With strong operations in France, Ger-many and the Netherlands, and a desireto expand its presence in Europe, Meni-con recently completed the acquisition ofDavid Thomas Contact Lenses (DTCL),headquartered in Northampton, UK.
“Menicon has been looking to expandinto other European markets for itsmolded soft lenses, hyper-Dk rigid lensesand lens care products,” said ToshioMatsushima, Senior Executive Officer,Menicon Company, Ltd. “Topping the listwas the desire to enter the UK market ina strong and meaningful way.”
Menicon spent several years assessingpotential partners in the UK. After suc-cessful negotiations between the parties,Menicon completed the acquisition ofDTCL in November 2009.
“After discussions in early 2009, it becameclear that David Thomas Contact Lenseswould make an ideal partner for Meniconin the UK,” Mr. Matsushima said. “DTCL isa well-known and respected custom lensmanufacturer, and as a privately ownedcompany with excellent management and
a stable work force, it represents anideal company for Menicon to workwith.”
Menicon is the world’s largestmanufacturer of GP lenses, ac-counting for approximately 25% ofall GP lenses sold worldwide.What is less well known, Mr. Mat-sushima says, is that Menicon wasan early innovator in the develop-ment of hyper-Dk silicone hydrogellenses. In fact, Menicon has someof the earliest patents in the field.Menicon also has a strong presence inthe important 2-week replacement seg-ment in Japan and will soon be launchingits own one-day lens in Japan, utilizing anew and novel packaging system for hy-drogel lenses. Through the DTCL acquisi-tion, Menicon expands the reach of itsdynamic product portfolio into the UK.
Strategic focus: specialty lensesDavid Thomas Contact Lenses is thesecond largest producer of Rose Klenses, the most widely prescribed con-tact lens globally for the treatment of ker-atoconus. Nearly half of its production isexported to the Middle East, Europe andSouth Asia. With the 2004 acquisition ofNova Contact Lenses, a local UK manu-facturer, DTCL refocused on the produc-tion of specialty lenses and hascontinued down this path. This was aparticularly important strategic decisiongiven the general decline of the traditionalGP lens business. Today, the majority ofGP lenses produced at DTCL are pre-scribed for specialty applications, includ-ing keratoconus, presbyopia,postsurgical fitting, irregular corneas,ortho-k and high astigmatism.
The change to specialty lens manufactur-ing required DTCL to invest in state-of-the-art lathes and process controlequipment. In the years since retooling its
focus and manufacturing, the DTCL labo-ratory has undergone a completemakeover. Virtually any complicated lensgeometry can now be produced on com-puterized lathes that provide micron levelprecision and excellent reproducibility.The custom lenses coming off the pro-duction line today are vastly superior totheir antecedents of just a few years ago.
Sharing proprietary technologyOver the years, Menicon has developedunique manufacturing technology that ithas installed at its subsidiary facilities in Eu-rope. This technology enables Menicon toproduce highly precise lenses of virtuallyany geometry with high manufacturingyields. Menicon’s proprietary processesallow lenses to be manufactured free of or-ganic solvents and sticky wax compoundsthat are sometimes difficult to remove fromlens surfaces after manufacturing.
“Menicon will be working with DTCL tobring these advanced production fea-tures to Northampton to complement thealready considerable investments madeby DTCL in the past 3 years to substan-tially modernize their productionprocesses,” Mr. Matsushima said.
Launch point for new offeringsWhat makes this merger significant forMenicon as well as practitioners and
MENICON IN THE NEWS
Menicon and David Thomas ContactLenses Join Forces in the UKSynergies and shared philosophy to drive relationship.
William Thomas, Managing Director of David Thomas Contact Lenses, and Toshio Matsushima, Senior Executive Officer, MeniconCompany, Ltd., join colleagues in front of DTCLheadquarters.
Optoform 40 lathe dedicated to front-surface cutting ofRose K2 lenses.
patients in the UK, Mr. Matsushima said,is that through DTCL, Menicon will nowhave a strong base of operations fromwhich to introduce new products andtechnologies into the UK. Besides con-tact lenses, Menicon is a pioneer in thedevelopment of lens care solutions forGP and soft lenses. Some of these prod-ucts are available today in the UK, withnew ones planned for introduction in thenear future. Menicon is also expandinginto new business areas, such as anti-aging supplements, veterinary care andspecialty enzymes.
Service and innovation continueMenicon and DTCL are committed to en-suring that DTCL’s current customerscontinue to receive the good service andinnovative products they expect, and thatany changes will only be for the better.The company will continue to operate asDavid Thomas Contact Lenses, and themanagement team of DTCL will remain inplace and continue to be led by Mr.William Thomas, Managing Director.
“David Thomas Contact Lenses has builtup a well-deserved reputation for qualityand service over many years,” Mr.
Thomas said. “Our policy of being 100percent customer-focused has allowedus to continually expand and become theleading specialty lens manufacturer in theUK. We realize, however, that to continueour development we need the advantageof being part of a much larger group.Menicon is the ideal partner for us to dothis, as there is tremendous synergy be-tween the two organizations, and wehave a shared philosophy when it comesto quality and service. All of us at DTCLare proud to now be part of the Menicongroup and look forward to the opportuni-ties this will bring.”
