Presiding over the opening of Maui Jim’s new Rx lab in Braunschweig, Germany last week are Hans-Jurgen Penzek (l), Maui Jim’s vice president, Europe and company president Mike Dalton.

BRAUNSCHWEIG, Germany—Sunglass maker Maui Jim is enhancing its service to European customers with the opening of a prescription lab here on June 25. Until now, all Maui Jim Rx lenses have been produced in Maui Jim’s global corporate office in Peoria, Ill. By opening a lab in central Europe and eliminating customs requirements for overseas shipments, the company can now process prescription orders in as little as 24 hours and ship them to any of its 10,500 retailers in Europe in less than a day, according to Jay Black, Maui Jim’s global vice president of marketing.

“Germany has always been an important market for Maui Jim,” added Black, who said the sunglass maker services more than 1,700 specialized optician retailers across the country.

Maui Jim has operated in Braunschweig since 2004, when it established a German distribution center there. Seven years later it acquired additional property there for its European headquarters and central warehouse. Maui Jim has invested more than €10 million to build the lab, which will create over 85 new jobs, according to Black.

“Germany, and especially Braunschweig, provide perfect conditions for our new lab,” he noted. “It has a long tradition in engineering and technology, a highly qualified work force and an excellent ecosystem.”