Supplier landscape

The four key spectacles manufacturing hubs are Wenzhou and Danyang (known for producing low- to mid-range products), Xiamen (prominent for sunglasses), and Shenzhen (recognized for high-end brands). Combined, Wenzhou and Danyang host over 1,000 manufacturers. Wenzhou mainly produces frames and near-vision spectacles, whereas Danyang is known for lenses and near-vision spectacles.

Danyang is recognized as the world’s largest spectacles production base, which has 600 manufacturers producing over 400 million spectacles in 2022, representing about 45 per cent of global production. Both cities benefit from supportive government policies that foster industry growth and boost export sales.

For lenses, there is a lack of publicly available data on the exact number of manufacturers in China; however, it is predicted to be at least hundreds. Among these, Conant and Wanxin stand out due to their production volume, with Conant particularly focused on international sales. According to Conant's 2023 annual report, its resin lens sales exceeded 150 million units, and Wanxin's sales were around 100 million units, ranking them second and third in the world, just behind EssilorLuxottica with over 300 million units. EssilorLuxottica has also established a series of joint ventures in China for lens manufacturing, such as SeeSee Optical and Yoli Optical, where they serve as OEMs for EssilorLuxottica but also manufacture for other brands.

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For frames, there is also a lack of publicly available data on the exact number of manufacturers in China, although experts note there are at least hundreds of them. As the production technology required is less complex, the market is more fragmented than for lenses. Among the suppliers, Ouhai Glasses, Pilot Optical and Matt (Weilan) Optical stand out for their production volume. The frame manufacturers also normally produce near-vision spectacles and sell these as ready-made products to LMICs.

Table 13: Survey or interview respondents for spectacles

Company Introduction LMIC footprint Type Quality
Conant (Shanghai)
  • Annual revenue: > US$50 mn
  • Annual revenue to LMICs: US$5 mn – US$20 mn
  • Annual capacity (Units): 200 million (lenses)
  • 20-50 countries including Afghanistan, Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, Honduras, India, Lebanon, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Ukraine, Viet Nam, etc.
  • Lenses
  • Near-vision spectacles
  • CE
  • FDA
  • ISO 9001
  • ISO 13485
Pilot (Wenzhou)
  • Annual revenue: US$10-US$50 million
  • Annual revenue to LMICs: US$2- US$5 million
  • Annual capacity (Units): 36 million (readers)
  • < 20 countries including Cambodia, India, Kenya, etc.
  • Manufacturer of Essilor 2.5 NVG, Costco, ALDI, Watsons, among others
  • Frames
  • Near-vision spectacles
  • CE
  • FDA
  • ISO 9001
  • ISO 13485
Weilan (Matt optical) (Wenzhou)
  • Annual capacity (units): Over 170 million (all types of spectacles)
  • Manufacturer of FGX, Walmart, Costco, BOOTs, Disney, M&S, among others
  • Frames
  • Near- vision spectacles
  • CE
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Ouhai Glasses (Wenzhou)
  • Annual capacity (units): 24.7 million
  • Mainly export, 95% sales go to Europe and US
  • Frames
  • Near- vision spectacles
  • CE
  • FDA
  • ISO 9001
Readsun (Wenzhou)
  • Annual capacity (Units): 1 million
  • Manufacturer of Hello Kitty, Sisley, Disney and Yamaha, etc.
  • Frames
  • Near- vision spectacles
  • CE
  • FDA
Select Optical (Jiangsu)
  • Annual capacity (Units): approximately 8 million [50]
  • Multiple LMICs
  • Lenses
  • CE
Zhantai (Wenzhou)
  • Annual capacity (Units): Flexible capacity [51]
  • Extensive sales experience in Europe, America and Southeast Asia Manufacturer of Safilo, MUJI, Walmart
  • Frames
  • Near- vision spectacles
  • CE
  • FDA
  • ISO 9001
Mike Optical
  • Annual capacity (Units): 1.8 million
  • Rich experience in LMIC sales including Cameroon, Mexico and Zimbabwe, among others
  • Frames
  • Near-vision spectacles
  • CE
  • FDA
  • ISO