A-Ceramics Ltd enjoys record sales after going digital

Having spent over a decade in the dental industry, Alan Bamford felt launched his own dental laboratory business, A-Ceramics, in 1998 after he felt he could do a more superior job for a better price. The Oldham based company, which specializes in crown bridges and implants, steadily grew over the years by producing all of its products by hand but Alan knew that to stay ahead of the competition, he needed to invest in digital dental technology.

Explaining why he made the decision to digitalize his business, Alan said: "I believe that businesses don't stand still, they either go forward or backward, and there is no question that digital technology is the way forward. I didn't want A-Ceramics to be left behind and so in 2011, I decided to invest in a dental milling machine."

To ensure he found the perfect digital solution for his business, Alan travelled to the International Dental Show in Cologne where he spent his time researching and looking for which milling machine was the best investment for his business needs. Having gone to Cologne with an open mind, it didn't take long for Alan to decide that Roland DG was the manufacturer of choice for him and he invested in a DWX-50 dental milling machine.

"When I got to the International Dental Show in Cologne, it was pretty obvious from the beginning that Roland DG was the superior manufacturer and the DWX series stood out to me for a number of reasons. Firstly, the DWX-50 is a fully open milling machine which gave me the flexibility to source materials from the open market and so once I had invested in the machine, I knew there would be no further overhead or unexpected costs.

"In addition to this, the DWX-50 features 5-axis simultaneous milling to guarantee that if I can design it, then the Roland DG machine can mill it – even the most complex of designs. And finally, the versatile machine is fully automatic allowing me to input jobs and then leave the machine unattended, which increased the volume output dramatically through the introduction of overnight runs."

Before investing in the Roland DG milling machine, all of A-Ceramics' products were waxed up by hand but since introducing the DWX-50, nearly every single product the company produces is made by the machine. The computer-aided technology simplifies and speeds up the design and manufacturing process to increase efficiency levels. This, coupled with higher volume outputs at lower running costs, allowed Alan to reduce the prices of some of his products including zirconia crowns.

"The reason we use our Roland DG machine so much is because, quite simply, it is more accurate and delivers a more consistent quality output than doing it by hand. Our dentist clients in particular noticed the quality of the products produced through CAD and CAM technology, and this, combined with our lower prices, resulted in private work increasing by over 15% in the first twelve months that we had the DWX-50. Thanks to Roland DG, we have been able to combine high output, superior quality and low prices to accelerate business growth."

After seeing the strong return on investment the DWX-50 bought to the business, as well as record private sector sales, Alan bought a second Roland DG machine six months after investing in his first. Since then, Alan's relationship with Roland DG has continued to grow and this year, he was announced as a Roland DG Easy Shape European Consultant.

"Roland DG is there to support you long after the initial purchase of the machine and my business is living proof of that. As part of my new role as a European Consultant, I was invited to an event in Barcelona this year to discuss my experiences and feedback on my Roland DG machine as a business owner. It's clear that Roland DG designs its machines with the end-user in mind and it is this commitment that ensures its machines boast the quality, efficiency and versatility needed to help businesses grow – just like A-Ceramics."

For more information on A-Ceramics products, please visit: www.a-ceramics.co.uk