From 3 to 5 February 2024, all eyes will be on MIDO, the world leader in eyewear trade shows. For three days, stakeholders from all five continents will meet in Fieramilano Rho to discover the companies which represent the entire supply chain of the eyewear industry, in an international setting.
WMIDO is allowing some of the MIDO 2024 exhibiters to voice their opinions. Today’s interview is with Ralf Ellermann, Head of Global Marketing | Vice President of Rodenstock.
Sustainability is undoubtedly a topic of great importance, born out of the need to elevate the purpose of businesses to envision a better future for all. This issue is deeply felt by MIDO as well, which, in addition to being actively involved as an organization, has created specific awards: the CSE Award - Certified Sustainable Eyewear, which assesses the sustainability of eyewear products on an international level, and Stand Up For Green – designed for stands that stand out for their environmental awareness. How does your company approach this issue? What activities are being undertaken to support the future of the planet?
Rodenstock has been aware of the effects of climate change and the need to respond to it for years and has made it part of its strategy. For example, we have focused on building a global manufacturing network that allows us to produce regionally rather than centrally in low-cost countries coupled with air freight distribution. Instead, our local hubs can be supplied by ocean freight and other less carbon-intensive transport routes and produce close to the markets they serve in comparable or even better timeframes than relying on air freight. In addition, all our manufacturing operations are based on, and certified to, the environmental management and protection principles of EN ISO 14001. As part of this, we are continuously reducing our emissions, energy and water consumption and increasing the recycling of production materials and consumables. These initiatives have recently shown remarkable results and have been carried out with the dedicated participation of our employees, who are encouraged to contribute ideas and are incentivized to step up whenever they see an opportunity for improvement. Regarding emissions, Rodenstock monitors its carbon footprint throughout the supply chain, including all Scope 3 emissions, and is in the process of defining and communicating targets and will report on this soon.
Young people are our future, as we were discussing earlier, also in the context of sustainability. Being close to them and responding to their needs is not always easy. MIDO, in this sense, always seeks to stay in step with the times and experiment. It was the first trade fair in the industry to have a digital magazine, to use a dedicated app, the first to create a digital platform to respond immediately to the Covid crisis. In 2024, as mentioned earlier, it was also the first in the industry to create a communication campaign using AI. How does your company try to reach out to the younger audience?
Thanks to the combination of unique brand quality, technical innovations and international growth, Rodenstock offers a diverse range of chances with plenty of scope for new ideas and personal development in the MedTech sector for the younger audience. Rodenstock Italy provides, for example, programmes for younger audiences, through training platforms, seminars and academies, in presence and digital, for young opticians.
Another 'hot' topic is the increasingly widespread use of AI. MIDO has also used it, in support of human creativity, to create the first communication campaign in the industry. What is your stance on this issue? Have you used it for your production reality, or do you plan to use it in the future?
Artificial Intelligence is an exciting topic and will be further developed in the future of ophthalmic optics, as the possibilities offered by this technology are immense. With our biometrically standardized lenses B.I.G. NORM®, we are already using Artificial Intelligence to produce lenses that fit the individual eye far more precisely than conventional lenses. By using Artificial Intelligence, Rodenstock brings a new level of biometric precision into lens calculation that will help users achieve sharper vision, even when exact DNEye® Scanner measurements are unavailable. Using statistical analysis, Rodenstock is able to determine new, more precise lens calculations for the most important biometric parameters in the eye. With these new lens calculation norms, we unleash the potential of one of the biggest biometric data sets in the industry – comprising more than 500,000 individual biometric eye scans. Rodenstock’s new lens calculation norms allow us to create an approximate biometric model of the eye, using just the standard prescription values delivered to Rodenstock by opticians as input.
With its new Artificial Intelligence technology, Rodenstock is finally able to make Biometric Intelligent Glasses available to all lens wearers.
Through which drivers does your company lead innovation in the optical sector?
Rodenstock's success story is characterized by groundbreaking developments and market-leading lens technologies. The focus of its activities is on innovations that enable the sharpest vision for every angle and every gaze. B.I.G. VISION® is the unique philosophy: Rodenstock recognizes that every person and every eye are unique and different. That’s why Rodenstock was the first to measure the individual eye and uses thousands of data points and to determine the biometrics of the whole eye for the calculation of the lens. It is what motivates the lens manufacturer to provide people all around the globe with the best lenses. Rodenstock does not settle for standard and is always going one step further. Its philosophy has made Rodenstock what it is today, and it is the engine for further innovations.