Pictured at InoTime’s Philadelpha lab are (l to r) Hilaire van der Veen of InoTime, along with Satisloh’s Larry Clarke and InoTime CEO Danny Sisso.
PHILADELPHIA—In an effort to help local eye-care professionals compete with online eyewear vendors, Shamir has developed a new approach to providing prescription laboratory service that is predicated on delivering lenses in three hours or less.

“Our concept is to provide unprecedented fast service, using local, high quality production,” explained Hilaire van der Veen, the Shamir executive who serves as chief operating officer of the new lab venture, known as InoTime. “Patients don’t like shopping for glasses, then walking out without their purchase and getting it six days later. We want to change that and make it easy for them.”

InoTime’s approach involves setting up small, low volume labs in local markets that are specially equipped to process lenses faster than conventional labs. Satisloh is equipping the labs with generators, edgers and coating equipment that have a small footprint but are designed for fast throughput. InoTime is using bicycle messengers to deliver the finished glasses to the ECP’s office, or, if the ECP prefers, to the patient.

InoTime promotes itself to consumers through the local eyecare practices and optical retail locations it services, as well as through social media. “We’ll give the customers the address so they can go to the ECP’s office, and the ECP’s website can serve as a gateway to the Inotime site,” said van der Veen.

Consumers can use InoTime’s smartphone app to track the progress of their glasses, which InoTime promises to deliver in two to three hours.

After testing the InoTime concept in Israel, where Shamir is based, the company opened its first U.S. InoTime lab last month in Philadelphia. It is currently servicing about 60 eye-care practices and retail locations in the city. ■

akarp@jobson.com