10 Questions: Julie Charlestein

September 2010 | Dental Products Report
10 questions: Julie Charlestein

Q +A: Julie Charlestein

President of Premier Dental Products

September 2010 | Dental Products Report
10 questions: Julie Charlestein

Q +A: Julie Charlestein

President of Premier Dental Products

01 Premier is a fourth-generation family-owned company. How does this benefit the company?

We are so incredibly fortunate to have such a rich family and business history. The benefits to Premier are almost immeasurable. Understanding history and decision making are actually big competitive advantages. The 2nd through 4th generations are all involved in the business, and each brings unique perspectives and experiences.

02 What would you say makes your hygiene products so popular with both dentists and hygienists?

We made a strategic decision several years ago to focus on the ever-growing hygiene market. We recognized a need for greater therapeutics in this arena, and that messaging has resonated with this segment. Our products’ acceptance is both the result of a filled need within the hygiene space, and increased education and marketing with and to the practitioner.

03 How did the development of the 2Pro disposable prophy angles come about?

Thankfully, we have strong relationships within the industry, with both practitioners and business members. 2Pro was brought to us by one such partner. We recognized its inherent value, but also realized we could make significant improvements that would enhance the product not only from a functional standpoint, but from an esthetic standpoint as well.

04 Traxodent has been quite a success. What makes this product so well received in the industry?

We are so proud of Traxodent’s global success. Traxodent is a natural evolution in our restorative line, complementing our diamond burs, Triple Tray® impression trays (now celebrating their 30th anniversary), and Sycamore Wood wedges. A lot of development went into this product, and we knew the novel properties of the material itself, the delivery and the performance would resonate loudly with the professional.

05 Premier has been around almost 100 years. How do you keep up with all the changes, innovations and clinician expectations?

Our greatest challenge is to maintain our relevance to the practitioner and the industry. We have an extraordinary team that understands the need to deliver inventive technology with exceptional clinical performance and strong messaging. Once we have developed or acquired products, we make calculated investments to permeate the market place.

06 What steps are in place to ensure that new products will meet practitioners’ demands?

We have a clear direction with regards to the types of products that we want to launch and the segments of the market that we hope to address. With this as the foundation, we pursue technologies that we can incorporate into products and work closely with the market in terms of testing and marketing to secure our standing.

07 Why is it important to have a local facility like yours in the Philadelphia area making products in the U.S.?

We have always been steadfast in our belief that domestic manufacturing will service us. It gives us a platform for opportunity; both branded and private label as well as possibilities for acquisitions. We have just completed a major redesign of our manufacturing facility incorporating 5S and Kanban. We can produce short runs that save the customer transport costs and investment monies, and we also provide stability.

08  Triple Trays are the gold standard and have been imitated a lot. How do you make sure dentists are aware of Triple Trays’ innovation and the benefits of your offerings?

Premier launched the Triple Tray® 30 years ago, and we have grown and maintained the world’s leadership position in impression trays. The market has become crowded with other such trays, but none have been able to achieve the differentiating element of the Triple Tray that allows for the ideal impression. That element is the webbing. We do recognize that digital impressions are growing, and we will play in that space too as is evidenced by our strong relationship with E4D.

09 How do you make clinicians aware of launches and new product benefits? 

When we launch a product, we launch very comprehensive marketing campaigns. A major element of these campaigns is often sampling to ensure practitioners are able to use the product, understand the messaging, and comfortably incorporate it into their practice.

10 What efforts do you make to ensure that your customers know how best to use your products?

At Premier, we also place great emphasis on education, offering CE programs, modules, lunch-and-learns and seminars that often feature world-class key opinion leaders. In addition, Premier works very closely with our distributor partners. We work collaboratively through our field teams to transfer knowledge to the dental teams.