CHARENTON-LE-PONT, France—Following approval by the Federal Trade Commission, Essilor (Reuters: ESSI:PA) completed its acquisition of lens manufacturer Signet Armorlite last week.

Based in California, Signet Armorlite generates a global revenue of approximately $115 million, primarily through its subsidiaries in the U.S., the U.K., Germany, Spain, Columbia, Portugal and Holland, according to Essilor. The company holds an exclusive worldwide license for the development, production and distribution of Kodak brand lenses. Operated independently by the current management team, Signet Armorlite will leverage Essilor’s distribution network to promote the Kodak brand and reach new customers and consumers worldwide.

Essilor said the acquisitions will strengthen its position in the high-quality mid-range segment.

“The acquisition of Signet Armorlite illustrates Essilor’s strategy of offering product and service lineups tailored to each segment of the ophthalmic optics market,” noted Hubert Sagnieres, chief executive officer of Essilor International. “We’re going to capitalize on our company’s size as well as its extensive research and development capabilities to increase the opportunities for the Kodak brand in the international ophthalmic marketplace.”

Brad Kruchten, president of Kodak’s Film, Photofinishing and Entertainment Group, said, “We see excellent synergies between the strength of our Kodak brand and Essilor’s leading position in the worldwide ophthalmic market. We are confident that this combination will insure the Kodak brand has a substantial position in vision care moving forward.”

Signet Armorlite was formed in 1983 through the merger of Armorlite, founded in 1947 in Burbank, Calif., and Signet Uptown, which began as a wholesale lab in San Diego, Calif. in 1960. Beginning in 1947, the company pioneered plastic lens casting in North America.

In addition to holding the exclusive license to distribute Kodak lenses worldwide, Signet Armorlite is an authorized distributor of 3M adhesive optical supply products in the U.S.

Essilor first announced plans to acquire Signet Armorlite in January, 2009.