Komet USA LLC

Rock Hill, South Carolina

Interviewee:
Warren A. White, COO, Sales and Marketing

QUESTION NO. 1

Inside Dentistry (ID): The dental industry and the oral healthcare arena have been changing rapidly within the past 5 to 10 years. What do you see as the most significant of those changes?

Warren A. White (WW): As far as our core competency, rotary instruments, we see a few very important trends in dentistry. One is the preservation of natural tooth structure in performing dental procedures. Minimally invasive operation and preparation techniques are getting more important as more products become available to help the dentists save real tooth structure. As the demand for beautiful smiles increases, the trend towards esthetic dentistry continues to grow. In coping with these demands, we also see dentists and technicians demanding more specialized products to cope with the large variety of modern materials they work on. Dentists are not only looking for the product range to meet these demands, but also the working relationship and competent advice to help them sort through the large selection of instruments to determine what is right for them.

QUESTION NO. 2

ID: In what ways—both internally and in dealing with the broader oral healthcare marketplace—has your company responded to these changes?

WW: We believe that in an increasingly specialized market environment, our task is to support our customers in their daily work by supplying cutting-edge innovations on one hand, and tried and trusted, reliable, high-quality instruments on the other. For minimally invasive preparation we offer our range of Micro Prep Instruments. We offer our Q-Finishers for esthetic dentistry, which help the dentists perform beautiful restorations and improve their cutting efficiency and productivity. As for the large selection of modern materials, KOMET offers one of the largest practice-tested selections of instruments, tools, and systems worldwide. With the range and flexibility of its systems, KOMET provides maximum freedom to select instruments perfectly suited to the individual requirements of practices or labs.

QUESTION NO. 3

ID: What do you see as your biggest responsibility to the marketplace, and why does your choice rank as your No. 1 priority?

WW: Built on foundations of quality, innovation, and service, the KOMET mission is simple—to help the dental practitioner provide optimum patient care and the best treatment possible. This was the KOMET mission when our parent company was founded in Germany in 1923, and it remains the single driving force behind our innovation today. By researching, developing, and delivering innovative and precise dental instruments, the company works to improve workflow and to facilitate new techniques and treatment methods. Although American dentists and lab technicians may not realize it, they already know the majority of our products.

For more than 20 years, KOMET’s products were sold in the US by Brasseler USA (Savannah, GA). An exclusive supply agreement between our parent company, the manufacturer, and Brasseler USA expired at the end of 2006. Now KOMET USA will sell its products directly from the manufacturer in Germany. With US sales and marketing activities located in Rock Hill, SC, KOMET now offers its complete line of advanced dental rotary instruments, including a variety of innovative products, such as our S-Diamonds for efficient crown preparations, our Pin-Diamonds for safe preparation of crown margins, and our crown cutter for metal and ceramics, H4MCL. So while the KOMET name may be new to the US dental market, the products will be very familiar.

QUESTION NO. 4

ID: What product categories—whether preventative, restorative, operative, auxiliary, diagnostic, etc—do you feel are most in need of innovation based on what is currently available?

WW: We believe that in every product category there is room for innovation. We do not just concentrate on a single category but rather keep our eyes and minds open to all new trends in modern dentistry. Our close relationship with leading universities and progressive practitioners has made us a leader in rotary instrument research and training and an integral part of a student’s education. Our expert researchers and product development team constantly monitor industry trends and conduct intensive interviews with dentists and lab technicians to better understand their needs. This vigorous approach to understanding the dental market drives us to produce modern, advanced, and patented products that truly solve problems and improve patient care. In addition, our close work with the research community does not just impact new product development; KOMET continues to enhance its established product lines to meet demand while developing new tools that are flexible and adaptable to changing market needs.

QUESTION NO. 5

ID: What do you see as the best approach to the research, development, testing, and ultimate delivery to the market of such needed advancement?

WW: Real direct. This is our key approach in key markets throughout the world. KOMET USA operates under a direct sales and distribution process. Practitioners work directly with our own highly qualified sales and support staff, each advisor well-versed in the technology of their instruments and how they can help the dental practice. Unlike manufacturers who sell their products through dealers, or distributors claiming to be manufacturers, KOMET products are direct from the manufacturer in Germany. We remain directly involved with our customers at all times, presenting information clearly in a one-to-one dialogue, constantly listening to their input and integrating their feedback into our product development. As a result, the dental professional benefits from the highest level of knowledge, expertise, and service. Apart from our extensive product offering, we are constantly improving our technical material, which helps doctors and technicians continue to understand our range in an increasingly complicated market environment. We do not leave our customers alone with their questions, but instead use those questions in the improvement of our current instruments and the development of new products.

QUESTION NO. 6

ID: There are many challenges facing dentistry and oral healthcare today. How is your company helping to resolve them?

WW: Again, I go back to how we approach the market. Our company motto says it all: “Real. Direct. Innovation.” These are not just words to us. Instead, they constantly remind us what an important role our customers play in everything we do. Our customers want us to help them solve their clinical and technical needs with valuable, innovative products. Our real direct relationship with the dentists and lab technicians lead to real innovations from KOMET, which in turn help the lab and dental practitioners provide optimum patient care and the best treatment possible. When you work with KOMET, you are working with one of the world’s leading rotary instruments manufacturers. Our commitment to providing the most advanced products in a direct and open dialogue with the dentist makes us truly unique.