Corporate Profile: Q&A with GC America

Who is GC?
GC was founded in Japan by three chemists in 1921 shortly after World War I. They had three criteria: Develop a product that is needed in people’s lives; Develop a product that requires advanced technology; Develop a high value added product.

The first product introduced in 1922 was a dental cement and it failed. It was a failure because of the elitist viewpoint of the founders. As a result, they accepted the market feedback and changed the organization to meet the needs of the user/customer, adopting what became known as Semui philosophy. The global philosophy and culture of GC worldwide is rooted in this Japanese word Semui, a term that comes from ancient Buddhist teachings and compares to the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Today, GC has 11,000+ products that cover a broad spectrum of the dental profession. This puts us in a unique position to support all aspects of dental care.

Over the last 90 years of product development, would you say the key to ongoing success has been openness to change or the ability to stay the course on certain key points?

To be successful, you have to practice both. As with anything, with change comes opportunity, and if you are not providing your customers solutions, you will not be successful. GC pays close attention to changes in the industry and acts accordingly.

For all of GC, innovation has been the key to our growth and this cannot be accomplished without Kaizen Innovation, a Japanese business practice. For us, this means we break with the status quo and look for constant improvement.

What are some of the innovations GC America is most proud of in the last year?
We are very proud of the launch of the G-ænial™ family of products (Universal Flo, Flo and Bond). G-ænial Universal Flo is a versatile flowable composite in that unlike most flowable composites, dentists had to sacrifice strength and esthetics to get the easy handling they love with a flowable. That is no longer the case with G-ænial Universal Flo. In regards to G-ænial Bond, our new 7th generation bonding agent, we are particularly excited about this product. G-ænial Bond allows for the best of both worlds: self-etch with dentin, and the ability to etch-and-rinse with enamel.

For the dentist, good science is often only the tip of the iceberg. They also are concerned about ongoing support. How does GC deliver on this point?
Capturing the Voices of our Customers is at the heart of our ongoing support. This is accomplished by all our GC Associates. We actively look for positive and negative feedback on everything we do. Our target is to respond quickly to issues that negatively impact our customers by providing a solution to their needs. Our mission statement is “Customer Needs Define Quality.”

If a dentist explained how your products deliver to a patient, what are some of the benefits you think they should focus on?
First and foremost, we would hope the dentist would tell the patient our product is the solution to a problem they are having. An example of this is EQUIA™, a bulk-filled, rapid restorative system. In a troubled economic time where patients are financially challenged, dentists need multiple solutions that are cost-effective. EQUIA meets this need perfectly. It is good for the patient, easy to place, and will save the dentist and patient time and money. EQUIA is an amalgam replacement that offers it all: faster placement, easier finishing, wet-field compatibility, reduced post-operative sensitivity, filling reliability and better aesthetics.