Dental Tribune South African Edition

4 Local News Dental Tribune South African Edition - October 2013 Chris Jenkins World innovation leader and product producer, 3M, officially opened its Johannesburg based Customer Innovation Center on Friday the 23rd of August. 3M is a company built on the principles of innovation and pioneering new technologies for various markets to make life easier, better and safer. The Customer Innovation Center which is located at their Woodmead offices in Johannesburg offers visitors the chance to see 3M’s products and experience them in a hands-on manner assisted by 3M field experts. The opening was attended by Minister of 3M opens South African Customer Innovation Center From Left to Right: Ismail Vadi, MEC Department of Roads and Transport, Gauteng Provincial, Government, Mr Haitham Sibai, 3M Head of Research and Development for MEA, Derek Hanekom, Minister of Science and Technology and Mr Ismail Mapara, 3M SA Managing Director. Rene Dove of 3M and 3M country technical manager, Gunter Halfar, demonstrate 3M Novec Fire Protection Fluid. Information and Technology, Derek Hanekom, who officially opened the Customer Innovation Center as well as MEC Department of Roads and Transport, Gauteng Provincial Government, Ismail Vadi who officially opened the Customer Training Center. 3M produces over 75 000 different products across 46 technology platforms with 3M ESPE producing over 2000 dental products. 3M ESPE is recognized globally for bringing numerous firsts to the dental industry and covering a wide range of dental products from implants to infection control and even to CAD/CAM. Regarding CAD/CAM, 3M is focusing on producing and supplying the blocks used in the milling machines, even to the extent of having agreements in place with other manufacturers to supply blocks for their machines. “We want to focus more on giving solutions to the dentists that would make things easier.” Said Thilo Naidoo, Director of the Healthcare Division SA about 3M deciding to focus more on providing blocks; “We’ve seen a bigger opportunity to develop the blocks, we haven’t really put a focus on the milling units.” This is due to more dentists having chairside milling units, where they can scan a patient, mill the crown and then place the crown in only one or two appointments. In today’s dental practice there is certainly a high chance of not only a 3M ESPE product being used but also one of 3M’s numerous other products such as Post-its. DT