Craving MIDO: a talk with Soleko (Menicon Group).

MIDO is back, in person and in complete safety, at the Fiera Milano Rho venue from 12 to 14 February 2022. The event is set to be a must-do for the whole sector, both in terms of its role as a privileged observatory and as an international point of reference in the worlds of design, fashion, culture and business. MIDO is also a hub that reflects an entire industry, for reflection and rethinking about eyewear in all its aspects and details, a showcase for final users. As the next important edition approaches, we have interviewed some of the key players.

Today we give the floor to Stefano Proietti, Sales and Marketing Director for Soleko of the Menicon Group.

In October 2019, the Japanese multinational Menicon took over Soleko, an Italian company working in the contact lens sector for over 40 years. Can you give us a preview of what you are planning for MIDO?

MIDO, in a certain sense, will be our “debut”: it is the first time that we present Soleko as the Italian branch of Menicon. Our exhibition area will be midway between “Made in Italy” creativity and Japanese “artisan” technology. Everything that we have done together will be highlighted at this fair.

Can you tell us about your first steps on this journey?

From the beginning to now, many things have changed, also because of the pandemic. We have focused on two assets: we have prepared the virtual launch of Menicon products and we have dedicated a lot of time to education and training. In the last few months we have started again to offer training in optical centres and stores. We have set up the Menicon Academy, whose teachers are exclusively external consultants who have recognised the excellent contactology involved in our services and products. These initiatives have allowed us to introduce an important process of homogenization, working to bring our training courses and education in line with the qualitative and structural standards of Menicon.

Let’s move on to analysing product performance...

The performance by Soleko during 2020 and in these months of 2021 has been amazing: approval from our customers and Menicon product consumers has been much higher than even our most optimistic expectations. The quality of the products, services and projects have matched the demands of our customers and needs of contact lens wearers.

Financially, the results have been excellent: we will end this financial year with a turnover of 18 million euro, an increase of about 9% compared to 2020.

What is the philosophy that underlies Menicon?

Creating unique products with technical specifications that are not to be found in our competitors’ products, to keep our customers satisfied. The development of our products is led by the needs of the final user... products suggested by the market!

One prime example is the daily disposable contact lenses of the MIRU range, which use patented Smart Touch technology. This innovative technology guarantees high levels of convenience, safety and comfort but also, and above all, hygiene; all factors which are essential, especially in this period. In fact, the lenses are always pointed in the right way, and when inserting them in the eye, the wearer never touches the internal part in contact with the eyeball, thus reducing the risk of microbial contamination and helping to reduce the dropout phenomenon. This technology is particularly appreciated by doctors as it reduces the risk of eye infections caused by poor hygiene and handling of the lenses.

Let’s go back to MIDO: can you give us a sneak previewof what we will see at your stand?

We will be officially presenting the Bloom project, a unique system for control and management of myopic progression. It is a structured offer that is not only composed of products but also a series of tools that will facilitate the relationship between professionals and teenagers (as well as parents). The project includes: a software package to guarantee the best choice of lenses by the expert, an app for ongoing and direct communication with the teenager about use of the lenses: the app will explain, for example, how they should be used, time and duration... It will be a way to communicate with the teenager and answer any queries or doubts... All this is designed to increase effective use of contact lenses (daily and/or nightly).