Since its launch last February at MIDO, more than 200 optical shops have participated in the projects of the first consortium of Italian-made optical products

OTTIMIthe first national optics consortium of Italian excellences, launched in 2022 and promoted by FIlab srl, Safilens, StratiVari Design, TutorNet and UltraLimited – has already engaged with more than 200 optical shops across the country.

Enormous satisfaction over this first achievement by the member companies that recognize that the combined partnership is a useful tool in developing synergies and expanding opportunities in the industry.

“We at StratiVari Design are extremely pleased to be active members of OTTIMI. We have long believed that optical shops must elevate themselves and that they must no longer be perceived as shops where they “sell eyewear” but rather must become a source of high-quality services aimed at meeting the overall needs of the customer, with an eye to customer retention. Undoubtedly, an outstanding contemporary layout and display of the store itself is a major contribution,” stated Davide Bodino, CEO of the Pavia-based company.

The consortium is a new, discerning, one-of-a-kind stakeholder, with a coordinated, well-established organizational structure, able to ensure great flexibility, expertise, professionalism and efficiency as well as offering a full spectrum of services for opticians and optometrists. Truly superior technical, sales and professional support for the entire sector.

The project’s flagship product is the array of training programs it offers. There are many courses and they were chosen to cover the broadest range of needs and growth opportunities for optical centers, such as: technical training, business consulting, professional updating, business tutoring, digital marketing, financial services and access to credit, staging of display cases and sales areas. Through the voluntary, non-binding participation in these projects and the purchase of consortium-member products, participants accumulate credits that can be used to pay for the services included in the Services Catalog. The credits earned by participating opticians with each consortium company are totaled and made available for access to the services.

The continuing education programs are provided by leaders in the arena of Italian technical and professional training, such as: the Veneto Eye Bank Foundation, Roma Tre University, University of Milano-Bicocca, University of Salento, AFO – Accademia di Formazione in Ottica e Optometria (Academy of Training in Optics and Optometry), Scuola di Clinica NeuroVisuoPosturale (Neural Visual Postural Medical School), Formazione Continua in Medicina (Continuing Medical Education), Walk of Life, Digital Coach, AssoVisual.

According to Tommaso Poltrone, CEO of UltraLimited“We are inherently unique. This is our company’s philosophy and we believe OTTIMI is a project that can offer a huge advantage, not only to the more than 200 already participating optical centers but also to future members. The exploration of our own uniqueness is certainly useful in order to differentiate ourselves from the uniformity of the standardized products offered by the large chains. This is possible thanks, in part, to the vast and constantly updated education catalog”.

The promotion of Italian optics also takes place through participation in trade shows, events, congresses in Italy and internationally, and joint internationalization