Israel-based Meprolight supplies mil-spec products to the Israeli Defense Force but also makes them available to the U.S. retail market. Tactical Retailer spoke with Bill Yerby, general manager at Meprolight, to talk about the company’s history, its future, red-dots, optics in general and the industry as a whole.
Can you talk about the company’s history and its place in the industry today?
Meprolight® is an Israeli manufacturer on a mission to design innovative battlefield-tested products supporting the Israeli Defense Force, making them more effective. Improving technologies and increasing performance saves lives. Currently, we manufacture and provide products supporting global militaries, law enforcement agencies and commercial markets to more than 134 countries. The IDF approached Meprolight® in 1990 to make sight levelers for mortars to improve fire accuracy. The relationship blossomed, as the IDF needs products manufactured in Israel, so they are not dependent on foreign sources for critical defense equipment. Meprolight® has worked with IDF to design sights for the Uzi and the M16. Meprolight® technology was used in tanks to refill ammunition and in fighter jets for midair refueling. In addition to handgun sights, many Meprolight® products are standard-issue for the Israel military and special forces; units use the Mepro M21, Mepro M5 / PRO V2, Mepro MOR, Mepro GLS grenade launcher, and the Mepro O2 / TRU-VISON™, which was developed for and used by the YAMAM Special Forces Anti-Terrorism Unit.
What sets Meprolight apart?
We work directly with the IDF to develop innovative solutions for modern warfare and sell these mil-spec products into the commercial marketplace. We also keep a very close eye on new technologies that can be incorporated into our existing products to make them even better. We are always looking three to five years down the road to continue to develop innovative products.
Meprolight® pioneered the use of tritium in the pistol and rifle sight market. We were the first company to introduce different color options and the first company to patent the use of phosphorus with tritium for pistol and rifle sights. Our self-illuminated tritium sights are manufactured in Israel and utilize a proprietary manufacturing process that makes our sights 20% brighter than the competition (confirmed in independent laboratory testing). We also pioneered battery-free solutions like the Mepro M21 that has been in service for 20+ years with the IDF and other militaries around the world. Meprolight® will never stop innovating or striving to find ways to be better; our customers deserve it. Meprolight® is known to have the clearest and
brightest optics as well as self-illuminated sights on the market today. Our products are built to last and are battlefield tested and proven.
What specific product or model have you seen the most growth in recently?
The Mepro TRU-VISION™ is the newest mil-spec red-dot and offers a vast range of capabilities delivering mission flexibility and target precision optimized for modern weapon platforms. The TRU-VISION™ features a modern ergonomic, lightweight design that takes up less rail space while featuring a large viewing window for increased situational awareness with a crystal-clear 2-MOA dot reticle. There are 12 daytime settings along with four settings to be used with NVG / NODs. The Mepro TRU-VISION™ is equipped with an auto brightness sensor that offers unmatched visual clarity of your reticle in any lighting condition. It comes with an integrated four- or eight-hour motion sensor and configurable sleep mode to preserve battery life. This unit was built specifically for the Yamam, Israel’s elite special forces anti-terrorism unit, considered to be one of the best in the world. This product has been perfected for the military and law enforcement agencies, but like our other products, we make them available for the everyday shooter.
Have the ongoing supply chain problems translated into supply issues in your corner of the industry as well?
Meprolight® was one of the only companies to remain in stock during the market surge and throughout the entire pandemic. Our senior management team in conjunction with the Israeli office committed to carrying three months of inventory on hand, allowing us to meet and exceed our customers’ delivery expectations. This corporate decision fueled growth and allowed us to provide product to our customers. We made sure we had enough packaging, raw materials, and component parts to service the global market demand. Lead times were reduced to three weeks on average, as all goods coming to the U.S. are air freighted from Israel.
This business model allows Meprolight® to meet, exceed and maintain our customers first. Service levels and same-day shipping before noon are standard operating procedure. Our customers rely on us to provide product on time, and it is important that they partner with manufacturers they can trust to meet their daily demand requirements.
Do you have any predictions on what we can expect out of the shooting industry in general in the next year? The next five years?
There are many choices available in the marketplace. Staying price competitive without losing quality and staying true to who we are is very important! We will continue to offer our customers the very best product at the best price. There are quite a few more players within the market making things more challenging. As you know, many products are coming out of Asia, and the price is significantly cheaper. However, the quality and overall performance of these products are lacking. Like the tried-and-true adage says, you get what you pay for!
It is important for retailers to change up their product mix and offer products that come with more features and benefits, allowing them to differentiate themselves while maximizing margin opportunities. Meprolight® has always strived to provide the highest quality products and well-thought-out optics that are feature-rich at a very reasonable price. This is one reason that we put so much time, effort and investment into our counter and floor displays to tell our story to the end user to drive retail sell-through. We are always looking to educate and give people the opportunity to see our products, allowing them to make an informed purchasing decision before making the purchase.
One thing we will not compromise is quality. We build products for those who put their lives on the line. That will never change. We are blessed to be in an industry where hands-on customer service will continue to flourish. Buying a firearm is a personal experience, and Meprolight® and our retailers must find creative solutions to offer the best products and customer service to cultivate and grow our customer base and combined businesses.
Where does Meprolight see potential for growth? How about non-growth? Is there part of the industry that’s shrinking?
