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SAN RAMON, Calif.—In light of unprecedented global demand for its MyDay daily disposable contact lenses, CooperVision said Monday that it has initiated a series of major investments that scale up manufacturing capacity, logistics performance and sustainability measures. As part of the company’s most aggressive expansion plan in the last decade, it has invested hundreds of millions of dollars to increase MyDay sphere and toric production capacity by more than 300 percent since 2018, the company said in an announcement about the investment. “Eyecare professionals tell us their patients are more concerned than ever with the ocular health, safety, quality, and convenience of their contact lenses,” CooperVision’s Melissa Kiewe, vice president, marketing, North America, said in the announcement. “ECPs and wearers alike are increasingly counting on MyDay silicone hydrogel lenses to meet these needs—a fact backed by a surge in demand not only since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, but over the past 18 months.”

She added, “CooperVision is as committed as ever to ongoing improvements, so that each and every ECP and patient in search of premium performance can experience the comfort and vision benefits of MyDay.”

The investment includes multiple new high-speed manufacturing lines in Puerto Rico that began operating in recent weeks. The 540,000-square foot facility is also in the midst of a $150 million expansion, with construction underway on a new wing that will free additional manufacturing space and expand warehouse volumes. MyDay is also manufactured in Hampshire, United Kingdom, a site that has achieved record production volumes during 2020.

CooperVision has now implemented a flexible stock management process to ensure reliable MyDay supply around the world, the announcement noted. This complements service levels that track near 100 percent for complete, on-time delivery to customers.

This high-caliber performance has been enhanced by the opening of several new distribution centers, including in the United Kingdom, South Africa and Spain. These facilities and existing distribution sites also employ the latest in manual and automated inventory retrieval systems, such as heads-up vision displays for staff and high-speed robotics.

In tandem with its infrastructure investments, CooperVision has dedicated substantial resources to minimizing the environmental impacts of MyDay production. For instance, upgrades to the Puerto Rico facility have earned it the prestigious LEED Silver certification for its environmentally conscious design and operation, while the BREEAM Excellent-rated Mountpark, UK distribution and secondary packaging hub runs entirely on biomass power. On average, the company is also recycling more than 95 percent of materials used in contact lens production.

“The extensive cross-spectrum investments we are making in MyDay illustrate our belief in the potential for this high-performance silicone hydrogel 1-day lens—and it’s clear that ECPs and wearers share our enthusiasm,” Kiewe said.