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Filed under:
Randolph Engineering
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All photos by Flagship Photo
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In total, Randolph employs over 60 people (both front- and back-office), hiring close to 30 of them in the last couple of years. Most of the machinery was made by hand, remaining in use for the past several decades.
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Brass eye shapes are used to "wind eyes," a process where decades-old machines take wire off a spool to shape and bend a left and right eye for the frame.
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Everyone on the production line knows how to work each station, resulting in highly trained workers (of mostly Polish and Vietnamese descent) completing 200 hand-crafted steps to manufacture each pair of eyewear, including soldering the eyes, installing t
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Product manager Casey Sullivan points out a historical board on the factory floor, showcasing past styles for archival reference.
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Prior to plating, every metal frame enters a ceramic stone bath to polish the surface. Following the bath, remaining imperfections are hand polished. Frames are then shipped to Rhode Island for plating. Any gold plated styles boast about $15 worth of 23k
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Frames are outfitted with mineral crown glass lenses or polycarbonate, which are preferred for the shooting line given the high impact. Pilots favor glass for clarity. Though the factory no longer cuts glass, it used to pour its own and make its own lense
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The final assembly steps include pad printing lenses with the Randolph Engineering logo and the arms with style, model, size, and country of origin information. Machines attach temple tips for a tight fit before workers give each pair a good polishing. Al
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A small but effective retail display greets visitors upon walking into the office. More than a dozen styles are available to try on, as well as the brand's optical line and shooting collection.