[caption id="attachment_2718" align="alignleft" width="300"] Old Digital Surfacing Lab Circa 2014[/caption] [caption id="attachment_2719" align="alignright" width="300"] New Digital Surfacing Lab as of July 2016[/caption] Two short years ago our Digital Surfacing Lab had quite a different look. In fact, we added 4,000sq. ft. of our production space in February of 2015 and rerouted all of our surfacing equipment to the newly developed layout. We not only expanded our floor plan but our capabilities as well. In April of 2015, we installed Schneider's Smart HSC XP Generator to accompany our existing Schneider generator, an additional CB Bond Blocker. We also upgraded our two existing CCP Swift Polishers to the new version and added a third. To round out the end of 2015, we equipped our team with the Schneider TSA and DBA stations in October. It was a year full of updates, add-ons, and upgrades. [caption id="attachment_2721" align="alignleft" width="199"] Coburn Technologies - Velocity[/caption] In early 2016, Cherry Optical, Inc became the third location worldwide to install Coburn's automated backside UV cured spin hard coat machine - the Velocity. This addition meant rearranging the layout a bit, but this fully automated machine has upped our consistency and freed up our craftsman to fulfill other duties. At VEW we purchased yet another addition to our space, and we lined up future purchases for other areas as well. No spoilers here – you’ll just have to wait and see what’s next. A couple of weeks ago we were able to speak to some ECPs at the Fall WOA Convention who had visited our facility in the past, and we encouraged them, as we are you, to tour our lab. Even if you've visited our laboratory in the past, a lot has changed. We're excited to share what the increases mean to our ECPs regarding even more consistent and high-quality products. Keep in mind; this list only includes what we've updated in the Digital Surfacing lab! First and foremost; we're giving our ECPs our best day in and day out. We’re constantly thinking about our future together and how we can improve our relationships with one another. By taking advantage of manual and automated machinery, we ensure we're never relying on one machine to get the job done. In reducing remakes and shortening wait times, our customers can pass better service levels to their patients. We do not cut corners in crafting the highest quality lenses for our ECPs, which is why we have invested not only in our technology but also our team members. The majority of our laboratory opticians are ABO certified, and we consider all of our employees to be skilled craftsmen and artisans. We love visitors and are interested in hearing from you to learn what challenges we can help you solve. Contact us to schedule your tour today: customerservice@cherryopticalinc.com or (800) 469-4211.