[2022] Why eyeglasses are so time-consuming and expensive to make I METRONOME
Hello, I'm OKD from METRONOME-Tokyo Online, the official Japanese online store for METRONOME DESIGN INC., which sells METRONOME®, an eyewear brand that started in London.
Recently, I went on a business trip to Sabae City, known as the "holy land of glasses." There, I got to see how glasses and sunglasses frames are manufactured.
Do you know what process eyeglass/sunglasses frames go through to be made? (I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I only recently received a lecture on the whole process.)
Material story
The material itself varies, from plastic to metal. The price of frames sold in stores varies widely (5,000 to 50,000 yen). Of course, there is added value in the form of design. To begin with, "giving form to a design" is extremely difficult and costly. The more effort required, the higher the processing costs and the higher the list price.
design
First, we design and create drawings for molding. This process also takes a lot of time. At this point, if the design is too difficult to reproduce, the factory may reject it. (Even if they can, it will be very expensive.)
Once the design is decided, we will then consider the materials, for example, whether to use titanium or a plastic such as acetate.
Then we finally move on to the manufacturing of glasses/sunglasses. The first thing we need to do is select the "fabric." The fabric is similar to the fabric used for clothing, and it's cut out from a larger piece of fabric (or perhaps it's better to say that in the case of glasses and sunglasses, it's scraped off).
manufacturing
The scraped fabric is then shaped. At that time, the design is transcribed into data and input into a computer, and the machine reads that information and begins shaping. This part is complicated because there are many different parts and components.
Then there is the assembly process for each part, such as attaching the nose pads (or the nose bridge, which is a replacement for nose pads) to the frame itself. In some cases, the metal parts of the temples (the so-called shooting parts) are also outsourced to specialists. This shows how highly skilled the process is.
Once the whole thing is assembled, the "polishing" process awaits. If scratches or other repairs are found at this stage, it is of course necessary to go back and fix them. This takes a lot of time, but there is nothing that can be done about it.
Why are high-quality eyeglasses/sunglasses so expensive?
The process we have explained so far is only a small part of the overall process of making glasses/sunglasses. Not everything can be done by machine, and there are many parts that require human intervention.
The more unique the design, the more manual work is required and the more likely defects are to occur. Therefore, small-lot production means extremely high costs, which means the list price has to be raised.
Since the same frame mold cannot be used for other designs, naturally the overall cost will be lower if more are produced per lot.
The processing steps for each part are complex and require careful attention, so the pair of glasses/sunglasses you have in your hands has traveled a long, long way to reach you.
Therefore, when reviewing costs, factors such as ease of assembly of the design and materials become important to consider.
In our shop, the METRONOME series stands out for its design, and many of the items are assembled by hand by artisans, making it an overall more expensive series.
Resonance was born by taking over the design of the METRONOME while reviewing material costs. As you can see, there is a reason for the price differences between brands. (The manufacturing cost of a frame also varies depending on the labor costs, such as the country of manufacture.)
Conclusion
I'm sorry that I've only been able to introduce a small part of eyeglass/sunglasses manufacturing because I still have a lot to learn. I hope to gain more knowledge in the future!
We hope you will continue to enjoy our eyeglasses and sunglasses.
Well then, OK.
