German BEGO and Songbai Dental Forge Strategic Partnership to Accelerate Expansion in China's Implant and Digital Dentistry Market

VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) has learned that on September 2, the German implant system BEGO signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Shuangbai Dental. BEGO will join hands with one of the leaders in China's dental industry investment, committed to better serving Chinese dentists and accelerating the expansion of the Chinese implant and digital dentistry market.

Through this strategic partnership, BEGO of Germany aims to enhance its engagement with the Chinese market, gain a deeper understanding of the clinical needs of Chinese dentists, incorporate this feedback into its R&D processes, further refine its global strategy and resource planning, and provide superior educational and training services.

Swanlake will leverage its extensive ecosystem of dental technologies, distribution networks, and clinical medical services to provide customized integrated solutions for BEGO, a leading German dental brand, catering to the needs of various types of dental practitioners. This strategic partnership entails long-term, comprehensive collaboration between the two parties in areas such as technical services, distribution and promotion, technological integration, and R&D support, as well as discussions on further integrating BEGO’s China operations through the establishment of a joint venture.

Walter Esinger, CEO of BEGO Germany, commented, “The Chinese dental implant market has already assumed a significant strategic position globally. BEGO Germany must adopt a forward-looking approach to rapidly respond to the clinical needs of the Chinese market through R&D, operations, education, and technical support. In the past, mature multinational brands like ours typically managed operations with the German headquarters as the center, viewing China merely as an overseas market. Now, we must shift this mindset. Through our collaboration with Songbo, we are strengthening our investment in the Chinese market. Songbo provides valuable support through its dental ecosystem and proven success in developing dental businesses. This strategic partnership will better enable us to integrate our respective resources, leveraging high-quality German R&D and manufacturing capabilities to address the rapidly evolving demands of the Chinese market in a flexible and comprehensive manner. Furthermore, we highly align with Songbo’s corporate culture and operational philosophy; both parties value openness, transparency, and proactivity, while prioritizing the enhancement of customer experience.”

Although market penetration remains low in China’s dental implant and digital dentistry sectors, rapid growth is expected as the functionality and convenience of products and system solutions improve.

After more than a decade of collaborative development with business partners, German BEGO has obtained approval in China to offer its full range of dental implants, establishing itself as a leading mid-to-high-end implant brand trusted by dentists. With BEGO’s new digital solutions poised for imminent regulatory approval and increased investment in education and training, the company is committed to enhancing its service capabilities for customers in China.

As planned by both parties, BEGO will open an advanced training center in the first quarter of 2020 to provide training and educational support to its Chinese customers. BEGO’s distribution partners in China will continue to play a significant role within the new collaborative network, serving existing customers as they have always done.

Mr. Chen Guang, Medical Director of Songbai Medical, stated, “Dental implants are no longer just a product, but a comprehensive suite of services designed to help dentists achieve better clinical outcomes. Forcing customers to adopt workflows designed by product manufacturers is destined to fail. We must provide customized products and services tailored to different customer segments. Leveraging its assets and capabilities within its dental network, Songbai will help BEGO better serve the diverse needs of customers across various business models in China. Songbai’s resources include clinical guidance from leading specialized stomatological hospitals, professional training facilities provided by dental chain clinics, the involvement of academic leaders in the field of dentistry in BEGO’s R&D processes, collaborations with dental imaging equipment and intraoral scanner technologies, and authorized access to design software and other services. Most importantly, we are committed to establishing a stable, long-term organization and team to serve Chinese dentists and commercial partners.”

Songbai Dental is an investment platform under Songbai Investment, focusing on dental technology, distribution, and healthcare services. Songbai Investment is one of the leading global investors in the dental industry.

Songbai Dental has made extensive investments across the dental industry in China, North America, and Europe, spanning upstream products and technologies, midstream software, training, and distribution, to downstream medical services. Its portfolio includes global leaders in digital dental equipment such as Carestream Dental, regional leaders in digital products such as Angelalign and OrthoCaps, an extensive distribution network comprising Huaguang Dental Group, a national dental distribution leader, and multiple provincial distribution champions, as well as dental clinic chains and large-scale dental hospitals.

Established in 1992, the BEGO Implant System is a member of the BEGO Group, a leading enterprise in dental laboratory solutions. Headquartered in Germany, the company is a multinational provider of dental implant solutions, offering a comprehensive range of implants and restorative solutions, surgical guidance solutions, and biomaterials.

The BEGO implant system serves the mid-to-high-end segment of the dental implant market in over 50 countries across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, renowned for its high quality and exceptional capabilities in product development and innovation. Recognizing China as a key strategic market, BEGO has cultivated a strong presence there for more than a decade, providing high-quality services to Chinese dental practitioners. The BEGO implant system’s product portfolio has been approved by the China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA), with all products designed and manufactured in Germany.