Caledonian Optical presents new facility

Caledonian Optical took professionals on a tour of its brand-new facility, all from its stand at 100% Optical (25–27 February).

The manufacturing arm of Duncan and Todd used virtual reality technology to share a walk-through of the £1.5 million lab which opened this year.

Mark Robertson, head of manufacturing for Caledonian Optical, told OT: “We have just moved from our old lab, which was a 4000 square foot lab, and we’re now in a purpose-built, 1500 square foot showpiece laboratory.”

The old site was located in the centre of Aberdeen, “which meant even just getting deliveries was quite difficult,” Robertson said. The location had housed Caledonian Optical’s lab facilities since 1976.

The new laboratory is based in Dyce, close to Aberdeen International Airport.

Using VR headsets at 100% Optical enabled the business to showcase the ‘wow-factor’ of the new facilities, Robertson shared: “We can have people right inside the lab.”

The new facilities are more automated with more equipment and triple the capacity.

“Sustainability is an important thing for us as well,” Robertson shared, explaining that the move to the new facility enables the lens manufacturer to invest in new machinery for more sustainable practices.

Caledonian Optical has also increased the size of its anti-reflection coating department, with capacity to provide more AR coats than previously.

Describing what the new facility means for the company, which specialises in digital freeform lenses, Robertson shared: “We’ve always made these fantastic premium digital lenses, but now we can do it on a much bigger scale.”

“The site gives us the ability to grow. It’s future-proof so, if we ever need to expand further, we can upgrade machines and take on more equipment, whereas in the last location we were limited in what we could do,” he told OT.

Looking at the market the business serves, Robertson shared: “We really see that Caledonian Optical can grow an independent market within the whole of the UK. It’s an exciting time for us and this is why we’re here to tell people we can make amazing products and deliver lens options for independent opticians in the UK.”

Robertson shared: “The future is bright for us.”