Children’s Eyewear Company Sets Up Manufacturing Operations in Ohio

A screenshot from the Fitz Frames website shows some of the frame styles available. Credit: https://www.fitzframes.com

Fitz Frames, which makes children’s eyewear frames using 3-D printing, has set up manufacturing operating in Youngstown, OH.

The Los Angeles-based company plans to begin operations next month in the Youngstown Business Incubator’s TechBlock Building No. 5, The (Youngstown) Business Journal reports.

The company employs seven people. It will ship its products throughout the U.S.

Fitz Frames has a customer waiting list of close to 5,000 people, said co-CEO Heidi Hertel.

The company’s approach relies on an app that uses facial mapping technology. It identifies the appropriate size and fit for the child, and the frames are made to order.

To help them stand up to kids’ active lifestyle, the frames use a ball-and-socket joint rather than screws or hinges, The Business Journal notes.

Why Youngstown?

“The more research we did, the more we were impressed with the city and saw it to be the Silicon Valley of all things 3D printing,” Hertel told the publication. “The community has been really supportive and we have found solid talent coming out of the local universities.”