According PPG Industries“ database, the world“s demand for optical lenses totals 800 to 900 million lenses per year, and more than 200 million are produced in Thailand. This makes Thailand the worl…
According PPG Industries“ database, the world“s demand for optical lenses totals 800 to 900 million lenses per year, and more than 200 million are produced in Thailand. This makes Thailand the world“s largest manufacturer of optical lenses, accounting for 22% of global output, even though manufacturers have to import all their raw materials. The second-largest manufacturing base for optical lenses, according to the database, is Europe, with 18.2%, followed by Mexico with 9.4% and China, 8.1%. According to Thai Optical Group chairman Sawang Pracharktam, The country had become the world“s largest manufacturing base partly due to historical reasons. Japanese manufacturer Hoya set up a factory here some years ago, after which many others followed. TOG opened its major facility at Bang Bua Thong, Nonthaburi, in 1991, followed by French company Essilor in 1995, then Rodenstock from Germany, Italy“s Solarlens, Spain“s Indo and Transitions, from the United States. “The amount of raw material ordered by Thailand has increased as a consequence. This creates a comparative advantage because lens materials have to be imported in refrigerated containers. Larger orders mean lower costs,” he said. The Thai market is too small to sustain every manufacturer. TOG, which has an annual capacity of 27 million lenses and supplies one-third of the local market, still relies on exports for 95% of its revenue.