The Hindu Business Line : Corning launches distribution channel

(From left) Mr Asseem Sharma, President, Corning International, India; Mr Pradeepak Malvai, Director-Sales and Marketing, South Asia, Greater China, Korea, Middle East and Taiwan, Corning Ophthalmic; Mr K.G. Gupta, CEO, Prime Ophthalmics Products Ltd and Ms Vivian L. Gernand, Vice-President and General Manager, Corning Ophthalmic, at the launch of the brand `VisualEyes' in Chennai on Tuesday. — Bijoy Ghosh

Chennai , March 29

CORNING India Pvt Ltd, in collaboration with Prime Ophthalmics Products Ltd, launched a new distribution channel in Chennai today. Corning India is a subsidiary of Corning Inc, a leader in ophthalmic technology.

Prime Ophthalmics will exclusively manufacture glass lens at its Chennai laboratory for Corning India, which will in turn distribute these products to opticians, wholesalers, dealers and other distributors in India.

The laboratory will offer end-to-end service and support to optician and other trade partners.

The company also launched prescription lenses under the brand name, VisualEyes, for the Indian market.

Mr Asseem Sharma, President, Corning International, said that the company decided to set up the laboratory in Chennai because of the importance given to quality in this market.

Similar facilities have been set up in Kolkata and Noida.

Mr K.G. Gupta, CEO of Prime Ophthalmics, said that the total investment in the three laboratories would be about Rs 11 crore.

The Chennai laboratory will be used as a manufacturing base to supply lenses to South India.

These facilities have the production capacity of about 350 pairs of lenses per day but for now, 250 pairs will be produced.

Mr Pradeepak Malvai, Corning's Director (Sales and Marketing) for South Asia, Greater China and Korea, said that there was a need to meet the demand for glass lenses that is not being addressed by the laboratories currently operating in the Indian market.

With this distribution channel, the company can ensure that a consistent supply of high quality glass lenses is available to the ophthalmic industry.

Though there are no credible figures, the size of the market is about 60 million pairs and is growing at the rate of about 15 per cent, he said.

Ms Vivian Gernand, Vice-President and General Manager of Corning Ophthalmics, said that Corning's global strategy involves balancing of its product lines between mature and new products.

This collaboration would ensure that consumers would get international quality lenses, she added.

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