In a press release, the Franco-Italian ophthalmic optics specialist explained that it has signed an agreement with the country's main trade unions (Filctem Cgil, Femca Cisl, and Uiltec Uil) to launch an experimental phase as early as the second half of this year, with the aim of deploying the first production lines by early 2027.

The group specified that this large-scale project will focus on its historic Agordo site in the Veneto region, where an entire area will be fully converted to house these new high-tech activities.

This decision marks a major strategic pivot for the world leader in eyewear, which until now had relied exclusively on its Asian capacity for the assembly and electronic components of its flagship connected products, such as the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses developed in partnership with Facebook's parent company.

A bet on 'Made in Italy' and the future of the product

This is the first time EssilorLuxottica will assemble and produce its famous smart glasses directly on European soil.

'Establishing the manufacturing of our wearable devices in Italy as well (...) represents a strategic and industrial choice of great value for the group and the entire region,' said Francesco Milleri, CEO of EssilorLuxottica.

The investment, the amount of which was not disclosed, includes the modernization of facilities, the acquisition of new machinery, and staff training. It follows a framework agreement sealed last September between management and social partners.

For Italian unions, this announcement represents a major industrial victory in a European context often marked by offshoring.

'This is an important signal against the logic of offshoring and in favor of an industrial policy that puts labor, skills, and our country's manufacturing capacity back at the center,' the national secretaries of the three signatory unions said in a joint statement.

On the Paris Stock Exchange, EssilorLuxottica shares gained more than 2% on Tuesday following these announcements, as investors viewed the move as a positive signal from the group regarding the outlook for this high-growth business segment.