CAD/CAM - international magazine of digital dentistry

I 19 feature _ interview I CAD/CAM 1_2012 account for a stable 2 % and the US for 10 %. But the highest growth we are experiencing is in China, at approximately 20 %. In general, Asia currently accounts for 20 % of our global sales, so if we achieve a 20 % increase, we will be very satisfied. Countries like Japan and India in par- ticular are very strong markets for us, as was Thailand until November, before floods plagued the country. 2011 and the coming years will definitely be driven by Asia, and especially by China, where we have been established since 1987. We now have a team of 40 people there and expect an average growth of 30 % over the nextfiveyears.Chinaisdefinitelyabooming market. _When we talk to other European com- panies who sell on the Chinese market, they often mention price sensitivity and the need to adapt to the local price level. No, I don’t think it’s a question of price— it’s a question of mentality in China. They have cheap copies of all our products there. Twenty years ago, we sued the copycats. However, we realised that this was not productive because if the company simply closes and reopens in the next garage, you are fighting a lost cause. More importantly, we realised that the Chi- nese copies are our best advertising because the quality is very poor and the design is just ridicu- lous. Dentists first buy a Chinese copy but then they experience so many problems. As soon as they have the money to buy a European product at a European price, they will buy it. The fake Rolex made in China is sold in Europe, but the real Rolex made in Switzerland is sold in China. And the proper business-orientated Chinese client with a long-term plan will never buy a fake product. On the other hand, we are seeing an alarming trend reversal in Europe. There are so many fake or copy products from China imported into Europe with a fake CE number or with a fake ISO 9000. The customs duties in the Shenzhen area do not block these fake products, so any kind of product can enter into Europe. These are health- care devices to treat patients and they should not put patients in danger. _Do you believe that you will still be able to manufactureinFranceorinEuropeinthefuture? Acteon’s policy is to manufacture and con- duct research in Western Europe, and not to manufacture in China, South-East Asia, Brazil, India, or anywhere else. Our policy is to produce continuously in Western Europe. Our factories are in France, Italy and Germany. Acteon has established itself in a niche of the health-care market. This market is driven by quality and innovation. Western Europe is best known for these qualities and, conse- quently, you have to have your factory here to produce at such a level and to generate innova- tion based on the technology. This is Acteon’s philosophy. Over the past 30 years, we have invested a large amount of the company’s profits in R & D. We currently have a total of 70 people in our R & D departments in the different companies, andourgrowthisdefinitelydrivenbyinnovation and quality. _You have invested in the digital dentistry market in particular… We invest a lot in the digital dentistry market indeed. This is one of the fastest-growing mar-