MILAN, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Eyewear maker EssilorLuxottica

plans to boost its production capacity for smart

glasses and hopes to expand its collaboration with Meta

to other brands, Chief Executive Francesco Milleri said late on

Wednesday.

EssilorLuxottica and Meta have been collaborating since

2019, creating two generations of Ray-Ban branded smart glasses,

and last year agreed a new long-term deal that will take both

companies "into the next decade".

Smart glasses have a computer built into them and

microphones that allow the wearer to use voice commands to

connect to smartphones and other devices.

EssilorLuxottica's CEO said that the group has sold more

than 2 million units of Ray-Ban Meta since their launch in

September 2023.

"The rate of activation and the time of utilization have

been constantly increasing since the launch, showing that this

product is becoming part of our daily life," Milleri said in a

post-results conference call with analysts.

The CEO said the group is thinking about new releases with

new features and new brands.

"Consistently with our open model, we look at this product

like a shared platform ready to embark on third-party brands and

new functions, also in the form of subscription services", he

added.

Milleri said the company was expanding its production

capacity for Ray-Ban Meta, set to reach 10 million annual units

by the end of next year. This could also be used for other smart

glasses and Nuance Audio glasses, which invisibly integrate an

open-ear hearing solution.

Deputy CEO Paul du Sallant said the additional production

would be in China and other plants in Southeast Asia.