LAB INNOVATOR OF 2010 - Luzerne Optical Labs

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LAB INNOVATOR OF 2010Q&A WITH NEIL DOUGHERTYBuilt on an Independent FoundationNow run with the help of the second generation of the Dougherty family, Luzerne Optical of Wilkes-Barre, PA,continues its tradition of growth as an independent wholesale optical lab.JIM GROOTEGOED: Please tell usabout the history of Luzerne Optical.NEIL DOUGHERTY: The company wasstarted in 1973 by my mother and father.When my father got out of high school, hewent into the military. His first job out waswith Balester Optical in Wilkes-Barre. Hebecame their production manager. He wasthere for 13 years when a large corporationstarted buying independently owned laboratoriesacross the country, and Balesterwas one of those. He saw what was goingon and said, “This is a good time to get outand start my own business.”He felt there was a need for a locallyowned independent wholesale lab thatcould provide personalized service for itscustomers. Most people thought he wascrazy. They said, “You have this great job,five children, why would you want to leavethis position?” But my mother encouragedand supported him, so they started LuzerneOptical in 1973.The name came from the countywe’re in, Luzerne County, named afterthe French nobleman and minister tothe U.S., Chevalier de la Luzerne, whowas sent to help the American Revolution.Plastic hadn’t arrived yet, so it was glasslenses and frames. The business grewsteadily over the years. We outgrew ourfirst building and in 1984 built a new,20,000-sq.-ft., state-of-the-art facility inthe downtown Wilkes-Barre IndustrialPark. In 1985, we added gas permeablecontact lens manufacturing on site, and in1994, we were the first lab in Pennsylvaniato manufacture anti-reflective (AR) in-house.In 2002, we were so tight we knockedout the walls to our garage and expandedour surfacing room. We also automatedour inventory room, installing Lektrieversystems interfaced with our DVI LMSsoftware. In 2002 we also added the CrizalAR facility, which was the first non-Essilorownedlab installation along with WalmanOptical.Then, in 2009 we began processingfree-form lenses in house. With the firstSchneider generator distributed at thattime by Zeiss, we probably had free-formequipment before anybody in the U.S.Now we’re on our fourth generation ofSchneider equipment. We were waitingfor the free-form manufacturing processto come along. The software wasn’t ready.The equipment manufacturers weren’tready. So even though we had the technologysitting there years earlier, wecouldn’t implement it until all of thosepieces fell into place around 2009.JG: Why did you choose Schneider?ND: Gunter was so committed to hismachinery, plus they were the first withproven and productive machinery in thefree-form category worldwide before itcame to the U.S.JG: I noticed your product list is verycomprehensive in terms of the manufacturersyou support.ND: We have a vast array of products, justabout every lens line or treatment.That’s one of the things that givesLuzerne a competitive advantage.JG: That’s a challenge with new technologies—ARand now free-form.ND: We’re well positioned in AR and freeform.We have two different AR labs withfour AR systems. If one goes down, wehave backup and support. We were one ofthe first with the Zeiss process in 199420 november/december 2010
Q&A WITH NEIL DOUGHERTY LAB INNOVATOR OF 2010when we combined our plastic and glasssurfacing and finishing areas to make roomfor AR facilities. Then in 2002 we installedCrizal, and they required a Class 100,000Clean Room with a specific footprint, sowe took space from our old glass surfacingarea along with part of our data entry,stockroom, and customer service areas tosatisfy the requirements.Regarding our capacity planning forfree-form, we have three lines. Two are upand producing, and one is on standby in caseone goes down or until production increases,so we’re prepared with a free-form lineready and waiting to put into production.JG: Are you still doing frames?ND: Both dress eyewear and industrialeyewear. We offer package programs anddistribute an array of products—sunglasses,optical supplies, pharmaceuticals, andspecialty products such as binoculars,telescopes, and rifle scopes.We have a nice niche in the low visionarea with all kinds of devices and magnifiersand glasses. That’s a niche my father developedmany years ago with prismatic spectaclesfor people who were considered legallyblind. There were a lot of nice stories overthe years from doctors and their patientswho were so thankful to just havesomething that could help them see.JG: How did the second generationget involved?ND: We’re a family of five kids, and ittruly is a family-owned and operatedbusiness. We started out in the lab asyoung kids helping assemble boxes forshipping. In the summers during ourhigh school years we would work invarious positions in the lab. My fatherJohn (aka Jack/Jake) Dougherty ispresident, my mother Lorraine is vicepresident, my brother John is vice president/purchasing,I am the generalmanager, and my sisters Renee andYvonne along with my wife Elizabethhelp with accounting and payroll.NATIONAL MARKETJG: What about your sales force?ND: We have a large sales force throughoutthe country, most on the East Coast.JG: Where are your primary target areas?ND: Luzerne has accounts nationwide.Primarily in the Mid-Atlantic states andwhere we have representation in the sixNew England states, New York, Pennsylvania,New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, WestVirginia, Virginia, DC, Ohio, North Carolina,South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida,Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma,Texas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado,Utah, and California. We expand a littleeach year, but we’re careful about growthso we don’t sacrifice service.JG: How many jobs do you do in a day?ND: Right now, it’s averaging about1,800 jobs a day.JG: How much is finished versus uncut?ND: Pretty close to 50/50, however, we’reseeing the trend changing. More accountsare sending us the complete job to beedged because of the cost involved withdrill mounts, free-form lenses, and AR.JG: That’s a healthy trend for the labs.ND: In the East Coast in particular. Thispart of the country is known to be thebiggest for uncut lenses. More practices haveedgers in this area than in any other region.PRODUCTS AND PROMOTIONSJG: Does your sales force carry aframe bag as well?ND: Some do, some don’t. All of them promoteour frame and lens packages, but thereare many of them who focus on the lenses andtreatments. There are some nice frame linesavailable, and we do support them such asNouveau Eyewear and McGee Eyewear. -november/december 2010 21
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