Menicon Co., Ltd. (Head office: 3-21-19 Aoi, Naka-ku, Nagoya; Director, President and CEO: Koji Kawaura) is pleased to announce that its new manufacturing facility in Kedah, Malaysia, has commenced commercial production and held an opening ceremony on February 5, 2026.
This new site will reinforce the company’s long-standing dedication to technological excellence and uncompromising quality. It will also play a vital role in ensuring a consistent and reliable supply of products for customers in Japan and around the world.
Menicon has built a solid track record in the contact lens market through its distinctive technological innovations and marketing capabilities and will celebrate its 75th anniversary on February 8, 2026.
The global market is changing rapidly due to the increasing number of people with myopia, which is partly driven by the widespread use of smartphones and other digital devices. Studies predict that nearly 50% of the world’s population will be myopic by 2050*1.
Under these circumstances, daily disposable contact lenses, which require no cleaning, are easy to handle, and offer high levels of hygiene by providing a fresh pair each day, have gained strong consumer support and seen demand grow sharply.
While the entire contact lens industry faces supply constraints due to the rapid expansion of the 1-DAY lens market, Menicon has decided to make significant capital investments to fundamentally enhance its production capacity, despite the uncertainty posed by the global COVID-19 pandemic.
The newly opened Malaysia Plant is Menicon’s largest site to date and is dedicated exclusively to producing 1-DAY lens.
Construction of phase 1 is currently underway and will provide capacity for up to 500 million lenses per year. The construction plan is strategically formulated to extend through phase 4, allowing for further expansion in response to future market demand. With the continued installation of additional production lines, the company envisions a system capable of producing up to 2 billion lenses annually in the future.
Meanwhile, Menicon is strengthening its production capabilities for daily disposable contact lenses at its facilities in Singapore and at the Kakamigahara Plant in Japan.
While the company produced approximately 400 million 1-DAY lens in FY2024, it plans to increase its production capacity by approximately 1.5 times through multi-site expansion. Subsequently, the company intends to further expand production to meet global demand.
Menicon Group’s 1-DAY Lens Manufacturing Facilities
|
Facility |
Singapore Plant |
Kakamigahara Plant |
Malaysia Plant |
|
Exterior |
 |
 |
 |
|
Year |
2011 |
2015 |
2022 |
|
Site Area |
approx. 6,000 m² |
30,760 m² |
approx. 200,000 m² |
|
Total Floor Area |
Not disclosed |
19,338 m² |
approx. 45,000 m² |
On the commencement of commercial production at the Malaysia Plant, Director, President and CEO Koji Kawaura commented:
“The launch of the Malaysia Plant marks a significant step forward in dramatically increasing our supply of 1-DAY lens, a category experiencing rapidly growing demand worldwide. This new facility will enable us to accelerate strategic global partnerships that support our long-term growth.”
Building on the commercial production launch of the Malaysia Plant, Menicon will further strengthen its ability to deliver high‑quality products—rooted in Japanese craftsmanship and precision manufacturing, and distinguished by our innovative SMART TOUCH™ technology—to customers across Europe, North America, other global markets, and Japan.
As the global market for 1-DAY lens continues to grow, Menicon aims to further enhance its presence and continue creating long‑term value for society by providing better vision to people around the world.
Please refer to the joint release with the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) below.
https://www.menicon.com/corporate/news/malaysia-smart-factory-launch
*1 Holden BA, et al. Global Prevalence of Myopia and High Myopia and Temporal Trends from 2000 through 2050. Ophthalmology. 2016.