Committees
An Overview of the Committees of the Consumer Optics Trade Association
Registration for Our SPECTARIS Committees
You can register for the association's committees through mySPECTARIS.
Consumer Optics Industry Day
The Optometry Industry Day is the annual general meeting of the Optometry Trade Association. It serves as a forum for topic-specific discussions among our optometry members, who travel to attend the general meeting of the umbrella association. In addition to the various projects within the Consumer Optics Trade Association, the event focuses on discussing current industry developments that concern our members, as well as trade show topics. Every three years, the board of directors and the chairperson of the Professional Association are also elected at this event.
Remote Optics Section
The specialist group brings together manufacturers and suppliers of binoculars, spotting scopes, and rifle scopes. The group discusses and exchanges views on all relevant topics. These include, among others, current market developments, major trade shows—including joint events—both domestically and abroad, customs and export issues, the publication of test reports, and topics related to DIN standards and environmental law. The group also cooperates closely with the Photographic Technology Section and makes use of the services offered by that group, including its overarching areas of focus.
Photography Technology Section
The specialist group brings together German manufacturers of professional camera systems and high-end amateur cameras, as well as photography accessories such as tripods, studio lighting, underwater housings, lenses, filters, and bags. They use the association as the voice of their industry in dealings with policymakers, at trade shows, and on the international stage. Members stay informed about current industry developments and define the association’s activities.
Contact Lenses Section
The Contact Lenses Section brings together manufacturers and suppliers of contact lenses and care products in German-speaking countries. It addresses issues of strategic importance to the industry and discusses opportunities for growth. The group identifies the needs of the contact lens industry and decides on joint measures and initiatives (including digital campaigns, a working group on professional policy, vocational school days, and exchange platforms with brick-and-mortar specialty retailers).
IT Contact Lenses Working Group
The working group’s goal was to develop a binding standard for contact lenses that would precisely define every single product and every step of the value chain—initially for Germany alone. However, from the very beginning, the group’s ambition was to make this so-called SPECTARIS standard so robust that it would also become established internationally. To a large extent, this has been achieved today. The project began in 2003 with the launch of a contact lens portal under the SPECTARIS umbrella, through which all opticians could always download the latest product catalogs. Later, the entire ordering process was also integrated. The portal has now been fully integrated into a higher-level international optical portal that brings together all product groups. However, regular joint refinements remain essential.
MDR/UDI Optometry Working Group (Class 1)
The goal of the working group is to work together to address the challenges posed by the Medical Device Regulation (MDR) for Class I optical products. To find practical solutions for implementing the MDR in the optical industry, the group collaborates and exchanges information regularly. The range of topics covers all areas relevant to MDR implementation, such as manufacturer obligations, quality management, and the use of the UDI database. New guidelines and requirements at the European and national levels are presented and discussed within the group.
Optical Retail Information Forum
The goal of the information forum is to provide members with a consolidated overview of all relevant market data from the optical industry available at the mid-year point. The market data, presented firsthand by various survey organizations, is presented side by side in this forum, allowing for a better overview and discussion. In addition, presentations on other topics related to the industry and market environment offer a broader perspective.
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What Our Members Say
OBE relies on high-quality products “Made in Germany.”
OBE relies on high-quality products “Made in Germany.” Thanks to innovation and automation, spring hinges and security screws can be manufactured in large quantities at the Ispringen facility. This goes hand in hand with increased productivity and a division of labor for simple products at our facility in China. In this way, we secure jobs in Germany.
Peter Specht / Erik Schäfer - Managing Directors, OBE
