By Danny Chan
Hørsholm is a coastal city in Denmark known for its rich heritage and opulent architecture, such as the Hirschholm Palace built in the 1730s. Its small but wealthy populace of 32,000 is ranked among the world’s richest in terms of average household income.
The town’s natural surroundings and proximity to the city – about an hour’s drive from central Copenhagen – remain its biggest attractions for upper class residents and weekend visitors alike. Since 1998, the affluent municipality also became home to one of Denmark’s most innovative dental manufacturers, XO Care.
At first glance, the company shares casual affinity with the town it resides in. Like Hørsholm, XO Care may not be world famous but the high-end dental equipment maker boasts a long and prosperous tradition. The dental brand also attracts a loyal following of the well-heeled variety. However, XO Care has in recent years, been consciously moving away from its exclusive cult status, as it extends its global reach and broadens its target audience.
A Star is Born
Although the name XO Care was only introduced in 2001, it bears the hallmarks of D-34’s Værkstedet, the original name of the company founded in 1951, before it became known to the world as Flex Dental A/S in 1971.
The birth of XO Care is significant not just because it marked the 50th Anniversary of the Danish company, but for initiating a bold new era in exceptional dental equipment design and engineering. Years of intensive, customer-focused R&D produced the company’s crown jewel product – the XO4 dental workstation.
Notably, XO4 also brought to bear the company’s philosophy of “Extraordinary Dentistry” and remains the undisputed star of the XO VIP Show, a new concept platform that communicates the core value of XO Care products, that is, in terms of how they add to the practice’s bottom-line.
VIP Show yields bumper results
Instead of introducing the technical features of the workstations, the VIP Show focuses on the smooth delivery of professional dental care as the direct result of improved ergonomics and technology.
Its last outing at the 2013 IDS in Cologne drew massive interests with a tenfold jump in booth attendance over its inaugural two years prior. Meanwhile, post-show sales in Germany – currently XO Care’s most important growth market – grew three times in just 18 months.
“Our sales in Europe exploded after IDS and our current customers seem to be the best references that we can possibly ask for,” says Sander Smit, Market Manager, XO Care.
“(The XO VIP Show) proves that dentists want a different workstation other that what is currently available. They are looking for a full solution for their practices. And we are able to deliver workstations with all the options they want and need.”
Besides looking after regional markets in Benelux and Southern Europe, Sander is responsible for identifying and developing potential business opportunities around the world – including Asia Pacific.
Australian dentists who caught the buzz during IDS would be happy to know that the head-
turning XO4 workstation is now available to them via local distributor Fairway Dental.
More than a Fairground Stunner
Bearing the modish trademark of industrial designer Jacob Jensen, XO4 is a sublime construction of cast aluminium, stainless steel and glass. Its futuristic appearance is exactly what you would expect from a dental product that inspires furtive glances and quiet admiration at tradeshows. Indeed, XO4 is probably as easy on the eyes as it is to appreciate its rarefied status in Europe.
Yet Sander wants us to step away from its appearance factor, European fanfare or for that matter, its highly configurable and modular features. Instead, he reiterates the core selling point of XO4: “It’s not what the chair is or what it can do, but what it can do for you that matters”.
Sander is essentially highlighting XO Care’s solutions-based campaign mission: “Extraordinary Dentistry” – of which XO4 is the embodiment.
“Our mission,” he stresses, “is to help you perform perfect treatments, offer the best possible care to your patients and improve your economic performance while preserving your good health.”
“Extraordinary Dentistry” spreads the belief that workstations like the XO4, which harnesses practical concepts – through sophisticated technology and design – actually create more direct and efficient dental workflows. They, in turn, allow dentists to focus on performing “Perfect Treatments” – another bold assertion from its grandiose mission.
“We are manufacturing dental workstations instead of units and we believe everybody should investigate if XO is worth the investment,” Sander elaborates.
Come see for yourself
The Market Manager invites dentists who have yet to discover XO4 to see the workstation for themselves – and form their own opinions.
