American Orthodontics says its brackets reduce friction and improve treatment efficiency and hygiene.

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It takes a lot of hard work to survive in any industry, but Sheboygan, Wis.-based American Orthodontics Corp. has thrived through its dedication to providing high value to orthodontists and their patients. For more than 40 years, the company has provided supplies and solutions to the orthodontics industry. With about a dozen major product categories – brackets, tubes, bands, instruments, adhesives, wires and other supplies – American Orthodontics carries more than 14,000 SKUs. Ninety-five percent of these are manufactured at its headquarters.

The U.S.-based company is the largest private orthodontics manufacturer company in the world, and in addition to more than 40 field sales reps in the United States and Canada, does business in more than 100 countries with wholly owned sales subsidiaries and exclusive distributors. The firm sees its manufacturing capabilities as its main competitive edge.

“What we really do best is manufacturing,” says Mike Bogenschuetz, president. “Our company has been built around efficient manufacturing and a dedicated work force. We have combined automation with skilled associates to become the low-cost, high-quality producer and can compete well with any competitor.”

Bogenschuetz notes that American Orthodontics offers the best overall value to its customers. “We are a company with high quality and fast delivery, coupled with personalized service and wide-ranging product lines that are sold at a fair price. Put that together and it encompasses the value proposition that sets us apart.”

The company is also known for customizing products according to its clients’ needs.

“We are a company that specializes in different variations of standard products that customers may desire,” Bogenschuetz explains. “For example, if an orthodontist wants five degrees of torque on an upper bicuspid bracket slot, but the standard is seven degrees, we can easily manufacture the special request. Very few companies have that ability. We have designed our manufacturing equipment to provide us easy and quick set ups allowing for low run customized production quantities.”

Product Offerings
Brackets, buccal tubes and bands attach to the teeth and act as a handle the orthodontist uses to align the teeth. They make up about two-thirds of American Orthodontics’ product line. “The way brackets and tubes are made is mostly through metal injection molding (MIM), a proprietary 17-4 stainless steel alloy, which allows us to make very small and complex parts,” Bogenschuetz explains.

“The parts have to be very small to be aesthetically pleasing and MIM allows for a high degree of accuracy and rounded corners for patient comfort in the mouth. From that point, diffusion bonded foil mesh pads are atmosphere-brazed on the bracket or tube with a gold or palladium based alloy. The pad has the specific tooth curvature to allow the bracket or tube to be bonded to the tooth for a precise fit.”

The orthodontics market has moved toward using ceramic or other aesthetic products. “It’s all about aesthetics and miniaturization – everything is getting smaller, but our product must still function correctly and maintain the integrity, strength and tolerance needed for treatment,” Bogenschuetz says.

To adapt to market changes, the company introduces new products every year. Earlier this year, it started in-house manufacturing of ceramic brackets made from mono-crystalline sapphire.

“The see-through bracket blends with the teeth and is manufactured through a series of diamond-grinding operations and heat polishing treatments,” Bogenschuetz explains. “The bracket has become an industry product category leader in a very short time due to its superior features and aesthetics.”

Another growth development for the company is in the area of self-ligation brackets.

“Traditional brackets use small rubber bands (ligatures) to hold (ligate) the wire in place in the slots of the brackets,” Bogenschuetz says. “The new bracket style has an integral metal clip that opens and closes over the slot so the wire is now ligated in place by the clip. Benefits include reduced friction, treatment efficiency and overall improved hygiene for the orthodontist and patient.”

Focus on Quality
The United States’ orthodontics market is down about 10 percent this year, according to Bogenschuetz. However, even in today’s recession, American Orthodontics is thriving and has yet to experience a sales year without growth.

“We make sure we take care of our existing customers and we put emphasis with our sales force to acquire new customers,” he states. “There are roughly 8,000 orthodontists in the United States and many customers are looking for the value proposition we offer, especially in light of this economy.”

Quality sells, Bogenschuetz adds. Even with the international competition producing low-cost products in places like Mexico, Brazil and China, American Orthodontics still has the ability to stay competitive. “We combine robotics and vision system automation with highly skilled and motivated associates to keep our costs low and quality high,” he says. “Being known as a low-cost, high-quality provider in the industry allows us a lot of flexibility to be competitive in many different situations.”

“Quality and automation go hand-in-hand,” Bogenschuetz continues. “In order to automate extensively, you have to make sure you have quality in every step of your production. If parts are not consistent and have variation, feeder bowls and slides do not work correctly.”

The company is supported by three manufacturing and administrative facilities that total more than 100,000 square feet.