Essilor named "The World's Most Innovative Companies" by Forbes

Essilor, the world leader in ophthalmic optics, was recently named among "The World's Most Innovative Companies" by Forbes. In its August 8 issue, the esteemed American business magazine placed Essilor 25th on its global ranking, recognising the Group's revolutionary approach to eyeglass lens production.

"Essilor and our employees are honoured to be recognised for our contributions to improving people's vision around the world," said Hubert Sagnieres, Essilor CEO. "Since 1848, innovation has been a driving force at the heart of Essilor's success. We look to innovate in our groundbreaking research and development programmes as well as throughout every aspect of our business from corporate culture to customer service and strategy."

With three Technology and Innovation centres and 550 researchers around the world developing the lenses of the future and an investment of ‚¬150 million each year, Essilor puts innovation at the heart of its growth strategy. As a result, in an industry that is still young and where the innovation curve is promising, some 40% of Essilor's sales every year come from products that have been launched within the past three years.

The Group's approach to innovation relies on an extensive network of international partnerships involving universities, industrial groups and innovative subject matter experts, including the Vision Insititute and the CNRS (National Scientific Research Center) in France, the SERI (Singapore Eye Research Institute), the world-famous ophthalmology and visual sciences unit in Singapore or the University of Montreal in Canada.

Essilor adapts technologies employed in different scientific disciplines in the design of its new products. This process of continuous renewal guarantees optimum visual quality and comfort for wearers. Iconic products, such as Varilux, the world's first progressive addition lens, and Crizal, the leading No-Glare lens, symbolise Essilor's capacity for innovation.