Dental Lab Products-2011-08-01

Interview with Douglas Muller, President of Astron Dental… Your family has a long history in the industry, correct? That’s right. My dad started Astron Dental in 1967 and only just retired about 15 years ago. My brother Bob and I have both been with Astron for more than 30 years. Delivering results to the dental market is in our blood.

Tell us about the foundation of TCS, Inc.

The words “Quality Management System” get thrown around a lot, but at Vident, there is an actual process in place to bring meaning to the phrase. What can you tell us about that process? At Vident, quality management is a continuous process of improvement that never ends. There is always room for increasing the customer experience and reducing nonconformance in an efficient way. VITA has had amazing quality processes in place since 1924, and we definitely benefit from being a VITA company.

Given the state of our economy, businesses continue to look for ways to stay in touch with existing clients and attract new customers. One very effective tool, which is often overlooked because of the rush to get online and more involved with the digital world, is the newsletter.

2011 Corporate Profiles Corporate Profile: TCS Inc. Corporate Profile: Ibex Dental Technologies

What motivated you to design the IBEX Summit?

Imagination Technologies IMAGE-Press™ combination press/porcelain furnace is designed for multi-function use with expanded universal capabilities. Two separate built-in decontamination programs provide clean, pure optimal conditions for use with zirconium, lithium disilicate, all ceramic, porcelain-fused-to-metal and sintering (2,200ºF/1,200ºC).

01. Who is GC America? GC was founded in Japan by three young chemists soon after the First World War in 1921. They had three criteria at the time: Develop a product really needed in peoples’ lives Develop a product that requires advanced technologies Develop a high value added product 02. Tell us a little about the company’s various offerings.

Patients presenting with limited vertical space, cross bite, parafunctional habits, or especially implant supported and retained prosthetics provide challenges to dental professionals. Patients will break or fracture prosthetics, leading to a loss of faith in the restorative team as well as non-revenue time. 

Once you establish a place in your toolbox for photographic laboratory tracking and realize the benefit, why stop there? Let’s now talk about having our clients use digital cameras allowing us to “dial-in” case specifics to individual patient esthetics.

Interview with Dave Weinberg, Principal What makes scrap returns imperative for dental labs today? Scrap returns affect the lab’s bottom line. Getting an accurate and reliable scrap return has become even more important given the tough economic times we currently find ourselves in. When you factor in competitive pressures from outsourcing and overseas labs, you see scrap returns playing an even more important role.

One of the unique things about Whip Mix is your commitment to Lean Manufacturing Initiatives. What first prompted the interest and how have the company benefitted?