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ePaper created 2018-04-12, 09:10:03 | version 1.38.0
08 ADVERTORIAL Dental Tribune Asia Pacific Edition | 3/2018 VladMiVa— success comes with persistence By VladMiVa Employees of VLADMIVA company VladMiVa, a large Russian holding company that unites a number of Belgorod-based companies and is invested in the development and manufacturing of materials, tools and equipment for dentistry, cele- brated its 25th anniversary in 2017. General Manager Vladimir Chuev VladMiVa’s activities and products have not only been recognised na- tionally and by the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) coun- tries, but also in the global dental market, the company is known as the largest manufacturer of dental materials and instruments in Russia. On the night of the anniversary, we interviewed the founder and gen- eral manager of VladMiVa, Vladimir Chuev, who is also a doctor of tech- nical sciences and a professor and the head of the Department of Medical and Technical Systems at Belgorod State University (BSU). Prof. Vladimir Chuev, tell us the story of how your enterprise began. Prof. Chuev: The critical mo- ment when people are “on the edge” is often a decisive moment. Some- one drops his hands and someone starts to act despite of their fears, difficulties and an uncertain fu- ture. In 1992, the state funding for the laboratory that I directed was stopped, but our developments were of an applied nature, so we could try to find use for them. I de- cided to create a commercial en- terprise, invested my own savings in it and convinced almost all my colleagues to stay and work with me. Our first development was very successful. In the same year, 1992, we received a silver medal from the USSR Exhibition of Achieve- ments of the National Economy for the technology we developed to manufacture amalgam fillings. The next important step was the development of a technology for the production of dental cements for the Voronezh-based enterprise, Raduga-R. Our first success inspired our small team. VladMiVa consists of a group of com- panies. What kind of companies are they and which idea unites them? We very quickly realised that focussing only on technological development is not very promis- ing business. Therefore, in 1994, the commercial department be- gan its work. We started with di- rect sales on 2 m² of exhibition space—that seems ridiculous to- day—but we managed to find our customers and see a clear picture of real consumer demand. In 1998, JSC «VLADMIVA» EXPERIMENTAL PLANT was opened. The idea of “Development— Production—Realisation”, upon which we laid the foundation of the company’s activities, was soon realised. Between 2001 and 2002, we mastered the production of den- tal equipment and diamond burs and by 2009 we had produced more than two hundred kinds of products. In 2004, we opened our own dental centre, which was not only a place to confirm the high quality of our materials, but also a prime example of a world-class dental centre. The holding com- pany today also includes Trade House, our own transport com- pany with branches across Russia. Over the past 25 years, the number of employees has grown from four to four hundred, we pro- duce more than three hundred kinds of products and our con- sumers are not only in Russia, but also in more than 50 countries around the world. The main activi- ties of the company today include the development and manufactur- ing of medical products for den- tistry, providing raw materials for their development, pharmaceuti- cal production, the production of modern disinfectants for medical institutions, developing veterinary medicine and consumer services. Do you participate in programs with state support? What is the role of science and education in your work? The first aid that we received from the state was a small grant from the Foundation for Assis- tance to Small Innovative Enter- prises in Science and Technology. Since 1997, we have participated in many programs of the foundation and are very grateful to its leader- ship for their assistance. Participa- tion, together with the BSU, in the federal project on government’s resolution of the RF No. 218 became an interesting experience and has led to the emergence of the first Russian certified nanocomposite, DentLight as well as the creation of two small innovative enterprises, NANOAPATIT and Keramos-BSU. We also actively cooperate with leading scientific centres, such as the Federal State Institution Cen- tral Research Institute of Dental and Maxillofacial Surgery, Dmitry Mendeleev University of Chemi- cal Technology of Russia, Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry, Samara State Univer- sity, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University and Tula State Medical Academy. By 2010, the employees of VladMiVa have among them received four PhD degrees as well as a doctoral thesis. Furthermore, at the Depart- ment of Medical and Technical Systems at BSU, the nominal audi- ence of VladMiVa was opened and five scholarships were awarded to the best students. Our dental cen- tre is also a clinical base for these students. We want to realise one more idea, which is to further edu- cate our young employees. What about your employees today? How do you solve their social prob- lems? Today, our companies employ a total of 400 people of different professions. Of course, like any other company, we experience a shortage of skilled employees, such as technologists, but this does not diminish the quality of our work. We value each of our employees. Even in the most difficult times of crisis, we do not delay the payment of wages. We also never refuse pay- ments on sick leave or on paid leave. We have developed a corpo- rate program of material assis- tance to employees who are in dif- ficult socioeconomic situations. Experimental Plant