A Fife business which specialises in supplying custom moulded and filtered hearing protection has signed an exclusive deal with a leading chain of opticians.
CluisTROM of Dunfermline will supply Black & Lizars Optometrists’ 21 stores with exclusive hearing aids, Bluetooth hearing aid glasses and custom hearing protection products.
The company, which has been helped by Business Gateway Fife, now adds the leading optometrists to its list of clients that include Haribo, the Ministry of Defence, Scottish Power, General Electric, Siemens and BAE Systems.
Neil McIntosh, managing director, said: “We’ve focused our attention on niche and specialist products which has made us a leading name in hearing protection in the UK.
“Striking the deal with Black & Lizars helps us maintain our position, gain brand recognition on Scotland’s high streets and gives us increased point of contact with individuals as well as large corporate businesses.”
Michelle Le Prevost, managing director of Black & Lizars, said: “Our company has a rightly-celebrated 185-year-long engagement with Scotland’s eye-care market.
“Our newly forging relationship with CluisTROM will significantly enhance the degree of care we provide to our patients.”
Having moved into one of Dunfermline High Street’s oldest buildings in February, CluisTROM is now looking to expand its client base further and grow its hearing aid service.
Neil added: “We now have an impressive shop front and the space needed to tap into the hearing aid market further.
“Refitting the building was costly, but our Business Gateway adviser, Lynne Baillie, signposted us to the Fife Council Town Centre Development Grant scheme, and the grant we secured will us recoup some of the money invested.”
Lynne Baillie of Business Gateway Fife, said: “Neil entered into a busy market place, but through hard work, determination and a realisation that niche products could help his business grow, he has managed to put CluisTROM on the map.
“Our help securing a range of funding has also allowed him to promote his business and gain exposure.”
Originally a business development manager for a hearing aid manufacturer, Neil spotted a gap in the market for 3D printed custom ear plugs that would only allow the frequency of conversation to enter the ear regardless of environmental noise.
By utilising state-of-the-art 3D printing, the ear plugs are an exact fit providing increased safety to users.
He took his plan to the world’s largest manufacturer of hearing aids, Starkey Labs, and launched CluisTROM from a room in his mother’s shop in 2011.
