Take 5 with Nevil Trotter

Nevil Trotter, managing director at Norville

With a new £2.5m manufacturing site, and the backing of global conglomerate Inspecs, Norville is focused on re-building its relationship with grassroots dispensing opticians. Nicky Collinson Takes 5 with managing director, Nevil Trotter, to hear how the company is moving forwards and putting the customer at the heart of all its operations.

NC. It’s approaching two years since Inspecs acquired the manufacturing operations of Norville. What’s been happening since then?

NT. We have relocated all operations to our new site at Waterwells Business Park from Magdala Road, where Norville had been based for more than 70 years. Our primary focus on been on implementing a complete business and culture overhaul. This has included updating terms and conditions for staff, contracts, business, finance and IT systems, customer services and quality standards.

We have a new management team and structure, and a new sales team to help us create our customer-first culture. Everything we do is built around that goal, and we are constantly testing our approaches across the business. We are now running more efficiently and modernly, with everything produced here at Waterwells. Our primary customer is the independent UK practitioner, but we aim to take the business globally. Our relocation will enable us to achieve that goal and now be part of the Inspecs Group.

NC. How is Norville balancing the heritage of the business with newer, more automated technologies?

NT. The heritage of Norville is extremely important to us, as it’s a name that dates back to the 19th century. As part of the restructure, we looked at what elements of ‘old’ Norville should be retained and what features should be let go. So, whilst we endeavour to retain what’s been built over the past 125 years, we also need to look to the future – in partnership with our customers. So, we’re inviting students and practitioners to come and see what we’re doing and discover what lies ahead.

In terms of workforce, we have around 12 production operatives working on any one job, so it’s critical we look after our people and our processes; they are, after all, what makes the company. Products evolve, but we will always need a workforce with specialist skills. For example, how many companies do you know that can produce such intricate lenses as a trifocal Franklin split bifocal? If the dispensing optician can see a defect and knows what needs doing, we can help.

NC. In terms of sustainability, what is the company doing to positively impact its staff, communities, customers, and the planet?

NT. Moving our factory and offices to a new build makes everything more efficient and greener in terms of water waste, materials reuse, and recycling. Our carbon footprint is lower because everything is made here – and being part of the Inspecs Group gives us the means to explore more avenues to sustainable processes and solutions. We have already employed alloy-free blocking, water recycling and filtration, and we’re working on installing EV chargers.

NC. What new products are on the horizon to support excellence in dispensing and eyecare generally?

NT. We have just launched our new myopia management control lens, My-Nor, whose efficacy in slowing myopia progression is grounded in five years of research carried out in Europe. We have other new products in the pipeline and are focused on ensuring that all new product launches are evidence-based. We are developing our progressive lens designs and launching a new brand of digital lenses; we are an exclusive distributor of the high-end lenses from Leica and Norville specialist lenses such as Vista Mesh. We are doing a lot of work on blue light-blocking lenses, working with specialist companies, and will soon launch a 40 per cent blue light-blocking lens.

NC. How do you see the role of the dispensing optician evolving in the future, and how will Norville support that evolution?

NT. We need to re-establish our close relationship with grassroots dispensing opticians, so we are actively exploring how to engage with customers in a more meaningful way. Our primary focus is on supporting customers, and the dispensing optician role is critical to all clinical aspects of vision correction and eye health. Having a strong relationship is key to our business growth alongside building upon Norville’s heritage.

We have a new, larger sales team out on the road engaging with customers on a regional basis, able to showcase Inspecs eyewear brands alongside Norville and Leica lenses. The dispensing optician is a clinical expert, and we want to support that role as it expands in the future. We want to learn from dispensing opticians and offer the materials and products they need to excel. We listen to what our customers need – not just offering products that we want to sell. We want to be truly consultative and be the best partner to eyecare professionals we can be.