Company Scales Up Manufacturing Capacity, Logistics Performance and Sustainability Measures in Response to Worldwide Demand for Premium Lenses
SAN RAMON, Calif., November 30, 2020—In light of unprecedented global demand for its MyDay® daily disposable contact lenses, CooperVision today announced a series of major investments that scale up manufacturing capacity, logistics performance and sustainability measures.
“Eye care professionals (ECPs) tell us their patients are more concerned than ever with the ocular health, safety, quality, and convenience of their contact lenses1. ECPs and wearers alike are increasingly counting on MyDay® silicone hydrogel lenses to meet these needs—a fact backed by a surge in demand not only since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, but over the past 18 months. CooperVision is as committed as ever to ongoing improvements, so that each and every ECP and patient in search of premium performance can experience the comfort and vision benefits of MyDay®,” said Melissa Kiewe, Vice President, Marketing, North America, CooperVision.
As part of the company’s most aggressive expansion plan in the last decade, it has invested hundreds of millions of dollars to increase MyDay® sphere and toric production capacity by more than 300 percent since 2018.
This includes multiple new high-speed manufacturing lines in Puerto Rico that began operating in recent weeks. The 540,000-square foot facility is also in the midst of a $150 million expansion, with construction underway on a new wing that will free additional manufacturing space and expand warehouse volumes. MyDay® is also manufactured in Hampshire, United Kingdom, a site that has achieved record production volumes during 2020.
CooperVision has now implemented a flexible stock management process to ensure reliable MyDay® supply around the world. This complements service levels that track near 100 percent for complete, on-time delivery to customers. This high-caliber performance has been enhanced by the opening of several new distribution centers, including in the United Kingdom, South Africa and Spain. These facilities and existing distribution sites also employ the latest in manual and automated inventory retrieval systems, such as heads-up vision displays for staff and high-speed robotics.
In tandem with its infrastructure investments, CooperVision has dedicated substantial resources to minimizing the environmental impacts of MyDay® production. For instance, upgrades to the Puerto Rico facility have earned it the prestigious LEED® Silver certification for its environmentally conscious design and operation, while the BREEAM® Excellent-rated Mountpark, UK distribution and secondary packaging hub runs entirely on biomass power. On average, the company is also recycling more than 95% of materials used in contact lens production.
“The extensive cross-spectrum investments we are making in MyDay® illustrate our belief in the potential for this high-performance silicone hydrogel 1-day lens—and it’s clear that ECPs and wearers share our enthusiasm,” said Kiewe.
1. CooperVision data on file 2020. Italy n=100 & Japan n= 49 new wearers in 1 Day SiHy.
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About CooperVision
CooperVision, a division of CooperCompanies (NYSE:COO), is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of contact lenses. The company produces a full array of daily disposable, two-week and monthly soft contact lenses that feature advanced materials and optics, and premium rigid gas permeable lenses for orthokeratology and scleral designs. CooperVision has a strong heritage of addressing the toughest vision challenges such as astigmatism, presbyopia, childhood myopia, and highly irregular corneas; and offers the most complete portfolio of spherical, toric and multifocal products available. Through a combination of innovative products and focused practitioner support, the company brings a refreshing perspective to the marketplace, creating real advantages for customers and wearers. For more information, visit www.coopervision.com.
About CooperCompanies
CooperCompanies ("Cooper") is a global medical device company publicly traded on the NYSE (NYSE:COO). Cooper operates through two business units, CooperVision and CooperSurgical. CooperVision brings a refreshing perspective on vision care with a commitment to developing a wide range of high-quality products for contact lens wearers and providing focused practitioner support. CooperSurgical is committed to advancing the health of women, babies and families with its diversified portfolio of products and services focusing on medical devices and fertility & genomics. Headquartered in San Ramon, Calif., Cooper has a workforce of more than 12,000 with products sold in over 100 countries. For more information, please visit www.coopercos.com.
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