Inspecs Group
Committed to managing the global footprint of the frame and lens business is Inspecs Managing Director, Steve Tulba, as he explained –
“Sustainability and accountability is an important challenge and one that we take very seriously. As suppliers and practices we need to come together to ensure that this does not mean a compromise in quality and that it can be affordable for anyone,” he said.
The Inspecs Group – founded in 1988 in Bath – has grown to embrace the world-famous specialist Norville lab in Gloucester, plus International Eyewear, with a broad offering brought to UK practices by a field-based team who visit practices around the UK. The customer service team in Halesowen in the Midlands, along with a distribution hub in Trowbridge, and design and marketing teams in Bath, brings the UK based Inspecs Group team to some 150 people.
The acquisition of these businesses has brought a wider and comprehensive frame and lens offering for the group – with the finest, rolled gold hand-made frames from Italy, to a multitude of licenced and house frame brands, to specialist sport and protective eyewear, and a strong offering in affordable glazed packages.
“Norville was always recognised as the go-to place for difficult jobs, and we have maintained that strong position with a dedicated and highly experienced team. Having moved to a new, state of the art, manufacturing unit in Gloucester we have also invested in technology, people, and a sophisticated tracking system for fast and accurate delivery. We are committed to satisfying the most challenging jobs and the more routine work with the same degree of care.”
Focused on working with independent businesses he said the challenge is for them to “maintain a strong patient focus, offer exciting new products, and strive to redefine themselves in a rapidly evolving optical landscape. Our desire is to support them in that with the highest levels of service and a diverse, innovative, and competitively priced frame and lens offering.”
For a business which never stands still, the sustainability journey at Inspecs sees the team coming together with regular in-house focus groups to examine how all employees can contribute to being more sustainable whether it is their journey to work, or what happens when they arrive –
“We use Diginex sustainability framework and Webex Expense tool tools for tracking all company activity and our carbon footprint, which really helps with measuring what we are achieving in terms of our overall footprint, to reduce emissions, be more efficient in how we do business, and to continue our investment to improve the environment.”