MEI becomes more international and keeps growing driven by passion

A 40-year history with more than 3,000 machines sold, 331 employees, six branches worldwide, and an exclusively Italian production.

The passion for innovation and research is the cornerstone of the great success that characterizes the history of MEI – a leading designer and manufacturer of high-tech machinery for the optical industry.

A story that tells the Italian know-how, famous and exported internationally, the very high quality, technology, and research underlying each product; the R&D department is, in fact, one of the most developed and extensive in the company, currently employing thirty-five people.

Founded in 1985 by Stefano Sonzogni and Raffaele Scudeletti, MEI has always focused on developing high-quality CNC machines. Its debut in the optical sector dates back to the 1990s when MEI launched the Sphera, a device for edging solar lenses. However, it was in the early 2000s, when MEI revolutionized the optical market, introducing the milling process to shape ophthalmic lenses: a technology that, differently from the more common grinding technique, significantly increased the flexibility of the machine and its productivity.

Rapid growth led the company in 2007 to expand into North and South America and Asia with its first subsidiaries.

It was 2014 when the first EZFit, a compact lens edger with milling technology tailored for optical shops, was born from the company’s expertise.

A new Headquarters was opened in 2016 in Ponte San Pietro in the province of Bergamo.

2022 is the year of the revolutionary CoreTBA: the new all-in-one No Block lens-generating system. This new machine represents a breakthrough for the industry and a revolution in the lens production process. Thanks to its No Block system, for the first-time in history, laboratories can avoid using blocks, films, wax, or Alloy, thus saving them from buying and using machines to apply these elements. Furthermore, thanks to its Dry Cut technology, CoreTBA does not even require a water filtration system, saving money and helping the environment.

“Today MEI counts 331 employees worldwide in its six branches – Italy, USA, Brazil, Asia, India, and Japan – and 4 Customer Service offices in Texas, California, Colombia, and the UK,” says Stefano Sonzogni, MEI President.

A geographical proximity to the customer is reflected in a high-quality after-sales support service, thanks to more than 100 employees dedicated to Customer Service.

“For us, the relationship and service to our customers is crucial and represents a preponderant aspect of our work,” Sonzogni adds.

For that reason and because of the company’s significant growth in recent years, between 2022 and the first half of 2023, MEI recorded 60 new hires, rising from 270 to 331 employees.

Significant R&D efforts over the years have led MEI to become one of the world’s top companies in the industry, recording an essential increase in turnover and the number of machines sold.

Expansion work will soon begin on the Ponte San Pietro headquarters, doubling from 10,000 m2 to 20,000 m2. In addition, a newly expanded site is under construction in the United States to meet the needs of a team of more than 70 employees.