Real-Time ROI: Partnering with Custom Automated Prosthetics

The Lab

Town & Country Dental Studios is a 52-year-old dental laboratory started by Barry Lampert, CDT. Based in Long Island, N.Y., Town & Country began as a two-man lab, and having grown significantly, they now employ 100 people, including three generations of Lamperts.

Serving hundreds of dentists in the region, Town & Country is the area’s leading provider of custom dental restorations. For decades, this laboratory has embraced change and routinely invests in many new and innovative technologies. Town & Country is also a founding member of TEREC (Technical Research Consortium), a strategic alliance of leading regional dental laboratories across North America. They meet every few months to discuss industry trends and share information on technical, marketing and management topics. Town & Country strongly believes, when considering a decision to purchase any new technologies, the more information you have, the better choices you make.

The Partner

Custom Automated Prosthetics (CAP) is a dental laboratory solutions company located just outside Boston. CAP’s goal is to help dental labs make the transition to a digital workflow. To do so, they offer multiple solution options, depending on the needs of the individual lab. CAP offers outsourcing services, including scanning, designing and fabrication; offers scan and design software for labs that are ready to invest in such technology; and sells fabrication equipment. With each solution, CAP offers extensive training and education assistance, emphasizing customer service along the way.

The Results

In keeping with its commitment to technological progression, Town & Country recently invested in several Roland DWX-50 five-axis milling machines to expand their offerings and capabilities. In making such an important decision, it was critical for Town & Country to find a vendor who was prepared and able to offer more than just a good price-T&C wanted a real partner. Getting more involved in digital dental technology required resources beyond their current levels. They needed a partner willing to go the extra mile and they decided that Custom Automated Prosthetics was the right choice.

See the DXW-50 in Action in the CAP Office:

“Of all the companies we interviewed, we felt that CAP was a right fit for our laboratory and our culture,” says Joe Apap, CDT/MDT and General Manager of Town & Country Dental Studios. “With any technology, the support before-and more importantly, after-the sale is a critical component. As you know, in a dental lab, we are bound by due dates. There is a patient, dentist and staff waiting for the case to arrive. CAP understood this clearly. CAP provided resources both by phone and in person, allowing us to quickly get production going and our knowledge growing. Even their website has many good resources and video clips. In addition, we intend to participate in the upcoming training course at their facility to learn about the Izir Bridge offering.”

Next page: How CAP supports Town & Country-and why they're a great option for a lab of any size.

When a laboratory is considering making an expensive purchase of any kind, they need to determine what will be the “real” ROI. It would be easy to just focus on the price of the purchase, but that is not the proper perspective. There are considerations like support, training, response time, problem solving, product knowledge and pleasant people that also add to the overall ROI calculation. Apap points out that’s what Town & Country looks for and this is what CAP delivered: real value, tangible and intangible.

“Dental lab technicians [are always] looking for different ways to use the tools we have at hand,” Apap says. “Our lab is no different. From milling wax, to zirconia, to PMMA, to nano composites; we want the maximum output and best quality. So far, the results are better than expected and we are very excited about the future. We feel now that we have a partner in CAP who’s going to help us through trying to reinvent our process digitally.”

That cooperative approach also suggests an even more vital component of T&C’s partnership with CAP. “[We get an] immediate response from support,” Apap continues. “Something’s down, they’re here. Not that we’ve had many problems with the machinery, but when we’ve called, we’ve gotten immediate responses. There’s great value in that. “

CAP’s approach to customer service and partnership has certainly left an impression with Town & Country. But, of course, T&C is a large lab. Would CAP’s approach be different to a one- or two-man lab? How would they partner with a much smaller lab?

“There are the obvious differences between a 100-man lab and a one-man lab, but we’re still confronted with one main hurdle that we have to jump over every day: cases have to get out by a certain date,” Apap says. “For all dental laboratories and technicians, this is what they do, whether you’re a small lab or a large lab. That immediate response is so important. We see CAP giving an immediate response. We see CAP really caring about the laboratories.

“We kicked the tires and did a thorough review,” Apap says. “We know who’s out there. CAP is a relatively newer company, and they had a fresh approach-they were very enthusiastic and willing to go that extra mile. It’s not just with us they’re doing this. We’ve seen them do this with other labs as well. Any lab, whether it’s small or large, would benefit from doing business with CAP.”