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Five Questions for…

Alex Incera was recently appointed president of Gerber Coburn, a provider of computer integrated optical lens processing systems. He joined the firm in 1995 as project manager with a mechanical engineering background, and promotions led to vice president of engineering, executive director of marketing, and general manager positions.

EB What is Gerber Coburn's platform for retail laboratories?

AI The Premier Lab™, which is a complete in-house lens processing system. It is affordable and modular in design, allowing customers to set up the whole lab at once or purchase a finishing system, then add surfacing equipment later. It requires little training and has a small footprint.

EB How can ECPs succeed in these tough economic times?

AI I think the more appropriate question is, ‘How can ECPs maintain a level of profitability and continue to provide value and excellent service to their customers?’ One way to do this is to focus on bringing lens processing capabilities in-house. This allows ECPs to have control of their finished product from the standpoint of cost, quality, and service.

EB When a retail lab needs to expand, what are the main components to consider?

AI Consider how expansion might impact their ability to serve their customer. How will the lab respond to an increase in demand while maintaining the same levels of quality and responsiveness? Will it invest in more of the same equipment or will it move to the next highest level of equipment productivity?

EB What should ECPs be aware of when planning their labs?

AI ECPs should be aware of the benefits digital lenses provide to their patients, but should also consider that the cost to implement digital lens processing has come down significantly. It used to be that free-form lens processing was only affordable to the largest labs. With GC's Advanced Lens Processing System (ALPS), for example, the cost to invest in free-form capacity is now within reach of the ECP.

EB What are labs' production priorities these days?

AI Labs talk about three things: free-form lens processing, automation, and eliminating alloy from the lens-making process. Many labs need to invest in new equipment and they want to make sure that the equipment is capable of processing free-form lenses. All labs want to take labor out of lens making and see automation as the way to do that. Last but not least, lead and cadmium in alloy make it environmentally unsafe and expensive for labs to use. EB