Our R&D activities are organized into four areas:
Bringing vision to new heights
Our vision care related R&D activities target innovations to outperform wearer needs, and create and grow categories in three fields: myopia management and advanced single vision; presbyopia and near vision management; and light management and lens-conveyed eye protection. To do this, we leverage a powerful global innovation and R&D network, which includes our Centers for Innovation and Technologies (CI&T) in Europe and Asia as well as our US R&D Center and our Transitions and Shamir Optical R&D Centers. This global R&D network provides us with a unique understanding of consumer needs and market structure in key regions. It also optimizes our innovation capacity thanks to proximity with local engineering and operations teams and helps us develop strong R&D partnerships with leading academic and industrial experts.
Powering style
Our analog eyewear-related R&D activities cover three main segments: frame design and technologies; eyeglass cases and accessories; and plano solutions for sun protection. Innovation in fashion accessories requires a delicate balance between staying on trend and anticipating future shifts in consumer preferences. Consumer management insights are a strategic tool for forecasting that allows our R&D teams to proactively adapt color, material and finishing choices to meet evolving tastes and lifestyles. With consumers increasingly seeking personalized and unique styles, understanding individual preferences becomes crucial. In this sense, consumer management insights form the bedrock of strategic decision-making in our innovation process for fashion accessories.
Making eyewear a gateway into new worlds
Combining decades of superior craftsmanship, a dedicated spirit of innovation and a commitment to delivering only cutting-edge technology, we continue to pave the way for a new generation of products destined to change the way consumers look and experience the world around them. Throughout our smart eyewear journey, started more than 10 years ago, we have developed our R&D, manufacturing, and distribution capabilities in the field through strategic partnerships and product releases. Driving momentum for the future, in 2023 we accelerated our vision to make eyewear a gateway into a world of new possibilities, with truly wearable and life-enhancing technologies that address evolving consumer needs and fully capture the potential of the fastgrowing wearables segments. We are focused on three main use cases for the future of smart eyewear and wearable devices: health and wellbeing, opening up new avenues for the industry at large; social and entertainment, offering consumers a new way to fully enjoy and share their most authentic moments; and performance, empowering user performance in several fields including sport and professional contexts.
Digitizing the industry from the ground up
We are tirelessly committed to operational excellence, tapping into new technologies and digital tools to enhance internal processes and consumer-facing solutions. As a vertically integrated player, we continue to invest heavily in digital transformation and the way it elevates the industry, including the power of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning along our value chain, from design and engineering to in-store and online experience. Serving as a strategic growth driver, AI technologies are at the core of our processes. From online interactions to teleoptometry, our digital transformation has changed the way we connect with millions of consumers and patients around the world. It allows us to propose digital opportunities and services that support the entire eyecare and eyewear sector, paving the way for all industry stakeholders.
