MAGRABi, a leading optical retailer in the Middle East, has unveiled a Lens Innovation Centre (LIC), the region’s biggest and most efficient manufacturer of ophthalmic lenses, capable of producing two million lenses a year.

 

MAGRABi will invest a total of AED54 million ($15 million) into developing the LIC by 2025 and has also partnered with Hoya and Seiko Optical for the lens designs and supply of premium materials, bolstering its position as a leader in innovation and technology.

 

LIC consolidates MAGRABi’s position as the leading optical retailer across the Middle East and will create a total of 90 jobs by 2025. Opened in January 2022, the LIC will serve MAGRABi’s premium brand, as well as the Company’s mainstream brand Doctor M.

 

Advanced lab

The centre is the most advanced lab in the Middle East, partnering with Schneider Optical, a leading manufacturer of the state-of-the-art ophthalmic lens machinery and equipment. The facility has a current capacity of one million lenses per year, operating 24/7. This is anticipated to double to two million lenses per year by 2025.

 

MAGRABi’s LIC is the only lens manufacturing facility in the region that utilises Schneider’s Modulo Line technology, enabling the centre to run at maximum efficiency levels not seen in the Middle East before. The advantages of the Modulo Production Line are wide-ranging, reducing costs and improving overall efficiency and capacity to world-leading levels.

 

The next-generation technology consists of a series of cognitive machines, built-in quality control, and intelligent systems. By utilising advanced intelligent learning, the technology monitors the production process, recognises errors in the production process, and creates a variety of production data that the Modulo Production Line automatically reacts to.

 

Global expansion

Amin Magrabi, CEO of MAGRABi Group, commented: “As the leading high-end optical retailer in the Middle East, and the only chain operating across the entire Middle Eastern region, the next stage in MAGRABi’s journey is to expand internationally and serve other markets. Before exploring this option, we are focused on cementing our position in the Middle East and ensuring we are well prepared to expand.

 

“We want MAGRABi to dominate the entire vertical chain in the region to ensure we are ready to disrupt the global optical market and we continue to invest significantly to meet this ambition. Our most valuable investment, however, remains our team of talented staff where we are proud to have some of the most experienced managers, engineers, technicians, and machine operators.”

 

The company’s strategy is focused on consolidating its position as the leading optical retailer in the Middle East region, before exploring international expansion. The LIC is a significant step in this journey as the Company progresses to controlling the entire optical value chain, an important milestone to exploring other markets.-- TradeArabia News Service