CAD/CAM international magazine of digital dentistry

I industry news _ Straumann _StraumannandAlignTechnologyannounced in October that they had decided to discontinue their distribution agreements for the iTero intra- oral scanner in Europe and North America with effect from 31 December 2012. The agreement for exclusive distribution in Eu- rope was signed in 2009 between Straumann and Cadent, the developer of iTero, which was acquired by Align Technology in April 2011. The agreement awarding Straumann non-exclusive distribution rights in North America was signed shortly before the acquisition. Beat Spalinger, Straumann’s president and CEO, explained the rationale behind Straumann’s deci- sion: “We are convinced that intra-oral scanning willhaveamajorroleindailydentalpracticethanks to its superior accuracy, convenience and patient comfort in comparison with conventional impres- sion taking. Furthermore, we are convinced that iTero is one of the best intra-oral scanners available. However, we have decided to step back from distributing this hardware for three reasons. First, our experience over the past three years has shown that a single hardware brand limits our addressable market. Moving ahead, our CARES CAD/CAMsystemwillbeaccessibletovariousintra- oral scanning systems, including the iTero scanner. Second, our core business is in tooth replace- ment and restoration. We now have the digital workflow in place to enable us to produce high- precision prosthetics for dental implants, starting from an intra-oral scan. As a result, we no longer need to sell intra-oral scanners directly and will focus our resources on driving our CARES business. And lastly, we have come to the conclusion that the business case for distributing scanners is not economically viable for us in the present economic environment.” Align and Straumann are fully committed to pro- vidingcontinuedsupportandservicestoexistingiTero customers. The two companies are currently working together on plans for a smooth transition and will communicate details to customers once they are finalised. In the meantime, Straumann will continue to offer first-level equipment support in Europe for at least the next 12 months, after which Align will as- sumefullresponsibilityforregionalcustomerservice. Straumann is strongly committed to digital dentistry and the development of digital workflows as part of its CARES platform and product offering. The discontinuation of the distribution agreements with Align will not affect the launch of new CARES services and products. However, it will have an impact on Straumann’s intra-oral scanning staff and further details in this respect will be communicated with the company’s third-quarter results on 30 October. Sales of intra- oralscannersconstituteapproximatelyonepercent of the Straumann Group’s net revenue._ 38 I CAD/CAM 4_2012 Institut Straumann AG Peter Merian-Weg 12 4001 Basel,Switzerland www.straumann.com CAD/CAM_contact Straumann andAlign discontinue distribution agreements for iTero intra-oral scanner