Essilor

Essel (Société des Lunetteries) was founded in 1849 (then-called L'Association Fraternelle des Ouvriers Lunetteries) as a small network of eyeglass assembly workshops in Paris. It quickly expanded in the late 19th and early 20th century through the acquisition of factories in nearby Parisian neighbourhoods and in Eastern France. Essel soon added frame design and trade to its activities. The firm launched a frame design in 1955 called Nylor which is still used today. The Nylor system introduced a thin nylon thread which embraces the lens and is fixed to the frame's higher branch. Essel's breakthrough came in 1959 with the invention of Varilux, the first ophthalmic progressive lens.

Original Lissac store in Paris

Silor (Société Industrielle de Lunetterie et d'Optique Rationnelle)first started under the name Lissac in 1931 as a retailer of ophthalmic lenses and frames before becoming a lens manufacturer. In 1959, the same year Essel invented the progressive lens, Lissac made a discovery of its own: the Orma 1000 lens, made from a lightweight material.

After many years as rivals, Essel and Silor merged on 1 January 1972 to form Essilor, the then third-largest ophthalmic optical firm in the world.[1]

Essilor's first year of existence was marked by two events: the creation of Valoptec, a non-trading company composed of stock-holder managers which held half of the company's capital stock, and the purchase of Benoist-Bethiot, a French lens manufacturer specializing in the production of progressive lenses.

In the mid 1970s, Essilor focused on becoming a true optical group specializing in the plastic progressive lens. Many subsidiary activities are first sold off, but in 1974, Essilor fused Benoist-Bethiot with Guilbert-Routit, creating a subsidiary called BBGR. In 1975, the company was listed on the stock exchange. The innovations by Essel and Silor, Essilor's predecessors, lead to the launch of the Varilux Orma in 1976 .

The late 1970s were marked by Essilor's change in strategy of geographical expansion. By making the acquisition of manufacturing plants in the United States, in Ireland and in the Philippines, Essilor began its transformation from being a mainly exporting company to being an international company.[6]

The 1980s began with intensified competition. To cut costs and improve service, Essilor purchased four new plants in four years, in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Brazil and Thailand. In France, new instruments facilitated the automation of the manufacturing process. Many distributors were acquired or merged with Essilor in Europe (Norway, Portugal) and in Asia (Burma, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Vietnam).

In the United States, all subsidiaries were brought together under the Essilor of America umbrella. This global network allowed Essilor to launch a new Varilux lens called the VMD in Europe and the United States.

To strengthen its position on the international market, Essilor has gradually withdrawn its frames business to focus on corrective lenses. Essilor launches the coating (Crizal), which provides the lens with resistance to scratches, reflections and stains. Essilor has partnered with PPG of the United States to develop Transitions, a technology that allows a lens to become darker or lighter depending on the intensity of ambient light. With the acquisition of Gentex, Essilor was also able to launch the Airwear lens (polycarbonate), a lightweight, unbreakable material.

In 2005, Essilor entered French CAC 40 market and launched the Varilux Physio in 2006.

In 2007 Essilor launched the Essilor Vision Foundation in the USA. This organization was created in order to run vision tests in schools to detect vision problems. The follow-up care and glasses are provided by Essilor Vision Foundation for children in need.[7]

Essilor acquired the Swiss company Satisloh in 2008, a manufacturer of prescription laboratory equipment.[8]

Two years later, Essilor acquired 50% of the kibbutz-based company Shamir Optical Industry. Shamir took advantage of Essilor's worldwide distribution network, and developed its activity by launching new products.[9]

In the 2010s, Essilor acquires and takes shares in a number of companies, in order to develop its range of services and international presence.

This acquisitions and stakes include FGX International an American company whose brands include Foster Grant[10], StyleMark (US company, pre-mounted glasses) and Wanxin Optical [11](Chinese company) in 2011; Xiamen Yarui (Chinese company with solar brands), Costa (US company producing solar sunglasses for water sports) and Transitions Optical's stakes from PPG[12] industries in 2013;  Coastal.com (Canadian oneline distributor) in 2014; VisionSource [13], a service network of independent optometrists and MerveOptik (Turkish company) in 2015, VisionDirect UK[14], the UK online contacts retailer in 2016.

The 40th anniversary of the merger between Essel and Silor took place in July 2012. This was the occasion to highlight their contributions and improvements on technologies.[15] In September 2012, Essilor involved in the Special Olympics for 10 more years. The ophthalmic lenses supplier provided almost 100,000 free eyeglasses to the athletes since 2002.[16]

In May 2013, Safilo and Essilor agreed on a 10-year licensing deal allowing Essilor to use Safilo's Polaroid brand for the making of polarized eye lenses.

