OSHA Consulting Project Results in Substantial Cost Savings

Scottsdale, Arizona-based AvaDent is an industry leader in the field of digitally designed and manufactured dental prosthetics, including monolithic digital dentures, overdentures and hybrid dentures, thanks to its innovative designs and processes. Established by Tim and Barbara Thompson, AvaDent delivers on Tim’s groundbreaking vision to automate denture design and manufacturing to achieve better-fitting dentures in less time. Thirteen years after its inception, AvaDent now holds over 80 patents.

Devon Howe, AvaDent’s general manager, previously worked a New York member of the MEP National Network™, contacted Arizona MEP, part of the MEP National Network™, to help the company tackle key initiatives and goals: scale manufacturing, ensure a safe work environment, strengthen IT protocols and provide leadership development opportunities to the next generation of leaders.

AvaDent prioritized safety compliance and engaged Arizona MEP's safety expert to conduct a safety audit and help fix critical safety gaps. Together, they developed and implemented a structured safety program and manual and initiated regular safety meetings. The safety expert continues to conduct random OSHA mock inspections, ensuring continuous compliance with safety regulations and fostering a safety culture.

As an innovative start-up, AvaDent held a research and development mindset critical to innovation but not production. Arizona MEP was pivotal in transforming AvaDent's mindset and manufacturing efficiency through lean training and a new floor layout. The factory’s new manufacturing configuration and adoption of Lean has increased gross margins from 40% to 50%.

Wanting to foster growth and professional advancement, AvaDent enrolled mid-level employees in a comprehensive six-month leadership training program facilitated by Arizona MEP. The training focused on developing the skills new leads or supervisors need to be effective in their new roles. Building upon the positive feedback of the first group, AvaDent offered leadership training to the next tier of emerging leaders, ensuring a continuous pipeline of talent development within the company.

While the company excels at software development, AvaDent recognizes the need to become more proficient at managing software revisions and accessing the data faster. Arizona MEP provided the company recommendations to trusted industry experts that can bolster software efficiency in AvaDent's computer-aided design processes and improve network security protocols.