Visions of Good Vision
Interview with Mirjam Rösch, Managing Director of HOYA Lens Deutschland GmbH
More and more children and young people are becoming myopic today. A globally alarming trend. Genetic predispositions, environmental influences, but also the fact that children are spending more and more time with smartphones and tablets and spending less time outdoors are causal. Serious myopia management is becoming increasingly important against this background. HOYA Lens is the right partner for this.
Wirtschaftsforum: Ms. Rösch, you are the Managing Director of HOYA Lens Deutschland GmbH, a subsidiary of the Japanese HOYA Corporation, the world's number two. What does HOYA Lens Deutschland stand for?
Mirjam Rösch: Our company was founded 45 years ago as a German subsidiary; in our division we focus exclusively on the production and distribution of spectacle lenses to opticians. HOYA originally comes from the crystal glass sector and was one of the first over 40 years ago to introduce an anti-reflective coating on plastic spectacle lenses to the market. With numerous groundbreaking developments, the Japanese corporation was able to successfully establish itself on the German market and make history there.
Wirtschaftsforum: HOYA employs about 36,000 people worldwide, with 230 in Germany. The turnover is around 100 million EUR. Are there specific developments that have favored growth?
Mirjam Rösch: HOYA has grown relatively steadily, but there have been certain peaks. These include, for example, the development of very individual progressive lenses or, shortly thereafter, almost reflection-free, hardened glasses that are easy to clean. MiYOSMART, a lens specifically for myopia management in children and adolescents, which demonstrably reduces progressive myopia, is our most recent development. It is a 'treatment form' to slow down and partially even stop the development of myopia.
Wirtschaftsforum: Do you expect the positive business development to continue? What are the current trends in the market?
Mirjam Rösch: We expect a steady growth in Germany. Due to demographic changes, however, the market will change. The trend is moving towards progressive lenses. The number of customers will not increase, but progressive lenses will experience increased demand; this, in turn, helps to drive developments.
Wirtschaftsforum: You are the managing director for Germany and Austria, as well as the Commercial Director for the DACH region and one of the few women in such a key position in a Japanese corporation. Where do you see particular challenges?
Mirjam Rösch: I am operationally active with a strong focus on sales. However, my passion is people. Internally, I value bringing people together, placing them in the right positions, supporting and challenging them. We want to create an attractive work environment for our employees and offer them more opportunities for development. Employees are very much the focus; this is important to me. Furthermore, I try to connect different divisions to implement things faster and more effectively; I achieve this by working informally and by maintaining direct exchange with management and individual employees. I am very approachable, my door is open to everyone.
When dealing with customers, communication, as well as regular contact and information exchange, are crucial for good cooperation. We treat our customers with respect, are committed, and solution-oriented. I know many of our customers personally and often for many years.
Wirtschaftsforum: Let's return to the products. Are there any special highlights?
Mirjam Rösch: Generally, we try to provide people with good vision from childhood to old age. Progressive lenses make up the majority of the revenue; here, the focus is moving strongly towards personalization. We also offer a wide range of sunglasses, have photochromic lenses that transform into sun protection glasses outdoors, and with MiYOSMART, a clinically proven solution for myopia management.
Wirtschaftsforum: Is there a key to success for you?
Mirjam Rösch: The product has to be right, be contemporary, and of excellent quality. Then, innovations must come to market at the right time, ideally before others. It's always a combination of perfect product and people who distribute the product. HOYA has found a good way to connect products with people. But there's still a lot to do. We will position ourselves more digitally and, for sustainability reasons, work on reducing our ecological footprint. I have an excellent team to overcome the next challenges.