Teams and business units around the world are working together to create and implement training and education programs, new solutions for growth, and to optimize manufacturing capacity at facilities around the world.
The p3 International Program – connecting with KOLs
The healthcare industry is complex and competition is fierce. Key opinion leaders (KOL) play a significant role for their fellow dental professionals as trusted voices and therefore influencers. Dentsply Sirona Implants, along with the CAD/CAM, Imaging, and Lab SBUs have been working together to help build the next generation of key opinion leaders from universities and private clinics through the p3 International Program. Started in 2006 as an initiative in Germany, the program is a story of success having grown over the years to include participants from 18 countries.
It is a demanding program, with dedicated coaches and mentors, through which dental professionals can achieve a step forward in their personal careers. This year’s p3 participants represent Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Poland, and Spain.
p3 stands for ‘Profession, Passion, Power.’ Candidates are selected for their professional clinical experience and knowledge, passion for taking on a more public role at speaking or training events, and their own desire for a long-term partnership with Dentsply Sirona. Through a series of five training modules within an intense one-year training program, the participants are mentored not only in how they communicate through speaking, but also in dental photography and abstract writing. The coaching also focuses on improving their ability to frame a topic and capture an audience’s attention.
Each year, the first module for the new class coincides with both the graduation of the prior class and the annual p3 Alumni Forum where this international group of graduates from previous classes come together to reconnect, which in turn strengthens Dentsply Sirona’s international business networks. Fully 80 percent of graduates go on to have a role on regional podiums. Since 2010, 14 percent of graduates are already involved in international podium appearances.
The 2018/2019 training program is fully booked and begins on 27 April.
Networking trough the p3 International Program.
Selling Solutions
From 20-21 April 2018, the Dental Technician Congress will take place in Frankfurt am Main. The congress is a collaborative effort among Dentsply Sirona’s Implants, Lab, Endodontics, and Restorative SBUs with the goal of helping dental technicians to learn about the future of dentistry and the freedom that digitalization can bring to their trade by creating a bridge between traditional dentistry and the digital age.
The first day begins with a pre-conference program in the morning featuring speakers from the PEERS (Platform for Exchange of Education, Research and Science) network. This is designed to particularly benefit young professionals through an exchange of experiences. The main program begins in the afternoon. Some of the highlights will include discussion on The Internet of Things and how modern digital technology will affect the environment in which the technician works. Day one also has a couple of notable outside-the-box presentations with the speed mountaineer Benedikt Böhm sharing why risk, decision-making, leadership, achieving goals, self-discipline, setting limits, being uncompromising and above all lightness are of crucial importance in extreme sports as well as in business, and the trend and futurologist Matthias Horx discussing how to overcome “blind pessimism.”
Day two focuses on aspects of teamwork between the dental technician and the dentist and participants will have the chance to attend an afternoon workshop as a deep-dive into one of the main themes of the congress. The forward-looking subject matter, combined with the showcasing of a multi-disciplinary array of solutions is sure to make the congress a success.
Orthodontics and Instruments team up for Sculpt I.Q.
Another outstanding example of teamwork that takes advantage of Dentsply Sirona’s vast resources comes from a collaboration between the Orthodontics and Instruments SBUs. Until recently, the Orthodontics SBU has carried the Picasso Plus and Picasso Lite Plus from AMD Lasers as part of its product portfolio. Given that the Instruments SBU has its own lasers made in-house, it made sense to work together and develop a new product that could be targeted and sold to orthodontists. The result is called the Sculpt I.Q.
The new laser is a derivative of diode lasers from the Instruments SBU portfolio such as the SiroLaser Advance Plus. The Sculpt I.Q. is differentiated from the SiroLaser Advance Plus in terms of its technical data and features. One of the main distinguishing features is that the Sculpt I.Q. offers a second wavelength (660 nm) as an option whereas this is a standard feature of the more expensive SiroLaser Advance Plus.
To develop a tailored product strategy for the US market, André Förster, Instruments Product Manager, collaborated with his counterpart Anthony Vigliotti, Orthodontics Product Manager. Colleagues in Charlotte will provide clinical training and after-sales support. The Sculpt I.Q. was introduced at the National Sales Meeting in Dallas, Texas. The meeting took place between 29 January and 2 February 2018.
The new Sculpt I.Q. diode laser: the result of a collaborative effort between the Orthodontics and Instruments SBUs.
We are very proud that our sales force colleagues at Orthodontics will now be able to market and sell a laser developed as a collaborative effort within Dentsply Sirona tailored to their customer base.
Manufacturing synergies
Having a global footprint gives the possibility to expand production at manufacturing sites with the best capacity. One example of this is the decision to relocate production of Dentsply Sirona’s Midwest brand dental handpieces, instruments and X-ray accessories from the Des Plaines plant to other facilities such as Bensheim and York. The production of turbines will also move to Bensheim in the future. The air-driven Midwest Stylus Plus turbine and the Midwest E Plus contra-angle series have already been produced in Bensheim since the summer of 2016.
Over the past few years the Bensheim site has invested in newly structured, ecologically efficient production lines and state-of-the-art facilities to produce cutting edge products. Roughly 250 engineers and researchers currently work at the innovation center of the Bensheim location making it a world-class facility for driving dental technology into the future.
The Midwest brand has a long history and tradition as a trusted name among dentists in the US. By relocating production of some of these products to Bensheim, Midwest is further strengthening its brand by bringing the 'Made in Germany' mark of quality into the US dental market.
By acting as one team and cooperating internally around the world to most efficiently utilize our capacities, we are delivering on our promise to continually bring our customers tools and products built for the future, helping them to deliver the best possible care for their patients.
Dentsply Sirona’s Midwest brand gets the “Made in Germany” mark by relocating production to Bensheim.
Dentagen visits Bensheim
In September 2017 approximately 20 representatives of the dental technical business association (Dentagen) visited Dentsply Sirona’s Bensheim location to discuss and learn more about innovations developed for the laboratory with experienced users as well as with experts from the inLab business and former Prosthetics SBU. In September 2017 approximately 20 representatives of the dental technical business association (Dentagen) visited Dentsply Sirona’s Bensheim location to discuss and learn more about innovations developed for the laboratory with experienced users as well as with experts from the inLab business and former Prosthetics SBUs. In February 2018 the successful collaboration between the successful Laboratory CAD/CAM business with the renowned Dentsply Sirona Prosthetics material business culminated in the launch of the new Lab SBU. After the successful integration of Dentsply Sirona after the merger, this is a consequent next step to further develop our combined offering of dental solutions in the field of dental labs in the interest of our employees, customers and patients. The new Lab SBU will be a key part of the future success of Dentsply Sirona and all employees. This is true evidence of the value the merger creates, and this move is further shaping our One Global Team.
A roundtable discussion gave the Dentagen visitors a chance to ask both Dentsply Sirona representatives as well as end users about the modern dental workflow and digital imaging in particular. There were also questions about high-performance materials such as Celtra Duo and Cercon xt. After the discussion about the complete solutions from practice to laboratory offered by Dentsply Sirona that involve digital processes, visitors went on a tour of the factory. The group therefore had the opportunity to see the production processes firsthand and to gain valuable insight into the development process. As Bensheim is the development and production location of the inLab system, this was a chance to explain how it provides laboratories with comprehensive CAD/CAM capabilities.
Dentsply Sirona has the capability to supply dental technicians with everything they need, and visitors left with a greater understanding of products as well as the processes that go into their development.