Jun 12, 2020 | News
Vision Expo West will return to the iconic city of Las Vegas, Nevada on September 23-26, 2020 under the banner of One Vision – One Focus – One Future. The much-anticipated Vision Expo West is where the optical industry will unite and get back to business.
The Vision Expo team and The Vision Council, are committed to providing ongoing communication as they plan for Vision Expo West 2020. Attendees should look for further show information and announcements in the coming weeks regarding exhibitor activations, new education sessions, events and more.
Additionally, The Vision Council and Reed Exhibitions, have released information regarding plans for health and safety policies at the show, including Reed Exhibitions’ creation of a Health & Safety Task Force to develop and implement policies and best practices around Covid-19 response and prevention.
The goal is to organize Vision Expo West in line with guidance from public health officials, state and local governments and the protocols put in place by venue partners. The Health & Safety Task Force will continually update and adjust the policies and best practices.
To register for Vision Expo West 2020, visit visionexpowest.com.
Jun 9, 2020 | News
Dieter Vögtli
Dieter Vögtli, member of the Buhler Executive Board, passed away on Friday, June 5, as a result of a short, serious illness. Dieter Vögtli headed the company’s global Service & Sales (SAS) organization. Before that, he was responsible for Buhler’s business in Asia.
Dieter Vögtli was a qualified mechanical engineer from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETHZ). He started his career as a global power plant commissioning engineer at the Swiss Brown Boveri Co. In 2004 he came to Buhler, initially as Head of China, and from 2009 also as Head of Buhler Group Asia Pacific. He combined his entrepreneurial attitude and his deep understanding of the market with a strong empathy for customers and his teams. He has played a key role in Buhler’s growth and success in the past 16 years, particularly in Asia. In his functions, Dieter Vögtli was also a member of the Buhler Executive Board. After handing over responsibility for Asia to his successor, he returned to Switzerland with his family in 2018.
Samuel Schär
Samuel Schär assumes responsibility as head of the global SAS organization, in addition to his current role as CEO of the Advanced Materials division. This internal succession has been prepared for a long time. Samuel Schär graduated in physics from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL). He has been with Bühler since 2002. In 2005 he took over the management of the then newly founded business unit Nanotechnology, later he was responsible for the business area Grinding & Dispersing. Samuel Schär was promoted to the Executive Committee in 2013 when he took over the management of the Advanced Materials business unit.
Jun 8, 2020 | News
In order to provide preventive maintenance and remote support in times of the new normal, Schneider has developed a computerized maintenance management system, CMMS. It enables labs to perform maintenance reliably like professionals. The system provides intelligence on how to do maintenance and troubleshoot, assisting labs with maintenance plans, step-by-step video tutorials, manuals and ready-made parts packages.
On top, the system offers remote service support utilizing augmented reality glasses or tablets for most effective troubleshooting assistance. Seeing exactly what the technician sees, the Schneider professionals assess the situation in real-time and direct the technician’s every step.
CMMS comes preconfigured with full documentation, check lists, videos, predefined workflows and a spare parts catalogue on-board – customized for the individual lab. As machines change, the documentation is always kept up-to-date to reflect the current status.
Jun 3, 2020 | News
Effective October 1st, 2020, Team Henrich & Krall GmbH (Team H&K), a member of the Schneider Group, will merge into the Schneider GmbH & Co. KG. The full range of products will be continue to be available through Schneider and existing customers will be fully supported.
In July 2013, Schneider acquired the shares of the optical equipment manufacturer Team H&K, known for its automated solutions for deblocking, cleaning and tinting. Team H&K continued operation as an independent company.
After managing director Jürgen Krall left the company in 2019, the Team H&K operations have been restructured.
In May 2020, the management board decided to merge Team H&K into the Schneider Group in order to move closer together and effectively combine the know-how and expertise of both parties, leveraging synergies. In addition, production efficiency will be streamlined.
As a consequence, the production site in Dreieich will be closed effective October 1st, 2020, and production will be moved to the Schneider locations in Fronhausen and Quotshausen. The joint team will work on new development projects and future-oriented products.
May 28, 2020 | News
Following the retirement of Steve Sutherlin, the Lab Division Liaison responsibilities are taken on by Michael Vitale, The Vision Council’s Senior Technical Director, Lens Division Liaison, and Lens Processing & Technology Division Liaison.
Vitale looks forward to using his expertise in the new field of activity: “By bringing three divisions together under one liaison, there are amplified opportunities for collaboration, innovation and productive synergies. We will continue to work closely with our members to provide them the support needed to accomplish their divisional goals. I look forward to continuing to serve our members in this expanded role.”
Vitale has been in the optical industry for over 40 years and has held various upper level management positions over the course of his career, including Director of Corporate Quality and Standards for Essilor of America and Director of Operations for Sutherlin Optical.
He is a North Carolina Licensed Optician, is NCLE Certified and has an ABO Masters in Ophthalmic Optics.
Vitale also heads up The Vision Council’s standards work as secretariat to ANSI ASC Z80 and US TAG Leader for ISO TC172/SC7 Ophthalmic Optics.
May 20, 2020 | News
Bühler Leybold Optics has organized their first live webinar for the ophthalmic market.
The webinar with the title “meeting market requirements from fast coating solutions to premium processes” will be held on Tuesday, May 26, 2020.
The current ophthalmic market demands specific coating solutions to meet sustainability requirements. In this webinar, Xavier Peréz (R&D Project Manager, Process Development and Application) and Amaury Laureau (Sales Manager Ophthalmic) will present several solutions to tackle that demand in different ways.
List of topics:
- Lens production and sustainability
- Coatings processes: OptiFast, Robust, UMBRA
- Energy management
- Digital solutions
In order to give viewers from different time zones the opportunity to participate, two sessions will be offered:
- 10:30 AM Central European Summer Time
- 05:30 PM Central European Summer Time
Registration is open now.