On 25 November 2014, Essilor won 4 awards at the First Edition of the Vision-X VP Awards. Essilor's Varilux S Series won the award for Most Popular Lens (Progressive), while the Transitions Signature VII won the Most Popular Lens (Best Value) award. Its Crizal Forte UV and Mr Blue were voted the Most Popular Lens Coating/Value Add and Best Value Enhancer (Lab).[17]

By 19 March 2016, the company had a share value of 23,564 million euros, distributed in 216,477,934 shares.

In January 2017, the company agreed to merge with Luxottica.[18][19][20] Luxottica and Essilor are currently (end of 2017[21][22][23]) in the process of merging, subject to regulatory permission and possibly competition conditions.[24][25][26] Luxottica has faced allegations that it uses its market dominance to inflate prices and restrict competition (see also Luxottica#Criticism).[27][28] In March 2018, proposed combination between Essilor and Luxottica received clearance from US federal trade commission and European commission without conditions.[29] On 1 October 2018, the new holding company EssilorLuxottica was created, resulting in combined market capitalization of approximately €57 billion.

In 2019, Essilor acquired 100% of Brille24 GmbH. Essilor acquired a majority stake in Indulentes and a majority stake in Metalizado Optico Argentino S.A. (MOA).

Essilor manages a collection of objects related to its history and collaborates with several institutions related to optics. Essilor offered the Pierre Marly[31] collection to the Musée de la lunette de Morez. In 2008, Essilor signed a partnership with the CNAM to join the Mission nationale de sauvegarde du patrimoine scientifique et technique contemporain (National mission for the safeguarding of contemporary scientific and technological heritage).

Essilor has about 450 researchers working at its four R&D facilities: one R&D Center in Ireland dedicated to photochromic lenses and three Innovation and Technologies Centers in Europe (Créteil, France), the United States (Dallas) and Asia (Singapore). These facilities develop new products and work to identify and forge the best possible research partnerships.

In 2010, Essilor created Shopper Labs, experimental stores for opticians to support them in their professional practices. The space has more than 500 visits per year from professionals of 25 different nationalities.[33]

In 2016, Essilor broke the world record for vision correction by making lenses with a diopter of -104.[34]

In 2018, Essilor Group innovations were honored at Silmo[35] international optics tradeshow: Essilor Instruments' Vision-R™800, in the Material/Equipment category and BBGR's BLUV XPERT, in the Vision category.

Essilor has been named by Forbes as one of the world's 100 "Most Innovative Companies"[36] [37]for 2018, ranked 52nd; a marked increase compared to 2017 (68th). Every year since 2010, Essilor has figured among the top 100 publicly traded companies identified by investors as having the highest innovation potential.

Essilor's research department particularly concentrates on the combined progress of two complementary disciplines: optics and physiology, with particular recourse to virtual reality. A simulation tool that makes it possible to perceive and interact in 3D in a multi-sensory way. [38]

Researchers today use a virtual visualization system, equipped with algorithms and modeling developed by Essilor to explore new optical solutions that can be tested directly on wearers. This simulator makes it possible to vary the optical properties of the lenses tested, study optical effects and immediately gauge wearer satisfaction. In order to do so, a magnetic sensor records a subject's head movements and images that show the eyes' exact viewpoint 120 times per second. After testing, the results are used to fine-tune the performance of the lenses in question. In 2008, the Varilux Ipseo New Edition was designed using Essilor's Virtual Reality system.

Essilor has a number of partnerships with universities and other scientific and technical communities.

Essilor participate in the Institut de la Vision de Paris, a research center on ocular pathologies inaugurated in December 2008. The development of technologies improving the life of visually impaired people is the main goal of this partnership.[39]

The institut de la Vision develops a prototype of glasses for the visually impaired. This device adapts to the disability of each eyeglass wearer, allowing him to obtain the most suitable image.[40]

In 2015, the Vision Institute and the Sorbonne University in Paris created Silversight, a joint public-private research program on healthy visual ageing.[41]

In 2001, Essilor began a collaboration with University of Montréal on perception and ageing.[42] In 2003 this became the NSERC-Essilor industrial Chair.

In 2012 Essilor was one of six industry partners along with the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) to create a research chair in coatings engineering at the Ecole Polytechnique de Montréal.[43] The research carried out at Polytechnique will improve the sustainability and effectiveness of materials in sectors as varied as aerospace, energy and manufacturing, as well as optics and photonics.

