Business Management

2 labs in 1: laboratories ride the wave of high-end dentistry
Some laboratory owners are riding the wave of high-end dentistry by providing two types of restorative service—one conventional and straightforward and the other more comprehensive—in one laboratory operation. While these owners are invigorated by the complex casework, they also say it requires a substantial amount of time, energy and discipline. More…

The art of the appointment
By asking their dentist-clients to make an appointment for each case, owners and managers are using pre-scheduling systems to solve one of the most chronic production problems in the laboratory—fluctuating workflow. While the benefits of pre-scheduling are numerous, the bottom line is that they are gaining greater control over their businesses as well as their personal lives. More…

Cover your assets: structure your business to limit your liability
If your laboratory is set up as a sole proprietorship or general partnership, you are personally liable for its debts. LMT offers an overview of the various business structures that can protect your assets. More…

Cross Contamination: the risk and the reality
Despite OSHA regulations and recommendations from numerous industry groups, laboratories still report that many of their clients aren’t disinfecting impressions and incoming cases. Should you be concerned? More…

Dental laboratory industry piques FDA interest
In light of the dramatic rise in imports from overseas laboratories in the past several years, the FDA has become concerned that these low-cost offshore restorations might not contain FDA-approved materials that are legally required to ensure patient safety. More…

Disclosure, registration and regulations: what you need to know
An overview of disclosure, FDA registration and regulations that every laboratory owner needs to know. More…

Exit planning strategies: thinking about selling your laboratory?
Experts say you should be thinking about how you'll retire from the moment you open your doors; at the very least, you should begin formulating your plan 10 to 15 years in advance of your expected retirement date. If you're one of the 48% of laboratory owners who are more than 55 years old and don't yet have a strategy in place, the time to start planning is now. More…

Exit Plans
If you don’t know where you’re going, how will you get there? An exit plan is not just about the day you’ll leave the laboratory, it’s about setting long-term goals so the future doesn’t sneak up on you. More…

Globalization and automation: hot topics at CDLA meeting "The Dental Laboratory Profession in the Next Five Years: The Perfect Storm or Status Quo," was the topic of a panel discussion moderated by LMT Editor Kelly Carr at the annual Connecticut Dental Laboratory Association meeting. More…

How to build a successful partnership
An effective business partnership can help your laboratory flourish. Together, you have a larger pool of talent and resources. But when a partnership sours, the results can be devastating. Laboratory business partners share what makes their alliances tick and what steps they took before taking the partnership plunge. More…

How to write a business plan, Sherman Borkan, CDT, CM
Sherman Borkan, CDT, CM, outlines key details you should consider including in your business plan. More…

Implants: now a standard of care
Thanks to advances in CAD/CAM technology, immediate-loading implants and internal connection designs, implants are becoming the restorative dentist's first choice in tooth replacement. More…

Lab 2 Lab: why outsourcing is win-win
The shortage of skilled technicians and the abundance of new restorative systems are driving the demand for outsourcing. Subcontracting enables laboratory owners to test the market and see how a product fits into their workflow before they buy. LMT offers perspectives from both sides—laboratories sending work out and laboratories taking work in. More…

Labs go lean: how to work like a well-oiled machine
Laboratory owners who have implemented Lean Manufacturing principles reveal how they're eliminating waste, streamlining workflow, reducing turnaround times and ultimately becoming more competitive. More…

The Legalization of Denturism: A fight led by few
Denturism is now legal in six states: Arizona, Idaho, Maine, Montana, Oregon and Washington—and denturists say more legislation is right around the corner. Read on to learn how they did it and if your state may be next. More…

Make sure quality control goes out the door...not out the window
Are you confident that every case that goes out the door is representative of your technical standards? Owners share strategies to assure that all restorations leaving their labs are their best work. More…

Managing change
Change is a natural process and one of the few constants in life, but it’s also something many people resist. Failure to successfully implement change can be devastating to a laboratory: technicians become preoccupied, productivity drops, gossip and speculation run rampant. Learn the three keys to successfully introducing new policies, products or procedures in the lab. More…

Mergers and acquisitions: Is our cottage industry going corporate?
In the past two years, three private equity firms have invested in dental laboratories and group laboratories have made a considerable number of acquisitions, with some of them being the largest purchases in our industry's history. How are these moves changing the marketplace? More…

Offshore competition: a Shanghai lab’s perspective
LMT talked with Steve Li, general manager of DentUSA, a 300-plus-technician laboratory in Shanghai, to learn about his operation and why he feels the U.S. is a viable market for his laboratory. More…

