Lab focus Continued »
growing dental labs, consistency of work can become a problem. To counter this, DTS took a gamble on an emerging tech- nology – a Lava milling machine from 3M. Graham said: “It was a huge risk at the time. The fi rst Lava machine we bought – by the time we kitted everything out – cost us in the region of £ı60,000. For us as a dental lab, or for any dental lab, that was a huge risk in a marketplace that didn’t know what zirconia was.” However, within a year, DTS had ordered
a second machine, ending up with fi ve milling machines over the next few years. “We were producing more Lava frame- works than anyone else in Europe and it was a very good time,” Graham said. “That’s what built the basis of what now is Core3dcentres that was initially called ZMC – Zirconia Milling Centre.” Core3dcentres started out as an informal
agreement with laboratories around the world which they had built close relation- ships with, personally and professionally. Alex was friendly with the owner of Aurum Ceramics, a large 700-staff dental lab in Canada, with the boys growing up friends
with the owner’s children – so much so that Sandy is godfather to two of their kids. Graham also had a close relationship with Race Dental in Sydney – also a father and his three sons – and a father and son lab in Holland, Cordent, forming the initial network of digital milling centres. Over time, the network formalised,
becoming Core3dcentres in 2007. Graham said: “Within the space of seven years, Core3dcentres has become the biggest milling centre in the world. And it’s the most advanced digital centre in the world. We’re now in ı5 countries so that is the leading edge of our business and that’s what brings all the technology to DTS. “I always say that Core3dcentres is the
accuracy and the strength of the restora- tion and companies like DTS are the fi nal aesthetic of it.” And, while the digital side of the busi-
ness is clearly a key part to its future development and success, the contact with dentists remains at the heart. Alex explained that the real development of the busi- ness happens in local workshops. He said: “We’d pull in 20 or 30 dentists, give them a ı5-minute
“The whole premise of our business is that it maintains that personal touch”
talk and then sit them down at tables and explain things. It’s much easier to talk to these guys across a table rather than speak for two hours because most of them have already done a day’s work. “I’d say we’ve done ı0 a year for
the last 30 years, plus small individual ones with groups of dentists. So I would think between 300 and 500 workshops and seminars.” Despite the new technologies, digital
workstreams and the ever-growing empire, it is this close working relation- ship with dentists that is central to DTS and absolutely key to its continued success. Graham said: “The whole premise of our business is that it maintains that personal touch. We make a point of going out to see our customers. Sales reps are all well and good, but our personal touch is the founda- tion of our company. As a family business we have family values, which a lot of the dentists like.”
36 Scottish Dental magazine
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