Silhouette International Schmied AG

About Silhouette International Schmied AG

Silhouette International Schmied AG is an Austrian family-owned company based in Linz that develops, manufactures and distributes eyewear frames, sunglasses and optical lenses. The product range includes rimless glasses, full-rim glasses and sunglasses under the company's own Silhouette and evil eye brands; since 2017 the company has operated as a full-range supplier of lenses and frames, with the optical lenses manufactured at its headquarters in Linz. Production uses, among other methods, injection moulding of the patented plastic SPX as well as a flexible titanium alloy from which the screwless and hingeless Titan Minimal Art glasses are made. The Neubau Eyewear brand, founded in 2016, has relied on frames made from bio-based material using 3D printing since 2020. The company employs around 1,300 staff, approximately 700 of them in Linz, and operates a second production site in the Czech Republic. Exports account for 95 percent; the products are available in more than 100 countries.

Site

Linz

Processes

Injection moulding (eyewear production from SPX), 3D printing (bio-based material, Neubau Eyewear), Manufacturing of titanium eyewear frames (screwless and hingeless construction), Manufacturing of optical lenses at headquarters in Linz, Design, Production, Distribution of eyewear frames and sunglasses, Manufacturing of optical lenses

Materials

Titanium alloy (flexible, for Titan Minimal Art), SPX (patented plastic), Bio-based material (3D printing, Neubau Eyewear), Titanium alloy, Bio-based material (3D printing)

Certificates

Space certification Titan Minimal Art

Founded

1964

Employees

1300

Industries

Eyewear and sunglasses industry, Eyewear design

1. 01

   Design

2. 02

   Injection moulding or titanium processing

3. 03

   Optical lens manufacturing (Linz)

4. 04

   Assembly

5. 05

   Distribution

Materials and Processes

Locations

Linz

AT

Headquarters, production of frames and optical lenses

Materials

SPX, titanium alloy

• Injection moulding systems
• Optical lens manufacturing

Czech Republic

CZ

Production site

Inside the production

Processes & technical limits

Quality

Information on certifications and testing equipment is not available from the sources. The Titan Minimal Art has been certified for use in space travel since 2000.

History

1. 1964

   Founded by Anneliese and Arnold Schmied

2. 1983

   Start of eyewear production from SPX using injection moulding

3. 1991

   Production of sports glasses under the licensed brand adidas eyewear

4. 1996

   Start of the licensing agreement with Swarovski

5. 1999

   Market launch of the screwless and hingeless titanium glasses Titan Minimal Art

6. 2000

   Expansion into France and Southeast Asia; conversion to Silhouette International Schmied AG; TMA certified for space travel

7. 2009

   End of the licensing agreement with Swarovski

8. 2013

   Thomas Windischbauer and Daniel Rogger take up board positions

9. 2016

   Founding of the Neubau Eyewear brand

10. 2017

    Full-range supplier of lenses and frames; lens manufacturing at headquarters in Linz

11. 2019

    Founding of the sports glasses brand evil eye; end of the adidas licence; Reinhard Mahr and Michael Schmied take up board positions

12. 2021

    Neubau Eyewear becomes an independent company