Randolph Engineering

Randolph Engineering, Inc., located in Randolph, Massachusetts, is a manufacturing company that makes sunglasses, shooting eye-wear, and prescription frames. They are most noted for supplying eye-wear to the United States military.^[1]

History

Randolph Engineering, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Jan Waszkiewicz and Stanley Zaleski. The company originally focused on designing and manufacturing optical tools and machinery for the production of eye-wear. Waszkiewicz and Zaleski designed and made most of the machinery in the plant. In time, the company turned its attention to making its own eyewear, using the tools and machinery designed and manufactured by the company itself.^[1][3]

In 1977, Randolph Engineering obtained its first government contract.^[3] By 1982, they became the prime contractor for military-style aviation flight glasses for the U.S. Department of Defense. With 68 employees, 200,000 pairs of sunglasses were made for the Navy, Air Force, and Army that year.^[2] Ever since, they have provided eye-wear for many government agencies and soldiers, ranging from sunglasses for air force pilots to eye-wear for submarine staff. Randolph Engineering also offers a product similar to Bausch & Lomb's G-15 green glass lenses, which were designed to provide maximum visibility and low eye strain for aviators. In the early 1990s, sales were expanded to offer commercial lines of products.^[1] Towards August 2008, the company extended its eye-wear offerings to other specialty lines of work including police, security, outdoor sports and adventure, and other sight critical careerists and hobbyists.^[4]

The company still supplies the military with a variety of glasses. They signed contracts with the Defense Logistics Agency on January 11, 2010 and January 5, 2011 worth $9 million each. Their most recent contract, valued at $38,662,664, was issued on December 23, 2011.^[5] In 2011, the company had approximately $8 million in sales.^[2]

All glasses are still made at the U.S. location in Randolph, Massachusetts using only a handful of international components. Sales are handled through their website and world-wide distributors. Randolph Engineering has positioned themselves as a viable vendor to other Air Forces around the world including Australia, Belgium, Israel, and Jordan. The Alliance for the Commonwealth and the Massachusetts Port Authority awarded Randolph the 1997 Massachusetts Product Export Achievement Award in recognition for achievements made in International trade.^[6]

Products

Randolph Engineering produces shooting eye-wear, sunglasses, and prescription eye-wear. Their products come in a variety of lens and frame styles, the most popular being the traditional aviator style. Each pair of sunglasses is made nearly entirely by hand in a detailed 200 step process.^[7] An average of 53,000 pairs of glasses are produced per month. All manufacturing processes take place at the company's 22,000-square-foot facility in the United States.^[2]

Randolph Engineering has three categories of products: the Sunglass Series, Ranger Series, and Rx Series. Randolph Engineering also produces their own high-strength solder flux, and every pair of their glasses comes with a lifetime replacement guarantee for every solder joint.^[8] Navy pilots and Army helicopter pilots both wear Randolph's matte chrome 52mm Aviators.^[7] In 2011, Randolph Engineering also began production of the Michael Bastian Signature Series. Today products are sold in over 400 retailers globally and compete with brands like Ray-Ban and Oakley.^[2]

References