Turnkey solutions for your digital dental laboratory

The benefits of a turnkey approach for your digital laboratory project

Turnkey solutions…

You may have heard of them and, indeed, we have previously focussed on the approach in the dental surgery sector. But what about dental laboratories? Many dental labs are adopting digital working and equipment into their businesses or extending the digital workflows they have already implemented.

So what is a turnkey approach and how can it help you and your dental lab?

A simple definition is of end-to-end solutions which are ready to go as soon as they are deployed to your lab. You select a supplier/contractor who handles all aspects of the project, completes it, ‘hands over’ the metaphorical key and away you go.

Job done.

But a project or installation in a dental laboratory is almost certainly not as straightforward as it would be in other industries. Equipment for a digital dental laboratory needs to form an integrated clinical workflow, our labs are often not over blessed for space and our ‘customers’ are real patients whose outcomes directly affect their quality of life.

So a turnkey project in a dental lab must consider specific and additional criteria to be deemed successful.

So for any sized project, whether it be a full refurbishment of your existing dental lab or a remodelling of a new premises to become a laboratory, the chances are you’re going to need a partner who’ll take complete responsibility for everything from start to finish.

And that partner needs to be an established and experienced dental equipment supplier with expertise in every aspect of the dental laboratory.

1.Project Scope & Design

First off you’ll need to really nail down what your project needs – scope out what equipment is needed, what utilities are required and what your budget is.

Once you have that ironed out, you can start the design phase. Exciting, but there are a number of different elements to how your layout will finally look and you’ll need expert advice and guidance from your turnkey supplier to assist you through this fundamental stage.

Space is usually at a premium, so you need to call on a designer who knows all the tricks of the trade to maximise the space you have available to fit in all the equipment you need to take your laboratory to a new level. The design needs to take every area of the lab into consideration to ensure the most efficient workflows and ergonomics. The ability of your staff and any visitors to the lab to move around safely and comfortably for extended periods of time is paramount.

But, that’s not all. The dental industry is, quite rightly, highly regulated, so any design and layout must preserve a compliant environment at all times for staff and visitors.

And, of course, you want it to look nice! 

Getting to a point where you have an agreed design and layout for any dental laboratory project – big or small – is a major milestone. 

Once you have everything drawn up and signed off ‘on paper’ (although it’s probable it’s all been designed using a CAD/CAM system), it’s time to make your project a reality.

2. Project management

This is possibly THE biggest area in which a true turnkey supplier helps you out. Pretty much any kind of project in a dental lab which involves replacing or adding new equipment is complex and time-consuming.

And project managing the process is a real skill. A real skill to ensure everything happens in the right order at the right time and without costs spiralling upwards.

Equipment suppliers, tradesmen, logistics companies, umpteen different customer service departments….the list goes on…

Even if you relish the idea of drawing up a fancy Gantt chart and ticking off the milestones as they are executed, the reality is it could easily become a full time job and detract from your time spent doing your day job.

And that’s where an experienced turnkey solutions provider like Blueprint Dental comes in. With nearly two decades of project management experience in dental projects, our expert team really can take the hassle out of this huge element of any turnkey project. 

We manage the program and timeline, communicate with multiple parties to keep everything on track, freeing you up to continue running your business.

3. Build

Building anew lab from scratch or repurposing an existing building into a modern, functioning, yet fully compliant work space is not for the faint hearted. This may involve structural changes, repositioning utility supplies and updating the internal layout to provide the required balance between design, production and visitor areas for your lab.

That all requires a building company with specialist skills, who understand what your vision is and may even be able to preserve some of the original features and character of the building.

Here at Blueprint Dental, we can do just that. Our build division understand just what your end game is and work hand in hand with our project management team to keep your project on time and on budget.

4. Equipment solutions

Another super important area. The equipment solutions you choose will be with you and your team for a long time, so it’s important to make the right choices. Choosing a turnkey provider who can offer you a range of options from some of the world’s leading dental laboratory brands is a real advantage here. Integrated solutions and the possibility of upgrading to digital workflows also come into play here. Many possibilities can be incorporated into your turnkey solution with the right provider.  Of course, you’ll need a supplier here who has plenty of digital experience and expertise, who can advise you on the most efficient digital solutions for your speciality and business.

5. Installation & Commissioning

So, you’ve ordered all the equipment you need, the builders have been in and repurposed the building for your optimised workflow. Now is the time of utmost excitement as all that new equipment starts to arrive in site.

Your dream is becoming a reality in front of your very eyes, but there’s still a whole lot of work to be done to get it all into position, without any scratches or bumps, connected to the required utilities and commissioned in line with the manufacturer’s specification and local regulatory compliance requirements.

This is a hugley important phase and requires finite planning and execution.

4. 6. Training and handover

   It’s really important to also ensure that training is included in your turnkey package. Make sure the suppliers are able to give practical and meaningful training for every piece of kit before it’s handed over to you and your team.

   Nothing gives us more pride at Blueprint Dental, than that point where we’ve trained you and your team and you’re ready to go.

   Your turnkey solution has been delivered and is a reality. 

   Congratulations, you’re up and running! 

   But there are still a couple of areas to consider in those first few months after handover.

After sales care during any warranty periods and the lifetime care of your workflows are also worth a mention before we finish and should be part of any conversation with any supplier offering a turnkey solution. 

The truth is you don’t want a supplier whose interest and involvement ends as soon as everything is handed over. You need a company who will stay in close communication with you, provide any required help and support during the equipment’s warranty period and be in a position to offer lifetime care for each and every piece of kit in order to maximise its operational lifetime.

At Blueprint Dental we have a reputation for our service work and overall customer experience, which is second to none. Our engineers are factory-trained and have vast experience in installing and servicing a wide range of dental equipment into dental surgeries and our customer service team are always on hand to help you out when you need it.

So in summary, here’s a list of advantages of choosing a turnkey approach to your next dental project

• Simple Communication – You’ll just have one point of contact. No multiple parties to try and co-ordinate with and manage. One phone call. One email. All sorted.
• Project Management – In choosing a  supplier with experienced project managers and a knowledgeable team, everything is taken care of. Timings are synchronised within the project timeline to ensure seamless transition between phase and co-ordinated activities
• Cost efficiencies – A turnkey provider will co-ordinate all activities in the right sequence, ensuring there’s no costs building up for wanted journeys or visits to site.
• Time saving – Taking a turnkey approach with an experienced supplier saves you a huge amount of time and stress, enabling you to ‘carry on with your day job’.
• Financial simplicity – You’ll have just one company to pay – no multiple invoices to track & pay
• Peace of mind – Responsibility & Trust for the whole project, who you’re sure have the experience for this type of undertaking and who you can trust

We’d love the opportunity to talk to you about a turnkey approach to your next project, about how we can deliver a complete, well-integrated package, optimised and ready for you and your team to start using from Day 1.

Discover Blueprint Turnkey Solutions today.

Alternatively you can call us directly on 0800 228 9828.