Company Spotlight: Planmeca Group

Innovation and a determination to improve clinician comfort and workflow are how Planmeca started. Planmeca, one of the largest privately owned dental equipment manufacturers in the world, was founded in Helsinki, Finland, by Mr. Heikki Kyöstilä in 1971. The company started as a small-scale business, manufacturing dental stools and instrument cabinets. From this humble beginning, the company expanded its product range in the 1970s to include patient chairs and dental units.

In the 1980s, the company grew through rapid international expansion, as subsidiaries in the U.S., Italy, and Sweden. Planmeca USA, the North American subsidiary, was the first to introduce Finland’s concept of a software-driven dental care unit. In the 1990s, and 2000s the company experienced a period of revolutionary and innovative development garnering over 400 patents. Upon the release of Planmeca Romexis 4.0, the workflow of imaging and CAD/CAM became much more integrated. Planmeca Romexis’ all-in-one software was the first dental software program to combine 2D/3D imaging and CAD/CAM workflows from implantology to restorations in the same platform. The launch of this groundbreaking software simplified clinician workflow and placed Planmeca USA in the enviable position of being able to offer complete imaging, CAD/CAM, software, dental unit, and dental cabinetry solutions. As recently as this year, Planmeca USA consisted of two divisions, the Imaging Division based out of Roselle, Illinois and the CAD/CAM Division located in Richardson, Texas. Each division concentrated on providing advanced digital products to their respective areas within the dental industry. The next logical step was to fully integrate the knowledge and expertise of both divisions into one.

A training session using a Planmeca Emerald intraoral scanner in the Richardson, Texas facility.

Moving forward, Planmeca USA combined its imaging division’s sales, marketing, education, and customer support departments with their CAD/CAM counterparts. The goal: provide customers with a more seamless solution and support experience. This new integration will benefit current owners, and potential new users by offering the combined technologies, experience, and know how of a completely digital workflow. Planmeca USA’s sales representatives can be a single resource for all the imaging and CAD/CAM needs of dental professionals. This includes the ability to educate, support, and promote a seamless digital solution — from diagnosis through implant therapy and restorations.

Currently, the Planmeca Group operates in over 120 countries and employs nearly 2,700 people worldwide. This is quite a remarkable story for a company that started with one man’s vision and two products.

This article was originally published in Sidekick Magazine.