SYNTHESIS
Durban Optical Holdings and all Associated Companies revolve around two major entities. Durban Optical which is the wholesale, manufacturing and distribution business and Durban Opticians which is the retail business. Durban Optical Holdings has catered for the entry level market with a plan to create an outlet of Durban Optical Clinics in every municipal ward in Durban. Durban Optical Holdings has attended to the need for specialist Ophthalmological and Ophthalmic Surgical services by planning to create four specialist Eyecare, Visioncare and Opticalcare outlets of Durban Optical Hospitals in Durban - North, West, South and Central. To solve the problem of financial access to Eyecare, Visioncare and Opticalcare; Durban Optical Holdings is creating Opticians Bank. To address the need for ongoing professional development, Durban Optical Holdings is establishing Optical College and purely for marketing purposes, Durban Optical Holdings has created DELTAVISION to sell sunglasses outside of the Durban Optical system.
Durban Optical Holdings
The holdings company of the three departments: DURBAN OPTICAL, DURBAN ONLINE and MICROGENE, Durban Optical Holdings is the management firm of the collection of companies that are associated with the Durban Optical initiative. It sets standards for its associated companies, it sets price levels for its associated companies and it sets rules for its associated companies. It is at the epicentre of the work. Durban Optical Holdings is a forward thinking, client facing organisation that does not tolerate mediocrity at any level. It is lean in its operations and agile in its procedures and is always learning. It is intended that the board of directors of Durban Optical Holdings be comprised of both executive and non-executive directors starting with a non-executive Chairperson, a non-executive Deputy Chairperson, the Chief Executive Officer, a Company Secretary, a Technical Director, a Deputy Technical Director, the Director of Optical College and five non-executive directors being a Dispensing Optician, an Optometrist, an Ophthalmologist, an Ophthalmic Surgeon and a Medical Practitioner. To implement the program of Durban Optical Holdings an executive committee will be created comprising of the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Financial Officer, the Chief Operations Officer, the Chief Information Officer, the Operations Officer of Durban Optical, the Operations Officer of Durban Online, the Operations Officer of Microgene and the Operations Officer of Cafe Senegalaise. To supplement this there will be a Laboratory Committee, a Wholesale Committee, a Supply Chain Committee, a Quarterly Conference (that will include all staff and personnel), a Growth, Development and Strategy Committee and a Strategic Equity Partners Representative Committee. Durban Optical Holdings will exceed expectations by prioritising strategic scenario planning in all of its decision making activities.
Durban Optical
Durban Optical is going to be a wholesale, manufacturing and distribution business that is built around the spectacle lens surfacing and spectacle making laboratories. We have chosen to invest in the latest freeform surfacing technology so that each pair of spectacles is custom designed and made for the individual patient. No two pairs of spectacles will ever be the same. Using Optiweb, our multidimensionally integrated cloud based software, Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians will be able to custom prescribe each pair of spectacles not just in terms of long distance and short distance, but in terms of intermediate distances, electronic screen distances and working distances as well. With an active choice to sell only finished spectacle lenses with all the prevailing enhancements at the same price as regular spectacle lenses, Durban Optical has set itself a task of being price competitive and volume intensive and is building its plant and infrastructure around these parameters. Durban Optical is for the first 15 years of its operations going to focus on expanding throughout Durban, so that Durban Optical becomes a well respected and well loved household name across all segments of society. By investing intensively in the Durban Eyecare, Visioncare and Optical industry, professions and market; to the exclusion of national or even provincial expansion; Durban Optical will position Durban as a destination for Eyecare, Visioncare and Opticalcare. Given the rampant prices of quality Optometric and Optical Dispensing products and services it is expected that people will travel to Durban to have their spectacles made and contact lenses fitted. This is Durban Optical's approach to local economic development in the particular healthcare sector of Eyecare, Visioncare and Opticalcare.
