LensCrafters 2008 Annual Report Download - page 18

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QUALITY
Product quality is the critical factor in the premium and luxury markets for both opticians and end
consumers. It has always been Luxottica’s main focus and was the reason for undertaking full integration
of every phase of production. Quality and process control teams regularly inspect semi-finished products
during the various phases of production, verifying the feasibility of prototypes in the design phase,
controlling standards across the spectrum of products in the production phase, and subsequently
checking for resistance to wear and tear and reviewing optical properties in relation to type of use. The
manufacturing processes and materials used by primary suppliers are also controlled and certified. Thanks
to ongoing verification of precision and expertise in all phases of production, the quality of Luxottica’s end
product is of the highest level. This vitally important aspect of production is reflected by both the
relationship of trust that the Group continues to enjoy with independent optical store operators, both
large and small, and the low levels of returns for defective merchandise.
ANTI-COUNTERFEITING POLICY
The only strategy capable of countering the widespread phenomenon of counterfeit goods is to attack the
sources of supply of the thousands of purveyors of pirated goods. Luxottica Group concentrates its efforts
on identifying the main flows of fraudulent goods and to organize brand protection strategies accordingly.
In 2008, brand protection activities were successfully continued, leading to the destruction of over 1.1
million pairs of counterfeit eyewear. This was the result of consolidating and strengthening programs
initiated in previous years, focusing on monitoring the production and trafficking of pirated goods through
constant investigations in China and tight Customs control. 2008 also saw the start up of a program to
monitor the more popular on-line auction platforms. This allowed approximately 17,500 offers of
counterfeit eyewear to be removed.
Intellectual property being one of its most important assets (Oakley alone holds over 600 patents and
1,200 trademarks), Luxottica Group is inevitably committed to maintaining, indeed strengthening, its anti-
counterfeiting operations
.
> 16 |ANNUAL REPORT 2008