Following Corus’ expansion into the UK laboratory industry, CEO Nicolas Bonnard shares the origins and ambitions of Corus and the impact he hopes to make.
Please introduce yourself
I started my career working in healthcare, accompanying physicians and investors to dentists and helping investors to build groups.
I became part of the foundation group of Corus when I first joined in 2016 to integrate the first French family members, before moving to corporate development manager for the French market in 2017. In 2018, I leaped to country manager of France.
Nowadays, I’m co-CEO and a member of both the Executive Committee and Strategy Committee of the group.
Tell us about Corus. How/why was it founded?
Corus is a leading European company in the manufacturing of avant-garde dental prostheses and orthodontics. We believe in accompanying the dentist in their transformation of modern dentistry for the benefit of the patient.
We do this with innovative and differentiated products and services based on digitalisation, aesthetics and a holistic view of the patient’s dental care experience.
Corus was founded to meet four challenges:
- We believe that the smile is the industry’s protagonist for years to come
- Innovation is growing incredibly fast
- Patients expect and have a right to a different care experience
- Clinics need to differentiate themselves.
What is your ambition with Corus?
We strongly believe that laboratories are the industry catalyst who can share their know-how and play a key role in this exciting moment to address the challenges I have mentioned.
We want to lead the transformation of the dental industry to accelerate the evolution of modern dentistry. Corus works with more than 15,000 dentists and are thrilled to be collaborating every day with very talented practitioners who share the same passion for digital dentistry.
Our purpose is to develop the most innovative dental solutions and working protocols that promote efficiency and sustainability with the environment. With a commitment to excellence and quality, we aim to provide relevant solutions for clinicians and their patients, and promote modern and accessible dentistry in an inclusive and integrative environment.
What are your thoughts on the UK dental technology industry?
The UK is rich in talented clinicians and entrepreneurial dental lab managers who share our vision. There is increasing adoption of digital dental technologies and a growing awareness of oral hygiene importance.
In the context of the scarcity of dental technicians and a rising demand for premium oral care treatments, we think that Corus has a role in offering the best in-class service to physicians willing to accompany the rise of personalised oral care.
What encouraged you to expand?
At Corus we first focus on people. A couple of years ago I had the opportunity to meet with extremely passionate and talented lab managers who were sharing the same dream.
The UK dental market is a well-established and competitive sector, encompassing various services such as general dentistry, orthodontics, cosmetic dentistry and dental laboratories.
The demand for dental services in the UK is driven by factors like a strong emphasis on quality standards and regulations in healthcare, increasing awareness of oral health, and advancements in dental technology. It is especially this last factor makes the UK a highly interesting market for us.
What impact do you hope to make through this expansion?
With Byrnes, we entered a new market to further consolidate Corus’s European footprint and leadership, serving high-end digital prosthesis and orthodontics to advanced dental clinics in nine European countries.
And now with QLAB, Tusk, and Simplee onboard, we are ratifying our trust in the UK market and in Corus making the right movements.
We are a network of more than 80 laboratories and nearly 2,000 employees who serve more than 15,000 dental practices and almost two million patients spread across the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Denmark and Norway.
We are working hard to promote innovative and differentiated solutions in the UK that have proven to be successful in other countries.
What did you see in the UK labs that made them suitable candidates for Corus?
The first and most important factor is that Byrnes, Qlab, Tusk, and Simplee’s directors and teams share our vision and values. They are all labs started by entrepreneurs who found there was room for a more technological and digitally driven approach in the UK’s dentistry market.
Patient expectations have evolved recently, and people now desire a comprehensive understanding of all the treatments and products available to ensure the best possible patient experience.
We live in the era of information! Our customers, the dentists, are adapting very well to this new trend and they also need to ensure the success of their practice by providing unparalleled quality and safety of care. Technology can assist in improving the patient experience.
Byrnes and our three new family members have always understood this, and they work towards this goal every day. As Corus does.
Are you stopping there? What can we expect to see you in the next five years?
These last integrations to the Corus family are one more step for us in the UK, with further expansion planned in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.
But in general, we seek to integrate reputed and advanced dental laboratories led by local entrepreneurs, who then become shareholders. All over Europe, we are maintaining the highest level of service to our existing clients nationally while upholding the localised connection.
Our strategies remain intact, making our family grow throughout Europe day by day. We work as a fully integrated digital platform where dentists can interact with the laboratory and patient, while ensuring the traceability of the prescription and delivering efficient and high-quality products and services to meet the patient’s expectations.
Read more on Corus’ UK expansion here.
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