By Sok Lak
Essilor, a French eyeglass company, which is the world’s leading provider of ophthalmic eyeglass lenses such as Transitions photo chromic lens, and Varilux, the world’s first progressive lenses this week opened its office in Phnom Penh and plans to set up lab or small factory.
“The company is studying its capacity to operate and manufacture in Cambodia and plans to set up a lab in Cambodia the beginning of next year,” Jayanth Bhuvaraghan, President of South Asia, ASEAN, and the Middle East, South Africa, and East Africa said.
Essilor will spend around one to one and half million US dollars to invest in its first step to set up lab in Phnom Penh which can absorb 30 to 50 workers in Cambodia.
However, the company also plans to set up a factory in Cambodia as now the company finds it possible to wait for growing demand. “Cambodia will be one of the candidates we are assessing in future plans to build a factory and the first place we will look will be in Asia with new demand coming,” he mentioned.
As the growth of the economies in the Southeast Asia region is occurring so fast and impacts some 500 populations, the potential and opportunity for companies to invest is enhanced.
“Cambodia is one of the Southeast Asian countries which has seen rapid economic growth making for a good investment environment, political stability, and is full of energetic young people willing to work. All these factors make Cambodia the best choice for companies to invest,” he stressed. The company promises to bring high quality products and best services to the Cambodian market.
Thissadee Tulyaanukij, General Manager of Essilor Distribution Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar, said that around the world, there are 4 billion people that need eye vision, but only 1.6 billion people wear eyeglasses. There is still a remaining 2.4 billion people who are unable to access services. Among this 2.4 billion, 1.8 billion are located in the Asia-Pacific rim.
H.E. Keat Chhon, Minister of Ministry of Economy and Finance, said that the presence of Essilor here will contribute to addressing and improving ophthalmic health, or so-called eye vision of Cambodia, through using high quality and reasonable prices of Essilor products.
Moreover, the presence of Essilor in Cambodia reflects the confidence of the company and the confidence of investors around the world who recognize the Kingdom as a peaceful place with macroeconomic stability and a favorable investment climate. “It also underlines the attention the Royal Government is getting in a focus on its private sector development, which has been a priority,” he added.
Essilor is France’s biggest company among the total of 40 big French companies which sets its shares at the securities market in Paris. It is equipped to deliver supplies and services related to eye healthcare as well. In 2010, the income of the company reached up to 3.9 billion euro and will reach to 4 billion euro. Moreover, Essilor has 14 manufactures around the world and can produce 240 million pair eyeglass per year with 332 laboratories and 42,700 workers, it added.
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