VisionPlus India

in India recognizes these complexities and addresses them in a business-like fashion to remain profitable and sustainable yet competitive. Easier said than done but this re-establishes the role of intermediaries in the delivery system of spectacles, sunglasses, etc. to end consumers. The eyewear industry as estimated is in the range of INR 23000-27000 Crores (range of 2.7B$ to 3.2B$) at the consumer level and in relative terms quite tiny when compared to many other industries, but the While auto-edgers are available in the market including industrial edgers for mass manufacturing the fact that India is a diverse market and much of the edging happens at the last mile closer to the optician, the supply chain, therefore, needs to integrate this part seamlessly. It is worth noting that the skill sets of our fitters who operate on semi- automatic or manual edgers are exemplary and would be perhaps the best in the world though they do not get the highlight that they deserve. India has 7349 Railway stations and over 1.5 lakh pin codes. Why is this relevant in this context? The stations serve as the transport hub to adjoining towns and villages while the pin codes are where the dwelling happens. The various supply chain complexities of the business are high or more than the industries which are perhaps ten times larger in market size. This brings in the point that traditional families having a firm understanding of the optical business must scale up to meet the growing market demand as the need for spectacles would only increase given the demographic nature of the population. In conclusion, Mr. Ramachandran Parthasarathy's insights offer a profound understanding of the multifaceted landscape defining India's optical market. Navigating through the intricate web of supply chains, he underscores the irreplaceable role of intermediaries and challenges the simplistic expediency of cutting them out for purported efficiency. The optical industry's estimated value, though comparatively modest, belies its intricate challenges, requiring strategic adaptations for sustained success. As the demand for spectacles continues to rise with demographic shifts, his call for traditional optical businesses to upscale resonates as a strategic imperative. In the world of eyewear, the path to prosperity lies not only in recognizing complexities but also in leveraging them for resilient, competitive growth. Mr. Ramachandran Parthasarathy THE OPTICAL INDUSTRY'S ESTIMATED VALUE, THOUGH COMPARATIVELY MODEST, BELIES ITS INTRICATE CHALLENGES, REQUIRING STRATEGIC ADAPTATIONS FOR SUSTAINED SUCCESS 44 VISION PLUS INDIA EDITION