1. 38 Envision | may - june 2011
While Thinking Globally,
Ronor Acts Locally
R
obert Charbonneau and his company, Ronor International Inc., are not shy when
it comes to participating in world markets. The 100 per cent Canadian-controlled
firm expanded into China in 2006 as one of the first ventures allowed to operate as a
wholly owned foreign investment under new central government regulations.
Charbonneau, Ronor’s founder and president, demonstrated his commitment to
expansion by moving his family to Hong Kong, where they lived for almost three
years. It was a fascinating business experience as well as a tremendous cultural immersion for
the whole family. “It was a very positive experience for my son, who was eight at the time, and
my daughter, who was ten. She is now fluent in Mandarin, which is a key global language,” says
Charbonneau. “And we all learned what it means to be members of a visible minority group.”
Working through 11 levels of government to establish a factory in Foshan City, Guangdong
province was, “relatively easy,” notes Charbonneau. “China is a place where you can accomplish
great things if you know how. But if you don’t know the rules, speak the language and understand
their protocols, things can move at a snail’s pace. The learning curve was much more difficult than
anticipated and the project took a long time to get off the ground.”
Success Story
By Paddy Kamen
[ Robert Charbonneau, Ronor’s president ]
[ Ronor’s team From left to right: Wayne Callan –Territory Manager, Western Canada, Jacques Côté –Territory Manager, Quebec, Nicky Fambios –Marketing Manager, Robert Charbonneau – President,
Walter Kaiser – Director of International Sales (Eschenbach Optik GmbH), Jenny Tzelardonis – Sales Force Manager - Frames Division ]

2. 39may - june 2011 | Envision
But Charbonneau succeeded and the factory is
now in its fifth year of production, employing
more than 200 people who manufacture
Ronor-designed lens cleaning products and
cases. “It was surprisingly easy to find a reliable
and dedicated workforce,” notes Charbonneau.
“They are not particularly loyal to their
employers but the vast majority work hard and
do an excellent job. One of the most difficult
things was to establish a good supplier base.”
While it was frightening at the time, the
world-wide economic slowdown in 2008-09
actually helped Ronor to succeed, as
Charbonneau explains: “The Chinese economy
experienced only a quick purge of the weakest
manufacturers, which was, in fact, a good thing.
Business rebounded rapidly and there were
fewer companies to share the same volume.
Economic slowdowns force organizations to
review their habits and procurement practices,
so this turned out to be an opportunity to meet
new customers. Suddenly, thinking outside of
the box became urgent and new opportunities
were created.
“While the whole venture of setting up in China
was, in retrospect, riskier and more difficult
than expected, one of the rewards is that we
are now, as far as we know, the only Canadian
and possibly the only North American-based
cleaning lens products and cases company that
is 100 per cent vertically integrated.”
Over the past year a rapid and sustained rate of
inflation in China has caused a surge in export
prices. “Thanks to a strong Canadian dollar
relative to the U.S. currency, most of these
increases have not yet been reflected in the
Canadian marketplace but this can’t continue
forever,” notes Charbonneau.
Going global for Ronor also means distributing
their accessory products in more than 15
countries, including the U.S. – their biggest
customeroutsideCanada.MostmajorAmerican
retailers, including Luxottica Retail, Costco, US
Vision, and Kaiser Permanente, are customers,
as are U.S.-based importers like Altair, New
York Eye and Nouveau.
Canadian retailers are fortunate in being the
first to benefit from distribution of Ronor’s
fashion frames, reading glasses and sunglasses.
Since going into the frame business in 2000,
Ronor has continuously expanded that side of
the business and aligned with some of the top
names in the industry, including Eschenbach
Optik GmbH of Nuremberg, Germany. In fact,
the two companies will soon be announcing a
five-year renewal of their exclusive contract.
“We are glad that our excellent performance has
allowed us to forge such a strong relationship
with this first-class German company,” says
Charbonneau. “Eschenbach is known for their
great design and superior quality and has won
numerous international design awards. For
at least the next five years, the love affair be-
tween Canadian opticians and the Humphrey’s,
Brendel and Marc O’Polo brands, among
others, will continue to be delivered through
Ronor. Dealing with the best in the frame
industry helps Ronor become one of the best
distributors here at home.”
Humphrey’s is Ronor’s number one collection
and the company sells more units of that brand
per capita than are sold in any other country
among the nine subsidiaries outside of Germany.
The other brands Ronor represents include
New York Eye/Hart Specialties and house
brands Nordic, King Size and 4U&I.
The ‘Boutique Wholesale’ subsidiary Voila
Vision Inc. distributes French designer frames
Azzaro, Thierry Mugler, Smalto and licensed
brands IKKS, and X-One.
Eighteen full-time sales reps bring the Ronor
focus on service and customer satisfaction home
to more than 3,500 accounts across Canada.
“The caliber of our salespeople, most of whom
have been with us for over 10 years, makes me
confident that each and every contact point with
our customers will be satisfying for them. We
want every ECP to feel at ease trying all of our
products and services because we stand behind
them 100 per cent,” says Charbonneau.
Where is Ronor headed? True to form, there will
be expansion both at home and abroad. “Here in
Canada we will be growing by leaps and bounds
with a mix of acquisitions and structural
improvements aimed at making us the best
service provider ever to Canadian ECPs,” notes
Charbonneau. “A company like Ronor, with
SuccessStory
units outside Canada and customers
worldwide, is best poised to deliver
added value through our commitment
to ‘think globally, act locally’.”
Robert Charbonneau, who has made
the local and global growth of Ronor
his life’s work, is expecting to hand
over the reins of his company to a
younger team within the next few
years. “Ronor is the story of my life,”
he says. “And before long I will enjoy
watching it continue to grow while
lying on a beach somewhere beautiful
and sunny.”
No doubt Charbonneau will be
thinking globally when he considers
which beaches to visit between
September and May. Come the
Canadian summer, he’ll have plenty
of ‘local’ beaches to choose from in
La Belle Province and elsewhere in
Canada. Don’t forget the sunscreen —
and sunglasses from Ronor! n
[ Ronor’s President Robert Charbonneau with Walter Kaiser, director of international sales for Eschenbach Optik GmbH ]
We are glad that our excellent
performance has allowed us
to forge such a strong
relationship with this first-class
German company.
“
”