A worker checks the result on the production line at an eyewear factory in Danyang, east China's Jiangsu province. (PHOTO: VCG)

By ZHONG Jianli & ZHANG Ye

Danyang in Jiangsu province, a city known as the "Eyeglass Capital of China," is home to more than 1,600 eyeglass-related enterprises. Every year, over 400 million lenses are produced in the city, accounting for 70 percent of China's total and half of the global production.

In recent years, the eyeglass industry in Danyang has not only expanded its expertise in traditional manufacturing, but also renewed itself through technological innovation.

In the smart workshop of Wanxin Optics, one of the earliest eyeglass manufacturing enterprises in China, newly developed myopia control lenses are being mass-produced. Since 2012, the company has introduced digital equipment as it moves to intelligent manufacturing. It has now established 11 smart production lines, realizing full-process automation from raw material warehousing to finished product delivery.

"Through intelligent and digital transformation, our 48-hour delivery rate has increased to 95 percent, and we can produce 21,000 lenses per day," said Ouyang Xiaoyong, vice president of Wanxin Optics. The company now relies on precise data analysis and intelligent control to calculate and monitor every step from design to shaping.

The development of Danyang's eyeglass industry has not always been smooth sailing. With the advent of the 21st century, faced with the impact of foreign products with more fashionable designs and better technologies, the industry went through a bleak period.

"The key to breaking the impasse lies in innovation. Danyang's eyeglass companies have stood on their own feet, actively conducting R&D of new products, breaking the patent monopoly of foreign enterprises, and entering the global market," said Cai Fei, director of the Danyang Science and Technology Bureau.

As one of the earliest companies to undergo transformation, VIVO Optics has established its own raw material factory, collaborated with industry experts to develop new products, and built an "eye data bank," moving towards the mid-to-high end of the industry chain.

One of the company's highlights is producing a lens designed with 1,295 microlenses, forming a defocus signal to suppress eye deformation, which although expensive has been selling well.

By the end of 2023, Danyang's eyeglass industry had attracted nearly 40 high-tech enterprises. The county has also established provincial, industrial and engineering technology research centers. The entire industry has applied for 6,000 patents, with over 3,500 patents already granted.

As the eyeglass industry continues to evolve, the Danyang municipal government is about to unveil an action plan to build a strong industrial county through sci-tech innovation. One of the key focus areas of the plan is to develop AR/VR visual optics products and smart wearable devices.