“Fairway Dental will be happy to welcome you in their newly-built showroom, and after investigating your needs they will show you what our workstations can do in your clinic. After all, a dental workstation is the most important investment and investments are never made on price, but on what it will bring to your clinic.”
The XO4 advantage, Sander believes, lies in the integration of every conceivable workflow-oriented instruments and parameters that you can think of – all of which dramatically improve treatment efficiency.
“Some of the treatments in dentistry need more advanced instrument programs. Normally dentists have to invest in external appliances to have the results they want.
“At XO CARE, we can make your unit’s instruments more precise and more advanced. This means you can for instance configure implant and endo programs and make every button on the foot pedal do whatever you want.
“This results in better treatments, 100 per cent focus on your patient's oral cavity and individual settings and benefits.”
Now every dentist can afford one
Although Sander reveals that their workstation prices have been reduced significantly – in keeping with XO Care’s renewed vision for market competitiveness – he is convinced that price is not the major deciding factor.
“We have researched the dental market in Europe, and it is a fact that every dentist can afford a XO Workstation. Looking at the total costs of a dental clinic, only 1 per cent is related to the investment of your workstation. 60 per cent of your costs involve salaries, and this should be your main focus. Efficiency is a keyword in the clinic of the future, and we can fully support in this.”
Beyond the price tag, Sander adds, dentists should also study the long-term implications:
“At XO Care we have more than 60 years of experience in building dental workstations. All our workstations are built to last for 15 years and more. And during this life cycle new technology is changing our dental work continuously.
“In XO4, we have found a product that can last for at least 15 years and is ready for the future.”
Although XO Care remains a small and independent manufacturer in Denmark, its recent growth and market activity suggest a resurgence rarely seen from a company with such admirable history and lifespan.
Yet for all its past laurels, the company invites you to see its present – and future-driven – pursuits in innovation. You should, of course, judge the innovation based on how it contributes to your practice – and makes a difference to the everyday pursuits of extraordinary dentistry.
This article first appeared in Australasian Dentist.
Hørsholm is a coastal city in Denmark known for its rich heritage and opulent architecture, such as the Hirschholm Palace built in the 1730s. Its small but wealthy populace of 32,000 is ranked among the world’s richest in terms of average household income.
The town’s natural surroundings and proximity to the city – about an hour’s drive from central Copenhagen – remain its biggest attractions for upper class residents and weekend visitors alike. Since 1998, the affluent municipality also became home to one of Denmark’s most innovative dental manufacturers, XO Care.
At first glance, the company shares casual affinity with the town it resides in. Like Hørsholm, XO Care may not be world famous but the high-end dental equipment maker boasts a long and prosperous tradition. The dental brand also attracts a loyal following of the well-heeled variety. However, XO Care has in recent years, been consciously moving away from its exclusive cult status, as it extends its global reach and broadens its target audience.
A Star is Born
Although the name XO Care was only introduced in 2001, it bears the hallmarks of D-34’s Værkstedet, the original name of the company founded in 1951, before it became known to the world as Flex Dental A/S in 1971.
The birth of XO Care is significant not just because it marked the 50th Anniversary of the Danish company, but for initiating a bold new era in exceptional dental equipment design and engineering. Years of intensive, customer-focused R&D produced the company’s crown jewel product – the XO4 dental workstation.
Notably, XO4 also brought to bear the company’s philosophy of “Extraordinary Dentistry” and remains the undisputed star of the XO VIP Show, a new concept platform that communicates the core value of XO Care products, that is, in terms of how they add to the practice’s bottom-line.
VIP Show yields bumper results
Instead of introducing the technical features of the workstations, the VIP Show focuses on the smooth delivery of professional dental care as the direct result of improved ergonomics and technology.
Its last outing at the 2013 IDS in Cologne drew massive interests with a tenfold jump in booth attendance over its inaugural two years prior. Meanwhile, post-show sales in Germany – currently XO Care’s most important growth market – grew three times in just 18 months.
