Ophthalmic products manufacturer Keeler is this year celebrating its 90th birthday. Shannon McKenzie paid a visit to the firm’s Windsor headquarters to learn about its past, present and future.
In 1917, when American-born Charles Davis Keeler first opened the doors of his London dispensing optician practice, he was probably not aware of the legacy he was about to create. Yet with the opening of his Wigmore Street practice, Charles D Keeler – an optical craftsman by trade – laid the foundations of a company that would eventually grow to become a market leader in the field of ophthalmic instruments.
His enthusiasm for optics was shared by his son, Charles Henry Keeler, who joined him at the practice in 1924. Two years later, at the age of just 23, Charles Henry patented his first instrument – the combined luminous ophthalmoscope and retinoscope. This was the first Keeler ophthalmoscope, and over the following decades it was improved upon many times. Indeed, ophthalmoscopes became the instruments that Keeler built its reputation on.
Although the company had been manufacturing ophthalmic instruments since the 1920s, the focus on this began in earnest in 1946 when Charles Henry established Keeler Optical Products. In 1953, Keeler began its global expansion with the incorporation of Keeler Optical Products in the US.
Once again the father’s passion was picked up by his son – or in this case – sons. Both Charles Richard Keeler and David Keeler entered the family business with Charles Richard stepping into the role of managing director on his father’s retirement in 1970. David moved to the US, where he became executive vice-president of Keeler US.
Throughout that time, the company has maintained its focus on innovation and technology. It now sells instruments in more than 100 countries, and employs more than 120 staff, recently opening offices in China.
Focus on innovation
Today, with newly appointed managing director Abbas Sotoudeh at the helm, the focus is still on innovation – but this is not solely restricted to product development. In 2002 the company began its adoption of ‘lean manufacturing’ processes pioneered in Japan. The results, says production director Richard Mayall, have been extremely positive.
‘It is essentially about running a lean organisation,’ he says. ‘Ten years ago, if we had an order for a specialist ophthalmoscope, we might produce 100 at a time. We would make all ofthem at once and store those that had
not yet been ordered. But that was tying up valuable space and time.
‘Now when an order comes in, we manufacture that order and ship it out straight away. We no longer spend time making big batches of one product. We run a very tight operation now, it is far more efficient and it gets our products to our customers far more quickly.’
Mayall notes that in previous years it could take up to 20 days – from the point an order was received – to ship products to customers. That is now down to an average of five days.
The new measures have meant that Keeler has more than halved the amount of stock it was holding. Previously, Mayall notes, the company would carry up to £3.5m worth of stock at the factory. That has been reduced to £1.5m. The reduction in stock has also meant a reduction in space needed.
Working practices and the workstation layout at the Windsor factory too have changed significantly under the new ideals. ‘For example, there might be four assembly processes involved in making one particular product. There will be a workstation laid out for each process and each will be alongside the workstation for the next process,’ explains Mayall. ‘At each workstation we make sure everything required to make a specific product is in front of that person – they don’t have to move away to get tools or parts.’
Stock reduction measures, improved working practices and a new factory layout have resulted in a much smoother work flow, and have also freed up an estimated 25,000 square feet at the Windsor factory. This space, says Mayall, will most likely be used for more product assembly lines.
And more assembly lines are needed. The company has just recently increased its assembly line workforce by 30 per cent, such is the demand for its products. Mayall anticipates the company will be increasing the workforce again within the next two months. Beyond creating extra floor space and faster turnaround times, Mayall says the new lean manufacturing has had a ‘very positive effect’ on the company’s bottom line.
These profits, he continues, are reinvested back into the company, particularly into the research and development department. To keep in step with technology, Keeler is constantly reviewing the latest innovations and patents, along with paying close attention to feedback from its customers. Interestingly, the company also spends money commissioning external market research.
‘We do not always assume that we know best,’ Mayall says. ‘It is very easy to fall into the trap of assuming we are successful because we are doing everything right. That is not always the case and we are always looking for new intelligence to inform us.’
Guiding principle
Continual product improvement is a guiding principle at Keeler. The focus on improvement and innovation – which in decades past has resulted in the Pantoscope and the Pulsair tonometer, and more recently, the first wireless binocular indirect ophthalmoscope – is still strong. The company has an express aim to release three to four new or improved models each year.
Keeler’s ‘product pipeline’ stretches up to four years ahead, however Mayall is keen to point out that the company is able to quickly respond to market feedback when necessary. If a need for a new product is identified, Keeler can have the product ready in around six months. Minor improvements to existing products can be made within a matter of weeks.
Such development capacity, Mayall attributes to several key facts.
He notes that all of the key departments are located at the Windsor headquarters. The vast majority of Keeler’s key products – from ophthalmoscopes to the Cryomatic System – are manufactured and assembled here. If the sales force
receive feedback from the market that improvements are needed on a certain product, they are able to quickly sit down with the research and development and the manufacturing departments to find a solution.
Mayall also notes that any new products are designed to fit with existing manufacturing capabilities and supply chain. ‘It is a very straightforward thing to do,’ he says. ‘We make best use of the skills and resources we already have.’
In the development of any new product, manufacture and assembly departments are involved at the earliest possible stage. Keeler also invests heavily in producing prototypes, Mayall notes, as it ‘means that when things go into production they run very smoothly’.
The focus on product development and improvement has meant that Keeler products are in constant demand. In the UK, the specialist ophthalmoscope is the number one product, closely followed by the Pulsair tonometer. In the US and Australia, binocular indirect ophthalmoscopes are the most popular product, and, notes David Keeler, president of Keeler Instruments Inc, these are constantly being improved upon.
‘The indirect ophthalmoscope is a flagship product for our company, andit has enjoyed many “firsts” since the introduction of the Fison by Charles Henry Keeler in 1958,’ Keeler says. ‘In the last number of years we have introduced the only wireless indirect ophthalmoscope, to wide acclaim, along with the Vantage Plus indirect ophthalmoscope that features a unique single level operation to optimise the view for any given beam size.’
The expectation is that demand for these products will grow in the UK as well, notes Keeler product manager Laura Haverley. ‘The binocular indirect ophthalmoscope gives practitioners a bigger picture, it means that nothing is missed during the examination,’ she says. The company is already considering setting up a second production line specifically for indirect ophthalmoscopes.
Keeler has also taken care to support optometry students around the country. Each year, Haverley visits each university and gives the students a presentation on Keeler products.
Both Mayall and Haverley point to the wealth of shared experience within the company as another factor in its success. Haverley herself has been with Keeler for 25 years, and notes that ‘nobody ever seems to want to leave’. ‘People always seem to want to stay, and that means we have a lot of experience between us,’ she says. .
Company profile
Keeping it in the family
For Judy Meakes, staff at Keeler literally are her family. She began working at the Windsor headquarter’s electrical department back in October 1963, after her husband Dennis encouraged her to take a job there. Dennis himself already worked at the factory, and eventually their son, Anthony, took on a role in the factory machine shops. And now, Judy’s grand-daughter is working with her on the assembly lines. ‘I have moved jobs quite a lot in the years I’ve been here,’
she says, ‘and I’ve certainly seen a lot of change. Everything is moving much faster now.’
She was working there during the time the Keeler family lived on site, and recalls often seeing Charles Henry Keeler walking around the factory floor. ‘He used to come around speak to each of us – he was a lovely man,’ she says. ‘I really do enjoy my job,’ she continues. ‘I have so many friends here, they are also like my family. Everyone keeps asking me when I’m going to retire, they make jokes about it. But I’m still very happy to keep coming to work each day.’
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