In 2013, Essilor established a joint research center in China with Wenzhou Medical University to investigate the progression of myopia, with a particular focus on the evolution of children myopia.[44]

In 2015 Essilor and the CNRS LAAS signed a five research partnership. A joint, multidisciplinary team of researchers and engineers will pursue research on lenses and glasses with active and connected functions.[45]

Varilux is a brand of progressive lenses for people with presbyopia correcting their vision at near and far distances and in between. The lens was invented by engineer Bernard Maitenaz and was in 1959 the first progressive lens available on the market.

In 1992, Essilor launched Crizal: a lens that resists scratches, reflections and dirt.

Crizal Prevencia, launched in 2013, is a lens that lets in beneficial light and filters out harmful blue-violet and UV rays.

In 2014, Essilor won a Fibre Innovation Award for Crizal Prevencia at an event at the Paris Pierre and Marie Curie University celebrating advances in technology for the benefit of society.[46]

Essilor launched Eyezen lenses in 2015, designed for people's increasingly connected life. Essilor's research had identified that the traditional reading distance of 40 cm which was used as a standard for lens development, had decreased to an average 33 cm when using digital tools.[47]

Transitions Optical, Inc., specialized in photochromic lenses, started as a joint venture between PPG Industries and Essilor International S.A., in 1990.

In 2009, Transitions Optical launched the first commercially viable photochromic shield for motorcycle helmets.

In 2010, Transitions Optical introduced Transitions XTRActive lenses, with new technology that allows the lenses to activate behind the windshield.

In April 2014, Essilor acquired the entire stake of PPG in Transitions.

In 2018, Essilor announced that Transitions Optical has partnered with Johnson & Johnson Vision to make the light-adaptive photochromic technology available in a contact lens for the first time. Later in the year, Acuvue Oasys with Transitions Light Intelligent technology named as the best invention of 2018 by TIME's Magazine.[48]

Launched in 2009 in the United States, Xperio polarized sun lenses eliminate glare, while offering superior comfort and vision quality

The Essilor Vision Foundation was founded in 2007 in the United States to help eliminate poor vision and its lifelong consequences among children.[50]

In 2015, Essilor announced the creation of the Vision For Life program, with an initial allocation of €30 million to combat uncorrected vision.[51]

In 2012, Essilor created the Vision Impact Institute which manages a database of research and scientific studies on visual health and raises awareness about the benefits of corrected vision to guide public health policy decisions. One of the first research papers shared by the Institute highlighted that the global economy loses $227 billion every year from lost productivity caused by poor vision. In 2016, Essilor contributed to the EYElliance report 'Bridging the visual divide' which was published at the World Economic Forum and which called for more financial support to increase access to eyeglasses.[52]

In 2013, Essilor created an inclusive business model through 2.5 New Vision Generation to provide solutions for people who do not have access to vision care, underserved populations and rural communities. [53]

In 2013, Essilor launched the Eye Mitra program in India to increase access to vision care for underserved populations and at the same time improving their livelihood.[54]

Following an initial program in China, in 2018 Vision Ambassador Programs have been developed in 8 other countries: Brazil, India, Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Ivory Coast, Kenya and South Africa and had over 2,248 Vision Ambassadors.

Under the global partnership between Essilor and Special Olympics, since 2002, the vision program Special Olympics Lions Clubs International Opening Eyes program has screened more than 430,000 children and adults with intellectual disabilities participating in Special Olympics.

Our Children Vision has reached 30 million children through free eye care programs and equipped close to 2 million with a free pair of glasses by the end of 2018.

Essilor and the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) signed a three-year partnership that will promote good vision as a key pillar of road safety through awareness campaigns and underline the importance of having a regular sight test to ensure safe driving.[55]

Essilor commits to expanding its award winning inclusive business and philanthropic programmes to meet the unmet vision needs of 900 million people living with uncorrected refractive errors in the Commonwealth through the $1bn Vision Catalyst Fund.

In December 2018, Essilor signed Letters of Intent with the Royal Government of Bhutan and the Central Monastic Body to sustainably strengthen the country's vision care infrastructure.

In 2017, Essilor was ranked 4th of the 50 biggest paper consuming companies in France for its environmentally-responsible paper policy.[56]

Employee shareholding at Essilor has strongly developed as it jumped from 21% in 2016 to 68% by the end of 2018

10,000 Essilor employees have gathered in a shareholder association called Valoptec, which owns three of the fifteen seats at the board of directors. Internal shareholders and partners hold 4.3% of the Group's capital.

The CSR Committee was established following the deliberations of the Board during their meeting of February 27, 2013 and chaired by Louise Fréchette. The main role of the CSR Committee, within the duties of the Board of Directors, is to ensure that Essilor Group effectively addresses its mission to "improve lives by improving sight".

• Employees: 69,000
• Distribution centers: 14
• Labs: 475
• Plants: 32
• Patents: 9,535
• Investments in research & innovation: +200 million euros/year