What would be an
innovative and
state-of-the-art
piece of equip
ment for a dental
clinic? While a number of options
spring to mind, a cabinet is certainly
not one of them. However, this
is precisely what Dabi Atlante,
a dental equipment manufacturer from Ribeirão Preto
(São Paulo), is gearing up
to launch in the global market. We’re
obviously not just talking about any
old piece of furniture, but instead a “smart” cabinet that identifies products using RFID technology (tags
read via radio-frequency) and makes
online orders. The cabinet monitors
its own product inventory levels and,
if necessary, automatically sends
Dabi Atlante, via the Internet,
the respective restocking
requests –thus providing
a service to the dentist
while doing away with
the need for a seller.
The lot of the first
200 “smart” cabinets is
already in the production line.
The equipment will not be sold, but
instead provided to clients. “The
cabinets will be our sellers”, says
Caetano Biagi, industrial director
of Dabi Atlante. With a degree in
mechanical engineering (from São
Paulo University) and business management, Caetano (28) is heir to the
Biagi family, controlling stockholder
of the company and of one of Brazil’s
largest sugar and ethanol groups.
Dabi Atlante’s exports (to approximately 80 countries) currently represent 20-25% of its revenue
(which the controlling stockholders
don’t disclose). The company star-
ted exporting in the 1960s, thereby
opening a window of internationalization – subsequently exploited by
other Brazilian companies from the
sector (such as Gnatus, also based
in Ribeirão Preto). As forerunner of
this movement, Dabi had the task of
exploring the international dental
equipment market for a country bet
ter known as an exporter of iron ore,
coffee and other commodities, and
not in the least bit renowned, as far
as its potential clients were concerned, for its technological capacity.
To conquer the international
market, Dabi focused on two fronts:
(i) research and development (R&D)
of products combining quality with
competitive prices; and (ii) prospecting buyers, initially, in countries
with similar socio-economical characteristics to Brazil, especially its
Latin American neighbors. In the
1990s, it even sold dental equipment
to the US, but subsequently aban
doned the business – preferring to
concentrate on developing markets.
But its absence from the US market is set to end shortly – since next
year Dabi intends to return to the
US market, offering image diagnosis equipment. In 2004, it became
the first (and remains the only)
company from the Southern Hemisphere to produce panoramic X-rays, and it is already in the process
of registering this equipment with
the US government. Dabi has also
already requested a global patent for
its “smart” cabinet
Dabi Atlante was
the first Brazilian
company to produce
dental clinics equipped with stools,
allowing dentists to
work sitting down.
It also produced the
first national versions of the so-called “handpieces” (the famous “little en
gines”). Caetano says this innovative
capacity stems from the company’s
strong links with individuals capa
ble of developing projects - at universities, companies and research
institutions in Brazil and abroad.
The company, he says, channels 5%
of its revenue to investment in R&D.
This pioneering Brazilian company is competing with traditional
countries in this sector (such as the
US and Germany) and also with the
Chinese, who offer lower prices to
gain market share. Dabi has a subsidiary in Dubai, where it uses the customs warehouse of ApexBrasil (Brazilian Pro-Exports and Investments
Agency). The group is also exporting
its D700 product line, launched four
years ago and targeted at the lower
purchasing power markets.
The two lines have the same type
of products and share the company’s
production resources, but they have
separate sale and marketing strategies – D700 is now being exported
to Paraguay and Colombia.
The Latin American market is
Dabi’s main short-term bet. According to Caetano, the
company plans to
open subsidiaries in
neighboring countries, instead of simply
exporting everything
from Brazil. “We offer
clients our philosophy and working culture developed over
six decades”, he says. “Within 18 months, we will have a
subsidiary in Mexico”.
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