Jiangsu WANXIN Optical CO. & Danyang DAYAO Optical CO.
This story begins in a little city, not dissimilar to the thousands of others in China at first sight. But this one is quite special. In fifty years, what was a small village has become a flourishing city dedicated to eyewear. In fact, if you ever bought glasses, chances are that they were produced there. We went to meet the very people who started all this, half a century ago.
How We Met
Some of the most secretive factories in the world are lens factories. We were lucky enough to be introduced to Sidonie who speaks French very well and who works at the factory which produces lenses for the big time players in Europe.
She was profoundly moved by the Pair by Pair program having lived in Africa herself. And we were impressed by their attention to detail.
The Lab
The lab standards exceeded our very tough specifications. The raw material they use is imported from the U.S. and Japan, and their main production line is entirely composed of state of the art German machines for coating and polishing. This means they are at the forefront of lens technology.
The Story
Wanxin was founded in 1973 and is one of the oldest lens manufacturers in Asia. What begun as a small mineral lens business grew sustainably while the whole country was stepping into a new era. However, in spite of their brand new facilities and commercial success, both factories remain very attached to their roots as family run businesses. It's common to meet employees who have been working there for decades.