“Our sales in Europe exploded after IDS and our current customers seem to be the best references that we can possibly ask for,” says Sander Smit, Market Manager, XO Care.
“(The XO VIP Show) proves that dentists want a different workstation other that what is currently available. They are looking for a full solution for their practices. And we are able to deliver workstations with all the options they want and need.”
Besides looking after regional markets in Benelux and Southern Europe, Sander is responsible for identifying and developing potential business opportunities around the world – including Asia Pacific.
Australian dentists who caught the buzz during IDS would be happy to know that the head-
turning XO4 workstation is now available to them via local distributor Fairway Dental.
More than a Fairground Stunner
Bearing the modish trademark of industrial designer Jacob Jensen, XO4 is a sublime construction of cast aluminium, stainless steel and glass. Its futuristic appearance is exactly what you would expect from a dental product that inspires furtive glances and quiet admiration at tradeshows. Indeed, XO4 is probably as easy on the eyes as it is to appreciate its rarefied status in Europe.
Yet Sander wants us to step away from its appearance factor, European fanfare or for that matter, its highly configurable and modular features. Instead, he reiterates the core selling point of XO4: “It’s not what the chair is or what it can do, but what it can do for you that matters”.
Sander is essentially highlighting XO Care’s solutions-based campaign mission: “Extraordinary Dentistry” – of which XO4 is the embodiment.
“Our mission,” he stresses, “is to help you perform perfect treatments, offer the best possible care to your patients and improve your economic performance while preserving your good health.”
“Extraordinary Dentistry” spreads the belief that workstations like the XO4, which harnesses practical concepts – through sophisticated technology and design – actually create more direct and efficient dental workflows. They, in turn, allow dentists to focus on performing “Perfect Treatments” – another bold assertion from its grandiose mission.
“We are manufacturing dental workstations instead of units and we believe everybody should investigate if XO is worth the investment,” Sander elaborates.
Come see for yourself
The Market Manager invites dentists who have yet to discover XO4 to see the workstation for themselves – and form their own opinions.
“Fairway Dental will be happy to welcome you in their newly-built showroom, and after investigating your needs they will show you what our workstations can do in your clinic. After all, a dental workstation is the most important investment and investments are never made on price, but on what it will bring to your clinic.”
The XO4 advantage, Sander believes, lies in the integration of every conceivable workflow-oriented instruments and parameters that you can think of – all of which dramatically improve treatment efficiency.
“Some of the treatments in dentistry need more advanced instrument programs. Normally dentists have to invest in external appliances to have the results they want.
“At XO CARE, we can make your unit’s instruments more precise and more advanced. This means you can for instance configure implant and endo programs and make every button on the foot pedal do whatever you want.
“This results in better treatments, 100 per cent focus on your patient's oral cavity and individual settings and benefits.”
Now every dentist can afford one
Although Sander reveals that their workstation prices have been reduced significantly – in keeping with XO Care’s renewed vision for market competitiveness – he is convinced that price is not the major deciding factor.
“We have researched the dental market in Europe, and it is a fact that every dentist can afford a XO Workstation. Looking at the total costs of a dental clinic, only 1 per cent is related to the investment of your workstation. 60 per cent of your costs involve salaries, and this should be your main focus. Efficiency is a keyword in the clinic of the future, and we can fully support in this.”
Beyond the price tag, Sander adds, dentists should also study the long-term implications:
“At XO Care we have more than 60 years of experience in building dental workstations. All our workstations are built to last for 15 years and more. And during this life cycle new technology is changing our dental work continuously.
“In XO4, we have found a product that can last for at least 15 years and is ready for the future.”
Although XO Care remains a small and independent manufacturer in Denmark, its recent growth and market activity suggest a resurgence rarely seen from a company with such admirable history and lifespan.
Yet for all its past laurels, the company invites you to see its present – and future-driven – pursuits in innovation. You should, of course, judge the innovation based on how it contributes to your practice – and makes a difference to the everyday pursuits of extraordinary dentistry.
This article first appeared in Australasian Dentist.
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