Offshore Competition: how it's affecting our industry
Spurred by the tight economy, chronic shortage of technicians, an ever-increasing need to stay competitive in a price-driven market and the communication ease of the Internet, more and more laboratory owners are considering overseas outsourcing as an alternative business strategy. Although it’s the subject of intense debate, there is one thing that most laboratory owners agree upon: offshore competition is here to stay and everyone needs to deal with it one way or another. More…

Offshore outsourcing: shopping in a global market
In our price-competitive, technician-deprived industry, offshore outsourcing is becoming an increasingly viable business strategy. More…

Outsourcing: how did we get here?
The first wave of out-sourcing began two decades ago with jobs for making shoes, cheap electronics, and toys departing to developing countries. It caused a huge blow to the U.S. manufacturing sector. But as factories were closing, the “knowledge economy” emerged. Many thought these jobs, many of which were service- and technology-oriented, would be safe from the effects of outsourcing. More…

Precious metal market milestones: What's behind the rising prices? by John Maguire
John Maguire of Maguire and Strickland Refining discusses what's behind rising gold, silver, platinum and palladium prices. More…

Quality Management: an inside look
Implementing a quality management system can offer a wealth of benefits to your laboratory: streamline your operations, cut costs, help train staff, increase customer satisfaction and safety, and help you comply with FDA regulations. LMT talks to three laboratories that are using quality management systems to help find out why they use them, how they implemented them, and if they're paying off. More…

The OSHA top 10
Find out which 10 OSHA regulations laboratories violate most often and how to be sure you’re in compliance. More…

Reforming the remake artist
If you don’t charge for remakes or at least have some acceptable guidelines in place, your laboratory’s bottom line could suffer. Monitoring, prevention and communication are key to minimizing remakes. More…

Removables: full-speed ahead
Forget what you've heard about a bleak future for the removables market. Laboratory owners say the market is thriving and the future is bright, thanks to a growing demand from an aging population, an increasing consumer awareness of esthetic dentistry, and product and technological developments. More…

Removables market update: still thriving
The removables market continues to thrive thanks to a growing demand from an aging population, increasing consumer awareness of esthetic dentistry, and product and technological developments. Two of the market’s key growth areas are implant-retained overdentures and high-end esthetics, and here LMT profiles two laboratory owners who are riding the wave of these trends. More…

Renovation Rewind
Hindsight is 20/20: Laboratory owners who have designed new facilities share the things they would do differently if they were building again. More…

Second in command: for managers only
What does it take to be a successful laboratory manager? Technicians who have transitioned into management positions share their real-world perspectives on how to make it. More…

Selling your lab to your employees
When it comes to selling your laboratory, you may have a ready market right under your nose: your employees. More…

Selling your lab to a family member
Only one-third of family businesses pass from the first generation to the second and a mere 12% succeed into the third generation. More…

Selling your business to a laboratory group
Are you the owner of a successful laboratory who’s not quite ready to retire, but looking to relinquish some of your management responsibilities and put your succession plan into action? If so—and you and your laboratory meet certain criteria—you may be a candidate for selling to a laboratory group. More…

Top 3 OSHA violations in laboratories
OSHA requires you to provide a safe workplace for your technicians, but sorting through its regulations can be daunting. SafeLink's Mary Borg cuts through the red tape and details which three OSHA regulations are most violated by laboratories and what you need to do to comply with them in your operation. More…

The Top 5 Trends that are shaping our industry
Five industry leaders - George Benson of Americus, Dave Brown of National Dentex, Paolo Kalaw of Dental Technologies, Inc., George Obst of Dental Services Group and Fred Walke of MicroDental - join LMT for a lively round-table discussion that centers on key trends, how they'll play out and what laboratory owners can do to succeed in a changing marketplace. More …

The writing on the (Great) wall, May 2004
Laboratory owner Flemming Behrend, CDT, MDT, Fellow ICOI, shares his firsthand perspective: he’s made two visits to China in the last four years, met with a Chinese government official to discuss regulation, spent time in three Shanghai labs and made some unexpected discoveries along the way. More …

Trading in for a Newer Model
Two U.S. laboratory owners re-think their business models to incorporate separate businesses dedicated to offshore outsourcing. More…

Welding: a boon for all departments
A comprehensive update on the developments in welding technology and a shoppers guide to welders. More…