Big news in the world of digital dentistry, as Straumann Group has confirmed that they are acquiring Chinese company AlliedStar - makers of the AS 100, AS 200E and AS 260 intraoral scanners.
It looks like Straumann is hoping to tap into the Chinese scanner market with a competitive and affordable scanner solution.
Straumann has said that AlliedStar will continue serving existing channels, so there’s no reason to believe anything will be changing at AlliedStar anytime soon.
The acquisition is likely due to Straumann building its “Straumann AXS” digital platform, which will serve as a way to connect its various products and eliminate the need to enter patient data manually in different systems.
hey’ll be adding to AlliedStar’s product portfolio ahead of the launch of the platform - which is due to release in Asia in 2024.
Straumann Group Chief Executive Officer Guillaume Daniellot, had this to say: “We are very excited about this acquisition, which is fully in line with our strategy to become a digitally-powered oral care company globally.”
“As the entry point for the digital workflow, the IOS is instrumental for the connection to our digital platform, which will support our service-led business model.”
“The acquisition will allow us to offer a competitive intraoral scanner solution in China. We are very happy to welcome the AlliedStar team to the Straumann Group, which is sharing the mindset of building entrepreneurial businesses with customer centricity in mind.”
The Group will acquire full ownership of AlliedStar spread over several installments over the next eight years. The closing to obtain a controlling stake is expected in the coming months. The parties agreed not to disclose the financial details.
AlliedStar founder Wang Guijian echoed these sentiments, adding that “These are very exciting times. Having built this system over the last four years, from idea to execution with a team that put its heart into this, it’s more than rewarding to have found a strong partner with the same values that will help bring our solution to the next level by building a digital platform which can ultimately be offered to customers.”
We were really impressed with the AlliedStar AS 200E when we reviewed it. It’s one of the most cost-effective scanners on the market - and one of the best options to come out of China.
It will be super interesting to see how this affects Straumann’s Virtuo Vivo scanner.
What do you think about this acquisition? Good move? Let me know in the comments below.