Abstract

Recent international events have resulted in a significant reduction in the U.S. Governments' spending on military products. There are many companies that have devoted most of their resources to developing and manufacturing these products and, as a result, are left with an excess of engineering and manufacturing capacity. Because of the availability of these resources, many companies are attempting to compete in the consumer optics market. Most products for the U.S. consumer market are presently manufactured offshore, particularly the Far East. To compete with existing established products will be very difficult. The alternative is to develop innovative, cost-competitive products that satisfy the customers' needs.

© 1994 Optical Society of America