Durban Opticians
At its zenith there will only be 10 Durban Optical outlets throughout Durban. Destination stores that offer the services of many Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians, that offer thousands of spectacle frame choices and that offer a wide selection of thin spectacle lens designs. As far as contact lenses go, we have decided to only stock daily disposable contact lenses and have set the retail price of these contact lenses at R20.00 ZAR a day regardless of prescription and regardless of whether the contact lenses are supplied through Durban Optical or made by Durban Optical. So for those patients whom previously spent a fortune on "permanent" contact lenses that had to be especially made for them; Durban Opticians will now fit them with daily disposable contact lenses at the same price as the regular prescriptions. In terms of spectacles, all of our spectacle frames are the same price, we do not sell spectacle frames or lenses on their own to the public and as such single vision spectacles with all of the lens enhancements will cost just R500.00 ZAR a pair while multifocal spectacles with all of the lens enhancements will cost just R1000.00 ZAR a pair. We have done away with bifocal spectacles completely as our freeform surfacing offers a wide range of multifocal designs some of which will seem like bifocals to experienced bifocal wearers. Naturally spectacle cases, spectacle lens cleaning cloths and bottles of spectacle lens cleaning solution are free of charge and bundled in with the patient's pair of spectacles. Each Durban Opticians outlet will be a free standing building of 3000 square metres internal space offering an unparalleled experience to our patients. In addition every Durban Opticians outlet will have an onsite Cafe Senegalaise store serving up tasty continental cuisine and Cafe Touba for our patients and the general public.
Durban Optical Clinics
To solve the crisis in primary healthcare and to make eyecare, visioncare and opticalcare accessible to people in large numbers, Durban Optical Holdings is establishing an outlet of Durban Optical Clinics in every municipal ward of Durban. There will be many Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians, many primary health nurses and many medical practitioners and pharmacists at each outlet. Each outlet will be a free standing building of 1000 square metres internal space. There will still be thousands of spectacle frames to choose from and all spectacle lenses will still be dispensed with all of the high end lens enhancements. It is intended that Optometric Examinations will be free of charge, that single vision spectacles will cost just R100.00 ZAR a pair and that multifocal spectacles will cost only R300.00 ZAR a pair. That means for the price sensitive consumer, a pair of distance spectacles and a pair of reading spectacles will cost the princely sum of no more than R200.00 altogether. Durban Optical Clinics will not be fitting contact lenses, instead referring all patients who need contact lenses instead of spectacles to the nearest Durban Optical Hospitals outlet. In terms of medical services; it is intended that free primary health screening performed by nurses will be provided and that a consultation with a medical practitioner will cost only R100.00 ZAR. To supplement this, once-off medication will cost only R100.00 per prescription and chronic medication will cost only R100.00 ZAR per prescription per month. All medication will be dispensed at the onsite pharmacy by the pharmacists. We anticipate large volumes of patients so every Durban Optical Clinics outlet will be open 7 days a week from 7am to 7pm daily. If the demand warrants it, additional healthcare practitioners from other disciplines will be added to the Durban Optical Clinics formula.
Durban Optical Hospitals
With consulting rooms for Doctors of Optometry, Orthoptists, Occularists, Ophthalmologists and Ophthalmic Surgeons; Durban Optical Hospitals 4 outlets will function 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Durban Optical Holdings is going to make specialised Eyecare, Visioncare and Opticalcare available to the public at rates far less than the prevailing prices. Each Durban Optical Hospitals outlet will have wards for in-patient medium term treatment, in-patient short term treatment and out-patient treatment. This means that the recovery time for patients during and post treatment will be in hospital. Durban Optical is determined to source or manufacture intraocular lenses at groundbreaking prices so as to make cataract surgery affordable. Durban Optical Hospitals will adhere to the Durban Optical Holdings tariff for both practitioner consultations and in hospital treatments and enforce this tariff without exception. Durban Optical Hospitals aims to be competitive on the basis of cost leadership and will ensure that all patients are treated with the highest level of professional skill and quality of care. Through Optical College, Durban Optical Hospitals will ensure that all of its resident practitioners (and we will only be working with our resident practitioners) are constantly trained and retrained in the latest and most innovative Eyecare, Visioncare and Opticalcare therapies, treatments and procedures. This includes a focus on long term effective LASIK surgery that does not result in Keratoconus in the future. Durban Optical Clinics and Durban Optical Hospitals are going to work with public academic institutions so that our first-world facilities may serve as training facilities for Eyecare, Visioncare and Opticalcare students from all over the African continent. There are not enough Eyecare, Visioncare and Opticalcare practitioners in Africa and that this something we aim to address quite seriously.
