology, these progressive lenses are the next step after bifocals. With better distant, intermediate and near vision, GKB’s Panorama progressive lenses offer no breaks in vision—unlike conventional bifocals. The company manufactures these lenses in a choice of plastic, glass, photochromatic and high index lens materials.
Apart from constantly upgrading its product profile, the company offers customised eye care services to its dedicated set of customers too. GKB’s Better Vision Program is one such eye care package for corporates, which tries to increase awareness about eye care and provides solutions to vision problems among other services.
Retail Vision
The company feels that retail in the optical trade is poised for a big leap. Compared to the West, there are very few Indian companies with a national presence and a chain of retail outlets that can offer consumers a standardised portfolio of products and services. Mr Lalit Kumar Gupta, Director, Marketing avers, “As more and more companies with sound organisational capabilities and a professional approach to managing a large national chain enter the market, the optical retail business will undergo a major change.”With its high technology manufacturing base, GKB has recently ventured into retailing, armed an elite string of high-profile outlets targeted towards a wide customer base, ranging from the price conscious to the brand savvy. Having made significant investments, the company currently has 14 retail points including shop-in-shops and outlets within malls. All in all, GKB Opticals has six state-of-the-art showrooms in Kolkata, three in Bangalore, two in Chennai and one each in Delhi, Gurgaon and Mumbai.
Open seven days a week, each of the retail outlets is equipped with latest computerised eye testing facilities and an advanced contact lens dispensing clinic. All GKB Optical showrooms offer separate sections for children, pre-adults, premium eyewear and sunglasses and accessories. The stores feature a vast collection of eye care products ranging from prescription to coloured contact lenses from Bausch & Lomb, Johnson & Johnson, besides GKB's own brand. In its sunglasses and eyewear accessories section, the showrooms offer top-end eyewear brands, such as Calvin Klein, Gucci, Giani Versace, Cartier, Giorgio Armani, Hugo Boss and many more.
With a total turnover of Rs. 40 crores, it looks like this optical organisation is all set to fire the retail market in the Indian ophthalmic lens industry.
Published in Images Retail (IR), January 2005 issue.
India’s eyewear and eye care industry has been up and growing over the years. Chief among the fast growing enterprises in the optical and ophthalmic sector has been GKB Rx Lens Pvt. Ltd.—India’s largest ophthalmic lens manufacturing establishment. Having been around for the last 40 years, this technology intensive company is India’s premium producer of lenses, together with a range of other eye care and optical products. IR takes a look…
In the business of manufacturing as well as exporting quality optical products since the 1970s, the company has recently ventured into the retail sector under the name GKB Opticals. This ISO-9001 certified organisation works in collaboration with global leaders in the optical industry, such as Sola Optical (Australia), Shamir Optical (Israel), Corning (France), Seiko (Japan), Satis (Switzerland) and LOH (Germany), to keep itself abreast of the latest developments in the field of prescription and cosmetic lenses and eyewear.
Manufacturing and Export
The company manufactures its special niche products in the optical industry through its automated plants across the country. India's largest Rx lens manufacturer, GKB Rx Lens has a total capacity of producing 5000 Rx lenses everyday in all its high technology labs in Kolkata, Chennai, Cochin, Bangalore, New Delhi and Mumbai. Additionally, 4000 lenses are daily produced in its mass production plant. Its high quality manufacturing abilities have helped GKB to become a premier plastic, glass and polycarbonate lens processing facility in the country.
Currently serving more than 4000 opticians in the domestic market, GKB Rx Lens has been successful in pioneering the production and export of the finest eyewear and eye care products in the Indian optical scenario through its various advanced automated plants located in Germany, France and Switzerland. Having been in the business of exporting its products since the ‘70s, GKB has since bagged several Export CAPAXIL Awards. At present, the company exports to nearly 50 countries around the world, including the USA, Canada, France, Australia, Russia and the United Kingdom among others. GKB has registered an annual growth of about 23% in this sector alone.
Innovative Product Development
GKB offers a range of safety eyewear products and services for industrial and laboratory conditions. Fitted with ‘duralens’, GKB’s line of safety eyewear comes with this polycarbonate lens material that is thinner and tougher than conventional glass or plastic lenses. The self-same material that actually goes into the making of helmet visors for astronauts—talk about space-age eyewear! Practically indestructible, duralens offers the best possible eye protection against all kinds of mechanical (mineral/fibre/dust projectiles), chemical (aerosol liquids/fumes/biological and viral agents) and radiation hazards. These light, yet strong corrective lenses with anti-reflection coating are also fog and scratch-resistant. Available in single vision, bifocals and progressive lenses, GKB’s range of safety eyewear comes with clear prescription, non-prescription and tinted lenses; as well as with impact resistant frames in nylon, polymer or cellulosics.
In addition to its safety eyewear line, GKB also manufactures Panorama Lenses, an innovative range of progressive lenses. The product of years of R&D and high technology, these progressive lenses are the next step after bifocals. With better distant, intermediate and near vision, GKB’s Panorama progressive lenses offer no breaks in vision—unlike conventional bifocals. The company manufactures these lenses in a choice of plastic, glass, photochromatic and high index lens materials.
Apart from constantly upgrading its product profile, the company offers customised eye care services to its dedicated set of customers too. GKB’s Better Vision Program is one such eye care package for corporates, which tries to increase awareness about eye care and provides solutions to vision problems among other services.
Retail Vision
The company feels that retail in the optical trade is poised for a big leap. Compared to the West, there are very few Indian companies with a national presence and a chain of retail outlets that can offer consumers a standardised portfolio of products and services. Mr Lalit Kumar Gupta, Director, Marketing avers, “As more and more companies with sound organisational capabilities and a professional approach to managing a large national chain enter the market, the optical retail business will undergo a major change.”With its high technology manufacturing base, GKB has recently ventured into retailing, armed an elite string of high-profile outlets targeted towards a wide customer base, ranging from the price conscious to the brand savvy. Having made significant investments, the company currently has 14 retail points including shop-in-shops and outlets within malls. All in all, GKB Opticals has six state-of-the-art showrooms in Kolkata, three in Bangalore, two in Chennai and one each in Delhi, Gurgaon and Mumbai.
Open seven days a week, each of the retail outlets is equipped with latest computerised eye testing facilities and an advanced contact lens dispensing clinic. All GKB Optical showrooms offer separate sections for children, pre-adults, premium eyewear and sunglasses and accessories. The stores feature a vast collection of eye care products ranging from prescription to coloured contact lenses from Bausch & Lomb, Johnson & Johnson, besides GKB's own brand. In its sunglasses and eyewear accessories section, the showrooms offer top-end eyewear brands, such as Calvin Klein, Gucci, Giani Versace, Cartier, Giorgio Armani, Hugo Boss and many more.
With a total turnover of Rs. 40 crores, it looks like this optical organisation is all set to fire the retail market in the Indian ophthalmic lens industry.
Published in Images Retail (IR), January 2005 issue.
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