10 Questions with Soren Rieger, CEO and Owner of Renfert USA

A conversation with Renfert USA's CEO and Owner Soren Rieger.

01. The trend in the dental industry is going digital. Your portfolio doesn’t cover any digital technology; how do you explain your continued success?

Digital work only can be as good as the non-digital basic work. Errors cannot be compensated for within the digital processes. When scanning a model, every technician knows the highest level of accuracy is required in the poured model. Our Model Production portfolio ensures the foundation is correct from step one.

02. You deliberately choose to focus on non-digital products. How will you survive in the digital world in the future?

There is no need to “survive” because we constantly adjust (our products) to adapt to the changes in the industry. As a family-owned enterprise since 1925 we are working on long-term, not only short-term, success. Whether it is full ceramic digital processes or high-end composites, our polishers, extraction units and sandblasters have been developed to meet these requirements. We want to continue along this path, while also developing products especially for the CAD/CAM market. But I don’t want to drop any details yet. Stay tuned.

03. In today’s price sensitive economy, what are you doing to ensure you stay competitive within the market?

Let’s be honest, there are seemingly cheaper alternatives available in the market, but these are still not less expensive. Once customers experience the quality of a Renfert product they realize the true cost savings is within the product’s longevity. We build tools technicians can rely on. Nothing is more frustrating to a technician than downtime because of inconsistent and inadequate products.

04. What should a technician expect when purchasing equipment from Renfert?

Our equipment is manufactured with the highest quality, but we also are mindful of manufacturing the most efficient tools as well. Take for example our sandblaster family “Basic.” We developed a technology that reduces sandblasting material costs by up to 80%. After a short time you save enough that you could even buy a new product with these savings.

05. Renfert is regarded as very service-minded. Which services help convince your customers?

Again, we’re not looking for the quick sale; we are focused on building lasting relationships. We have dedicated teams of highly trained Customer Service Reps and After Sales Support technicians ready to assist dental technicians world-wide. In the U.S. our customers can rely on a 48-hour repair policy, and we provide loaner equipment when necessary.

06. Which product is the best example of Renfert’s new focus on reducing production costs?

Our MT3 Model Trimmers. We were able to significantly reduce the production cost on our MT3 trimmer, while still maintaining the high quality and offer our 3-year guarantee. If you are looking for added features we offer a top of the line version in our 2hp strong MT3 Pro model. The MT3 and MT3 Pro are perfect examples of our offer strategy…for every need, the perfect product.

07. Tell us something that our DLP readers might not know about Renfert.

Renfert is a global company with distribution channels in more than 80 countries world-wide. The corporate headquarters is located in Southern Germany and a subsidiary in the United States. We have about 450 world-wide distributors - sub distributors not even included - and print our product catalog in 15 languages.

08. Is your wish to be close to your customers the reason for establishing Renfert USA in Chicago?

Indeed, our customers appreciate the direct communication and the short delivery times that we can offer through our distribution center in the U.S. The success we experience confirms us in our philosophy of being as close to the customer as possible. We now are opening another company subsidiary in Brazil.

09. What have you learned from your customers over the years?

I love hearing from our customers. They provide the most relevant market research possible. For me personally, I still am enjoying working the trade show floor when possible. It is great seeing old friends and discussing their needs. I love when a customer approaches me and talks about a piece of equipment he bought 10+ years ago…one that is still working and producing today. This is where my passion comes from.

10. What are you looking forward to as we wrap up 2012 and look ahead to 2013?

We look forward to watching the global dental industry continue to show signs of economic improvement. We are encouraged with what we’ve seen this year, but there’s work to do. Renfert is trying to do its part by continuing to decrease overall costs through more efficient production, logistics, and distribution channels. As we do every year, we’ve just released our Fall Promo. This year we are pleased to offer some great discounts to coincide with the end of the year equipment purchases.