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2000
Essilor, J&J Link For Ambitious Internet Venture
Oct. 9, 2000 | Return to the Top
lanned VisionWeb to offer wide range of products, services, information
AUSTIN , Texas —Two leading optical companies, Essilor of America and Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, announced last month they will develop an Internet site designed to deliver a wide range of products, services, and information to eyecare professionals, optical laboratories, manufacturers, and patients.
The site, called VisionWeb, is scheduled to launch in the U.S. early next year, with international expansion to follow.
Executives of Essilor and J&J said the two companies have made a “substantial funding commitment” to the new venture, but declined to reveal how much money each company has invested or how much equity each has. They said other equity partners are expected to join VisionWeb within the next two to six months.
Dennis Upah, former chief operating officer of drkoop.com, has been named president and chief executive officer of VisionWeb. Upah and his management team will be based here.
“Through relationships with Johnson & Johnson Vision Care and other industry leaders, VisionWeb will launch a comprehensive commerce system that invites participation from manufacturers, distributors, and wholesale businesses throughout the optical industry,” said Hubert Sagniéres, president of Essilor of America. “Essilor has always helped eyecare professionals succeed by providing premium lens products that promote better vision for all consumers. A key objective of VisionWeb is to encourage more patients to visit their eyecare practitioners more often. This endeavor taps the power of the Internet to further these goals.”
“We are confident that the unique opportunities afforded by VisionWeb will enhance the industry’s ability to provide the most convenient and advanced products and services, to stress the importance of good vision and to help vision-care professionals maintain competitive, cutting-edge eyecare businesses, while respecting the doctor/patient relationship,” said Gerald Ostrov, company group chairman of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care. “As an industry leader, Johnson & Johnson Vision Care is dedicated to seeking the most innovative ways to improve the quality of eyecare and expand the vision-care market, while ensuring an orderly transition for eyecare professionals to e-commerce.”
Last month’s announcement of VisionWeb came just two days after Johnson & Johnson began the launch of its new Definity 2 progressive lens, which the company is positioning to compete directly with Essilor’s top-ranked Varilux brand. However, in making the VisionWeb announcement Sagniéres and Ostrov downplayed competitive issues.
“Clearly, we don’t think it’s contradictory,” said Ostrov. “Leadership in this industry is demonstrated by creating an environment for everyone involved. Once you create that open system, it’s good for commerce and it’s good for consumers. There’s absolutely no conflict in investing that kind of venture, while maximizing your own company’s share in the industry.”
Sagniéres added: “The Internet is an open system—it can’t be only for some players. Gerald and I are very open-minded; even if we are competing in some lines of product, we can work together on this. This industry needs a strong Internet network. Gerald and I say we have to participate and create it in order to have a very open marketplace.”
According to Ostrov, VisionWeb will offer such features as e-commerce, spectacle-lens and contact-lens ordering and processing, practice-management tools, insurance-claim submission, continuing education, marketing materials, research, staff training, and education.
Though Essilor and J&J each operates its own website, VisionWeb will be the biggest Internet project either company has undertaken. As part of its Internet initiative, Essilor has made an intensive effort during the past 18 months to help eyecare practitioners establish their own websites, which are then linked to Essilor’s site. Though Upah declined to say how many practitioner sites Essilor has set up, knowledgeable industry sources estimate that about 14,500 practitioners have participated in the program, providing VisionWeb with a large base of installed users.
Vision Monday Volume Number: 14:18 Issue: 10/9/2000
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