OREANDA-NEWS. HOYA is pleased to announce the acquis i tion of its long - time production and distribution partner Knecht & Müller AG ( Stein am Rhein , Swi tze r- land) .

The agreement makes Knecht & Müller AG the youngest member of H OYA Corporation and the newest addition to the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switze r land) , where the company already has locations in Brunn am Gebirge (HOYA Lens Austria ) a nd Mönch e n g ladbach (H OYA Lens Germany GmbH).

Knecht & Müller AG has been run for more than 100 years by the Müller - Knecht family . With the acquisition , the family is confident that the business is in good hands . “In HOYA we found a stable, trustworthy partner wh o will continue our work and philosophy, and ensure our employees a successful , sustainable future,” said the current chairman, Dr. Peter Müller.

Following the acquisi tion, Dr. Müller will step down. Oliver Fischbach, g eneral m anager of HOYA Lens Germany GmbH , will assume his responsibilities . Igor Merhar , Knecht & Müller AG ’s head of business development , will take over as country manager.

“ I am looking forward to working with the Knecht & Müller team . We will produce and distribute H O YA and Knecht & Müller - branded high - tech lenses made in Stein am Rhein in both Switze r land and international market s ,” added Mr. Fischbach.

“ We are proud to welcome Knecht & Müller a s a member of HOYA Corporation ,” said Mr. Hans Werquin, CEO HOYA Vision Care Europe. “ Sw itze r land is one of our key Central Europe an markets whose customers we can now serve directly . Knecht & Müller has over a century’s tradi tion in the optical field and extensive expertise in the production of high - tech lenses. This legacy fits perfectly wi th HOYA’s strategic objectives in the DACH region and beyond."

About HOYA Found ed in 1941 in Tokyo, Japan, HOYA is a global med - tech company and the leading supplier of innovative high - tech and medical products. H OYA is active in the fields of healthcare and information technology , providing eyeglasses, medical endoscopes, intraocular lenses, optical lenses as well as key components for semiconductor devices, LCD panels and HDDs. With more than 150 offices and subsidiaries worldwide, H OYA currently employ s a multinational workforce of over 34,000 people.

About Knecht & Müller AG

Knecht & Müller AG is a modern company with 100 years of family tradition. Its mission is to provide spectacle wearers with products that are customised , innovative and optically accurate . The company’s key focus is the production of individual prescription lenses. Superior quality, first - class materials and manufactu r ing at the highest technical level are absolutely crucial in this process.