Every business day, employees at Pech Optical "see" approximately 2,100 prescription orders roll off their assembly line.
However, to accommodate those orders takes space and that's at a premium at the business, located south of Sioux City. To address that need, Pech Optical is "eyeing" a 28,000-square-foot addition on the blueprints, which may be realized this spring.
Nestled back in the Bridgeport Industrial District, Pech Optical is clearly off the beaten path and may not even be a "company" name Siouxlanders recognize. Yet, CEO Robert W. Pech has been in the eyecare business for more than 50 years. The 1954 Central High graduate began his career while still in high school.
"My cousin was in the ladies room and overheard somebody say American Optical needed a messenger," he smiled of his unusual beginnings. "That was in September of 1951."
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Pech continued his association with things "optical" until 1968 when he opened the Walman Optical Co. branch lab in downtown Sioux City. He resigned in 1982 to join Jack Morrow in a similar venture, Morrow Pech Associates. The partnership was dissolved in 1989 when Pech formed Pech Optical Corp., operating out of the Benson Building.
The business moved to 2717 Murray St. in May of 1993, as business growth forced the need for more space.
"In a nutshell, we are strictly a wholesale operation and don't take individual orders," Pech explained of the business. "Our customers are optometrists, ophthalmologists and opticians."
Pech Optical handles the manufacture of plastic, glass and polycarbonate (high impact resistant) glasses and high index materials, with plastic leading the pack. The company has seen business double several times over. Pech estimated the enterprise carried about $700,000 worth of inventory and employed about 290 people. Just five years ago, 150 employees produced 1,200 prescriptions a day to clients in 36 states.
"I give credit to the employees," Pech said. "That's been the key to our growth - dedicated people who are skilled in their positions."
Pech Optical Corp. is made up of employees with more than 800 years' experience in the optical industry. Today, the employees use their training and skills to ship prescription eyewear to 42 states. The business handles uncut lenses, cut and edged lenses, frames and quality sun wear lines in Plano and Rx lenses.
The lenses which Pech Optical produces begin in a semi-finished form, some 3 inches in diameter and a quarter-inch thick. Those lenses are ground to specifications that the optometrists, ophthalmologists and opticians provide, either through a "paper" order or by computer.
An anti-reflective coating is applied to some lenses after grinding and polishing. That coating enables the lenses to transmit more usable light and enhance vision. Pech Optical houses a state-of-the-art anti-reflective coating facility.
Computers and robotics have changed the face of the eyecare industry dramatically, said LuAnn Mosier, vice president of sales, marketing and education. Mosier is one of those longtime Pech Optical employees. She has worked with Robert Pech since 1972.
"Everything starts at the computer," she explained. "I'm not sure if we could produce anything by hand, because all of our machinery is networked into the computer system.
"A lot of our advances remind me of the Jetsons," she joked about the cartoon show based in the Age of Tomorrow. "We are including more and more of a robotic system to create the lenses."
Five Lektrievers, a rotating shelving system, are used to stock the lenses, thus eliminating shelves upon shelves or file cabinets. Bar coding ensures the lenses are matched with the order.
Employees will take lenses and use a generator to put the "prescription" into the lenses. Another machine will do the "fining" and polishing of the lenses.
The new and improved machine on the market is an RXD lathe, which cuts a prescription and places a "power" on the back side of the lenses.
"This doesn't necessarily make things go faster," Mosier said of the machine, "but it makes the lenses more precise. For example, an invisible bifocal will resemble a single vision lens with this machine. It also skips the 'fining' step."
The anti-reflective coating area has grown by leaps and bounds as consumers want to insure that the glare from the sun or headlights doesn't impact their vision, Mosier said.
"The A-R area will use chemicals which adhere to the lenses to give them that anti-reflective aspect," she added. "It's another one of our enhanced systems here."
As the lenses approach the end of production, a quality control individual will check each order for an accurate prescription and any design flaws. The mail room handles the shipments which will be sent via Airborne, UPS, courier or the U.S. Post Office.
Pech's business includes family members - sons Doug and John and two of Doug's sons.
"I think the best part of the business is watching the employees grow and advance in the company," Pech reflected. "It's been a joy to me to work with these folks and our accounts."
Joanne Fox may be reached at 293-4247 or joannefox@siouxcityjournal.com