Meprolight® is focused on new product innovation to drive growth and market share. Our goal is to provide retailers with industry-leading products, merchandising, training and service programs. We are known for our turn-key merchandising solutions specifically designed to increase sales. We are investing in the retail stores to drive sales by creating in-store branding. Our goal is to UPOD, formally known as Under Promise and Over Deliver, to our valued retail partners. It is our mission to provide the best customer service in the industry.
We are also investing in marketing to drive brand awareness, resulting in customers asking for the product.
The market is not shrinking, but growing! Meprolight® is investing aggressively in our future. This is the perfect time to invest in the industry to be in the best position when the market rebounds.
We are focused on reaching new shooters and have expanded both our rifle and pistol product offerings by continuing to develop innovative solutions to get on target quicker.
What can we expect out of Meprolight in the second half of 2023? What products have you most excited for the future?
Looking ahead, Meprolight® has its sights based on continued success and has developed a five-year product road map that was specifically created to look three to five years down the road. We have identified industry trends that we plan to build upon. We are producing new ideas that will continue to enhance the end-user’s experience and get shooters on target quicker and more accurately. In the back half of 2023 we will launch the M22 as well as two new magnifiers (MMX3 and MMX4). In 2024, we have more than 20 new products that will be launched at SHOT Show and released systematically throughout 2024. We took time during the market slowdown to invest in Meprolight’s and our retail partners’ long-term growth strategies.
How does Meprolight support its dealers?
Meprolight® offers full 360-Degree Manufacturer and Retail Partnership with all-inclusive Retail Selling Solutions. Meprolight® manufactures the best mil-spec product for the price! We offer the biggest bang for the buck. With Meprolight® you always get a little bit extra, as we are known for our brightness, clarity, and product durability. “Israel Made. American Tough” is the mantra we live by. The products are made in Israel and are battlefield-tested and proven. Meprolight® product applications are designed to ensure a solution in the following product categories: optics, thermals, lasers, and self-illuminated sights for pistols, rifles, and shotguns powered by tritium and fiber-optic technology.
Meprolight® specializes in customizing retail assortment plans to cater to your store’s specific needs and demographics. This is a key advantage for all retailers partnering with Meprolight®, as we offer prepacks with best sellers and an equal dollar exchange as an insurance policy to help guarantee success.
We have a customer-first mentality with the goal of providing the best service levels in the industry. We also provide an industry-leading MAP policy protecting retail profit margins. We provide training at the store level and online by partnering with Expert Voice, a training platform, to better support our commercial retail sales staff to maximize sales opportunities and sell-through.
We designed new store discount programs, including merchandising solutions and extra dating to help retailers get started selling the Meprolight® brand. We make selling our optics and self-illuminated sights easy with our turn-key merchandisers and pre-pack assortments that come with planograms offering high margin opportunities and increased product turns. Meprolight® offers industry-leading packaging and interactive counter and floor displays where the customer or end user can see, visualize and experience how the sights work and feel. Our point-of-purchase displays are proven to triple retail turns and maximize profits!
All Meprolight® optics come with eye-catching packaging and under-counter optic risers that include QR codes showing videos of how the optics displayed in your case act as a silent salesperson to increase sales.
To support our retailers, we designed a turn-key spinning countertop merchandiser that comes with green facsimile pistols to demonstrate how our sights work. This results in exponential increases in product turns and sales. Meprolight’s 360-Degree Retail Plan makes all the difference when it comes to maximizing sales and profits.
New Meprolight® partners can call our customer service team at 717-985-4488 or send an email to sales@meprolight.us,
Do you have any advice for retailers about selling optics and Meprolight products specifically?
When comparing optics, it is important to provide visual comparisons, literally showing customers the difference in the quality of the objective lens and the quality of the optic. The best result, when possible, is to let the customer compare the optic at the counter and then walk them outside, allowing them to see and experience the difference of a high-quality mil-spec optic. This will create the opportunity for you to upsell based on the customer seeing the product’s performance for themselves.
What’s your personal favorite Meprolight® product, and why?
The all-new Mepro M22, Meprolight’s battery-free optic, designed to operate in all lighting conditions and to withstand heavy recoil as well as nasty weather conditions. It’s built incorporating the same features as our top-selling Mepro M21, which was specifically designed to meet the demands of the IDF. The Mepro M22 is a battery-free solution utilizing fiber optics in daytime and tritium at night and in low-light conditions, offering 24/7/365 protection.
The Mepro M22 comes with a sleek ergonomic design that is lighter on the gun and, from a retail perspective, takes up less rail space.
Is there anything else you’d like retailers to know about Meprolight and its products?
At Meprolight®, we have unmatched quality control, and our defective ratio is less than 1% on electro-optics. We pride ourselves in that the same products being used by the IDF soldiers to defend our brothers, sisters and family members are made available to American shooters. In Israel, every citizen serves in the IDF.
We take quality control very seriously — an optic is a life. For us, it is personal, because when an optic fails, we could very easily lose one of our own.
Every optic produced goes through intense quality control measures, and our optics must pass through multiple zeroing stations and gun simulators to ensure the optic holds zero before it is sent into the field. Our products exceed mil-spec standards and are known for their durability. If your life depends on it, you need Meprolight®!
