Pictured above: Martin Mercieca, Chief Executive Officer of Class Optical Group, with Boris Dejonckheere, ZEISS Sales and Marketing Director, at the official launch of ZEISS optical lenses in Malta

ZEISS optical lenses were presented to local eye care practitioners by Boris Dejonckheere, ZEISS Sales and Marketing Director, earlier this month.

In his introduction to the well attended event at Capua Palace, Sliema, Robert Tua, Director of Class Optical Group, recalled that the company had celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2013 and introduced the recently appointed Chief Executive, Martin Mercieca, who has been entrusted with moving the business forward.

Mr Mercieca said ZEISS is a global premium brand with worldwide distribution and this fits in perfectly with the Class Optical Group’s comprehensive product offering.

Brussels-based Mr Dejonckheere, who is responsible for 14 countries in the Eastern Europe region, including Malta, said ZEISS is a strong, unique brand that makes a big difference. “Thanks to Class Optical, we have been able to offer the full portfolio of ZEISS lenses on the local market and we are working closely together to enter  the Libyan market.

“In this brief time we have discovered that innovations that are perfectly accepted in other parts of the world are very quickly picking up in these markets too.” This, he added, emerged from mini-market testing that it had carried out.

Mr Dejonckheere agreed with Mr Mercieca’s assessment that ZEISS was a “strategic add-on” to Class Optical’s current large portfolio. Among the strengths ZEISS see in their new venture in Malta and Libya is the ability to work with a group that is already well known and trusted in the market, with ZEISS providing that extra layer of innovation and cutting-edge technology, customisation and superior customer satisfaction.

In his presentation to the optometrists Mr Dejonckheere gave some startling statistics: the average US adult spends 5 hours and 24 minutes a day on a smart device (tablet computer or smartphone) with a working distance of 30-32 cm, which is much closer than the normal book reading distance of around 40 cm.

He said that when adults reach the age of 32 they may need to start using reading glasses to avoid eye strain, headaches and neck pain. For this reason Zeiss introduced Digital Lenses.

The Carl Zeiss Vision Care business group make much more than eye glass lenses. It is a world leader in the production of optic devices used to make microchips, with an 83% market share. ZEISS lenses are used in making microscopes that were used by no fewer than 30 Nobel prize-winners and they are also used in industrial metrology, consumer optics and optronics.

Apart from playing at the top level, ZEISS lenses are also found in consumer devices made by several companies including Logitech, Nokia and Sony, just like, in the automotive field, Mercedes-Benz also make SMART cars.

ZEISS benefits from transfers of technology through these innovations. “ZEISS lenses are made for your unique eyes,” Mr Dejonckheere said. With DuraVision Platinum coating, optical lenses have a combination of durability and transparency, which is highly difficult to achieve. It uses freeform technology to produce higher quality progressive lenses that combine Adaptation Control Technology.

With ZEISS the optical quality always goes in advance of aesthetics. ZEISS is leading the way with its Digital Lenses range. Approximately 11% of turnover is dedicated to research and development: €488 million in the last fiscal year. Similarly, 10% of its 24,000 employees worldwide work in R&D.

Mr Dejonckheere said ZEISS is enthusiastic to bring the ‘We make it visible’ slogan to Malta and beyond.

Media contact:

Malcolm J Naudi

Malcolm J Naudi Communications

Tel.: +356 2137-0495; +356 9990-0207

E-mail:  info@mjncommunications.com

About Class Optical Group: The leading optical company in Malta, Class Optical Group provides the full spectrum of optical products and services that are necessary for the industry, operating as a one-stop shop for opticians not only in the Maltese islands but also in North Africa. Class has over 30 years of experience providing a wide portfolio of services to the optical retail sector spanning prescription lenses, contact lens & care products, frames, sunglasses and optical instruments. It operates a state-of-the-art optical lens laboratory and a Trading Department. www.classoptical.com

About the Carl Zeiss Group: The Carl Zeiss Group develops and produces planetariums, eyeglass lenses, camera and cine lenses and binoculars, as well as solutions for biomedical research, medical technology and the semiconductor, automotive and mechanical engineering industries. Carl Zeiss is present in over 40 countries around the globe with about 40 production sites, over 50 sales and service locations and approximately 20 research and development centres. Carl Zeiss AG is fully owned by the Carl Zeiss Stiftung (Carl Zeiss Foundation). Founded in 1846 in Jena, the company is headquartered in Oberkochen, Germany. For over a century ZEISS has played a central role in shaping the optical sector. Among its extensive range of services are the development, production and distribution of high-quality eyeglass lenses:

–        single vision lenses,

–        multifocal lenses (progressive, bifocal, trifocal),

–        filter lenses (sunglass lenses, photochromic lenses, special filter lenses),

–        magnifying visual devices (for low vision patients and for use in medicine and technology),

–        instruments for refraction (lens prescription, lens centration, precision trial frame),

–        optical frames (for adults and children), and

–        services and marketing solutions for eye care professionals (Experience ZEISS, RelaxedVisionCenter). www.zeiss.com