Opticians Bank
Working with a registered Financial Services provider and a registered Credit Provider, Durban Optical Holdings, will through International Eyecare Visioncare and Optical Finance Corporation make cheap, accessible consumer finance and insurance available to all patients of Durban Opticians, Durban Optical Clinics and Durban Optical Hospitals. We have taken the position of not contracting with any medical aid scheme, medical aid scheme administrator, health insurance provider, health insurance platform, health management organisation or the much talked about National Health Insurance system. Our prices for specialised Eyecare, Visioncare and Opticalcare will be lower than the market clearing rates. Our prices for spectacles and contact lenses will not be beaten by anyone and we intend to extend credit and complementary benefits to any patient whom requires it. Durban Optical Clinics will utilise a means test, such that households which earn less than R3500.00 ZAR a month or which are recipients of SASSA grants will be able to access Durban Optical Clinics services. Durban Opticians will be providing a single voucher per patient per year entitling that patient to a free Optometric Examination at a Durban Opticians outlet. Opticians Bank is going to finance the value chain for Durban Optical Holdings from product sourcing, through professional training, manufacturing, distribution and consumer purchases. We have faith that our patients will honour their credit agreements, which will not be based on them having to qualify for credit on the basis of employment or wealth status. Simply put, if you are in Durban, have a South African Identification Document or Card, or have a permit entitling you to residency in South Africa you will qualify for an Opticians Bank account to make your purchases from Durban Opticians, Durban Optical Clinics or Durban Optical Hospitals.
Optical College
Initially Optical College will provide tuition support and examination supervision for online training programs delivered and certified by internationally respected training bodies for Optical Assistants, Senior Optical Assistants, Optical Practice Managers, Senior Optical Practice Managers, Optical Representatives (in the categories of Health Supplements, Spectacle Frames, Spectacle Lenses, Contact Lenses, Optometry Equipment, Ophthalmology Equipment, Ophthalmic Surgical Equipment, Optical Manufacturing Machinery and Eyecare, Visioncare and Opticalcare Consumables) and Optical Technicians (in the categories of Spectacle Lens Makers, Spectacle Makers, Contact Lens Makers and Optical Manufacturing Machinery Maintenance). After establishing this base, Optical College will branch out into Continuing Professional Development for Dispensing Opticians, Optometrists, Orthoptists, Occularists, Ophthalmic Nurses, Ophthalmologists and Ophthalmic Surgeons. This is a saturated market with every professional association trying its hand at a CPD points system. Our competitive edge will be in the inviting of international experts to deliver the CPD programs in Optical College's academic environment. Further to this, Optical College intends to become the first private sector training institution that nurtures and produces Dispensing Opticians, Optometrists, Orthoptists, Occularists, Ophthalmic Nurses, Ophthalmologists and Ophthalmic Surgeons, given the shortage of these Eyecare, Visioncare and Opticalcare practitioners on the African continent. Optical College will seek to align itself with the professional training organisations of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the United States of America so as to be relevant and at the forefront of Eyecare, Visioncare and Opticalcare academic research.
DELTAVISION
The decision to include zero prescription sunglasses in our portfolio of products is informed by the reality that sunglasses are fashion accessories and while most people need optically prescriptive correction, they don't seek it out as frequently as they buy sunglasses. Working with a leading manufacturer of sunglasses, DELTAVISION is going to distribute ranges of sunglasses that are store branded, that is they will not be DELTAVISION branded sunglasses, but rather be brand specific to the Supermarket, Clothing Store, Health Store, Sports Store, Pharmacy or General Dealer where they are available. Unlike the rest of Durban Optical Holdings companies which are focused in Durban, DELTAVISION will maintain a wholesale and distribution business throughout the African continent, with no exclusivity deals for any customer. Retail outlets selling DELTAVISION Sunglasses will be able to determine their own retail prices for their own branded sunglasses, and patients will not be able to use their Opticians Bank accounts to buy sunglasses. The rationale behind this is that Durban Optical supplies all spectacle lenses with a photochromic grey enhancement and given that the majority of people need prescriptive Eyecare, Visioncare and Opticalcare correction, we would prefer patients to be wearing their prescription spectacles rather than not being able to see clearly while wearing sunglasses. To answer the age old question of patients wearing contact lenses needing sun protection, the answer is a pair of zero prescription pair of dispensed spectacles with all of the lens enhancements - this is much more affordable than wearing contact lenses and designer sunglasses that go out of fashion every three months. DELTAVISION will strive to ensure that each retail outlet has a wide range of sunglasses at a wide range of prices for the consumer.