IRVINE, Calif.—SDC Technologies, Inc. (SDC), a subsidiary of Mitsui Chemicals (TSE: 4183.T) and a leading producer of premium, high-performance specialty coating solutions, has acquired Coburn Technologies, Inc., an established innovator in the production, service and support of precision ophthalmic lens processing systems and instruments for the eyecare industry. SDC purchased Coburn from private investors who took control of the company when it was spun off from Gerber Scientific in 2010, as VMAIL reported at the time. Details of the transaction were not disclosed.

The Coburn Technologies management team will remain in place and the company will function as a subsidiary of SDC Technologies, Coburn president Alex Incera told VMAIL. Incera will report to Richard Chang, who became president and CEO of SDC in April, 2022.
 
In a joint statement, Chang and Incera said that combining the two companies’ respective products and capabilities will significantly extend their reach into the ophthalmic industry.
 
 
 Richard Chang (l) and Alex Incera.
“We are excited to partner with Coburn Technologies to broaden our range of premium coatings, automated coating equipment, and advanced lens processing technologies,” said Chang. “The synergy of these companies brings together the best combination of complementary breakthrough technologies to bolster SDC’s Total Vision Care Solution-based business growth and global footprint.
 
"This business integration establishes SDC as a leading provider of a single end-to-end solution in all phases of ophthalmic lens processing. With this acquisition, we will create new inventive product applications and step out technologies that combine the range of product offerings from Mitsui Chemicals’ high index monomers to SDCs’ specialty coatings to FSI Coating Technologies’ permanent anti-fog coatings to COTEC’s hydrophobic materials, and Coburn Technologies’ lens processing equipment, coatings, and coating equipment,” Chang said.
 
Incera remarked, “This is a significant alliance expanding our collective product portfolio and allowing us to offer a complete end-to-end solution including high end lens surfacing and marking equipment, finishing systems, diagnostic instruments, automated coating equipment, and premium coatings for abrasion resistance, anti-fog, hydrophobic, and photochromic applications. We also see tremendous opportunities to leverage each other’s technologies in ways that will benefit the entire ophthalmic industry.
 
"Coburn Technologies has found its place in the large lens production facilities with automated products like the Agility Automated Deblocker, Duality Automated Detaper and Cleaner, and Velocity 2D Automated Coater and believe the addition of SDC premium coatings will bring further value to the industry. The Coburn team is excited to join SDC and their family of companies, all of whom share the same culture of technology, innovation, and customer service,” Incera said.
 
Incera told VMAIL that SDC and Coburn also complement one another in the market segments each company serves. “We’re strong with ECPs and with small to medium sized labs, and they’re strong with multinationals,” he noted.
 
For more than 65 years, Coburn has supplied optical labs and eyecare professionals with products and services that have modernized lens production methods with high-speed automation, machine intelligence, precision, and sustainable coating technologies. The company traces its roots to Coburn Optical, founded in Muskogee, Okla. in 1954. They also offer a line of diagnostic machines for eye examinations.
 
Founded in 1986, SDC Technologies, Inc. is headquartered in Irvine, Calif. SDC was acquired by Mitsui Chemicals in 2008. It is a global leader in the development and manufacturing of high-performance specialty coatings used in a variety of applications from aerospace and automotive parts to eyewear.