There are nearly 685 million eyes in America. And every year, one facility in Jacksonville, Florida, produces enough contact lenses to cover all of them.
Johnson & Johnson’s Acuvue manufacturing and distribution operation is one of the largest of its kind in the country, turning out 1.7 billion contact lenses annually.
Ninety percent of all Acuvue lenses sold in the United States ship from this single facility — and for the first time publicly, the company’s vice president of supply chain is pulling back the curtain on how it works.
Reinhardt pushed back on the idea that automation threatens jobs on the floor.
“It’s an enhancement to people’s jobs,” he said. “This robot takes the heavy lifting off of people’s backs and allows them to focus on the more human things, like problem-solving and getting solutions for our patients.”
Jacksonville’s proximity to multiple military bases has distinctly shaped the facility’s workforce. The company has recruited heavily from the veteran community for four decades, drawing on skill sets honed in service.
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