A Day in the Life of a Lab

Harvey & Lewis Opticians is a family-owned business based in Hartford, CT. To say they know a thing or two about lenses is an understatement.

“We’ve been grinding them since 1890,” says Jim Lewis, president of the chain, which currently has eight locations in CT. Though steeped in history, the business boasts a new 5,000-square-foot lab in East Hartford.

The facility opened three years ago with 3,000 square feet of space dedicated to production. Lab managers John Kay and Keisha Franklin, who are both licensed opticians, recently talked with EB about the operation.

Kay describes himself as the go-to guy to make repairs and keep equipment operational. He also does the first hub, where all the work comes in, and works any aspect of the lab after that.

Franklin does the second hub, double-checking all of the work, and handles most calls from the locations, vendors, and the outside labs.

Six additional employees work at the lab’s stations—job staging, surfacing, finishing, AR, and final inspection. The lab runs one eight-hour shift, though staff scheduling is staggered, and both managers work the hubs throughout the day. On average, the lab turns out 80 to 100 jobs daily, 75-80% of which include AR.

What about equipment? For finishing, Kay points to Satisloh equipment with an MEI edger, while the majority of surfacing equipment is from Coburn.

“We have their Cobalt generator and digital polisher, and we process Advance Digital Progressive lenses, which are custom-tailored to each patient,” says Kay. “We also use four of the Acuity finers and polishers plus their new lens blocker.”

Asked about vendor selection, Lewis adds, “Coburn has just been such a great partner. Their machines are very reliable, and their service staff is excellent.”

Here, the team shares an insider’s look at how the lab is run.

FROM DAWN TO DUSK

Right after a sale is complete, it’s immediately sent electronically to the lab. The frame arrives the next morning.

Unless it is a rush order, the completed job will be returned to the ordering location in two or three days. Here’s what happens in between.

NIGHTTIME

Jobs in bags from all eight locations are dropped at the lab.

7 A.M. ➤ John Kay manages opening procedures...turning on the compressor and all equipment.

7:30-8 A.M. ➤ Kay and lab team members take care of proper calibrations, and prepping for AR begins.

HOURLY

The AR machine is tended to after each one-hour cycle of processing.

8 A.M. ➤ Generating and edging begin and continue throughout the day.

8:15 A.M. ➤ Lens processing begins.

8:30-11 A.M. ➤ Orders that have come in from the previous day are matched up to the trays in the lab.

8:30-10 A.M. ➤ Traying up begins...matching each frame to the order. Then the process begins...tracing them, pulling the lenses, and, finally, grinding them.

10 A.M. to 1 P.M. ➤ Shipments are received from UPS, FedEx, and USPS with all frame orders for resale or for orders that are being processed in the lab, as well as for special orders and stock replenishment.

10 A.M. to NOON ➤ Jobs are staged and ones that were matched up prior to tracing are retraced. “We process the orders as they come in, so we get a head start on the lenses,” explains Franklin. “As soon as it’s sold, we’re traying up and running the job so it’s ready for the frame the next day.”

NOON

Rush orders have been prioritized in the morning and are then picked up for delivery back to the busiest locations.

AFTERNOON

“The only time that’s really plugged in is the morning,” says Franklin. “After that, it’s just go.” The process—from blocking, curing, generating, engraving, polishing, fining if it’s not digital, deblocking, backside coating, first inspection, edging, cleaning, racking, AR if ordered, cleaning, popping the lenses into the frame, final inspection, etc.—is ongoing.

2:45-3:30 P.M. ➤ Special orders are placed for a 3:30 p.m. cutoff so the lenses can be received the following day.

3:30 P.M. ➤ Closing procedures begin...sweeping, wiping down counters/machines, spraying out the polishing machine, vacuuming out the edgers, and general cleaning.

4:15 P.M. ➤ Lens processing ends.

4:30 P.M. ➤ AR process ends. Chemicals are vacuumed out and recharged. Shields are sandblasted.

This day in the life of the lab is done. And the next one begins in just a few hours, as bags of orders are delivered during the night.