Welcome to The BRIDGE, an online network from LMT dedicated exclusively for members of the Dental Laboratory community.
Lab Management
- April
Cost-Cutting Strategies
Michael Hill · Management · Apr 2013In the latest installment of Barry D. The Lab Guy, Laboratory Owner Mike Hill explains his strategies for protecting the bottom line.
About Marketing, Business Management and Lab Management
- February 2012
Faster, Smarter, Better: 36 Strategies to Boost Your Business
LMT Communications, Inc. · Management · Feb 2012Have an ingenious marketing strategy? Innovative cost-cutting idea? New way to streamline production? Share your best business boosting strategies with over 3,000 of your peers on THE BRIDGE!
From the Series: Faster, Smarter, Better: 36 Strategies to Boost Your Business
8 Faster, Smarter, Better Management Strategies to Boost Your Business: We Want to Hear Your Management Strategies
LMT Communications, Inc. · Faster, Smarter, Better: 36 Strategies to Boost Your Business · Management · Feb 2012###Problem: I'd like to implement pre-scheduling to help make our workload more consistent; we're overwhelmed one day and slow the next. Strategy: Pre-scheduling—where the laboratory, rather than the dentist, determines the turnaround time for each case—helps ensure an even workflow,...
Bruce Keeling, CDT likes thisFrom the Series: Faster, Smarter, Better: 36 Strategies to Boost Your Business
3 Faster, Smarter, Better Customer Service Strategies to Boost Your Business: What Are Your Secrets For Excellent Customer Service?
LMT Communications, Inc. · Faster, Smarter, Better: 36 Strategies to Boost Your Business · Marketing · Feb 2012>In this economy, working faster, smarter, better is the key to riding out the storm. Here are 3 easy-to-implement tips that can lead to a leaner, meaner, more efficient laboratory operation. ###Problem: I want to find a concrete way to reward customers who have remained loyal to us and haven't been...
- November 2011
Loyalty Rewards Programs: Build Loyalty, Control Cash Flow and Add Value
LMT Communications, Inc. · Marketing · Nov 2011Loyalty rewards programs are an effective way to maintain strong relationships with your top clients, encourage their repeat business, optimize cross-selling opportunities and regulate cash flow.
About Marketing and Lab Management
Benita Soni and Molly Hazelrig like this- September 2011
Dedicated Faculty Key to Thriving Technology Programs
LMT Communications, Inc. · Labs & Profiles · Sep 2011Though the number of accredited dental technology programs is dwindling, two programs on opposite coasts—Los Angeles City College and New York City College of Technology—continue to be successful, thanks in part to the dedication of the program direc
Renata Budny, CDT and Jim Redden like thisGlidewell Laboratories: 'Crossing the Traditional Boundaries of Dental Technology'
Kelly Fessel Carr · Management · Sep 2011Glidewell Laboratories is once again “crossing the traditional boundaries of dental technology” with the opening of its 2,800-sq-ft, state-of-the-art training, education and technology demonstration facility.
About Lab Management
- April 2011
Two Labs in One: Laboratories Ride the Wave of High-end Dentistry
LMT Communications, Inc. · Management · May 2001There's a surge of interest in high-end dentistry and progressive laboratory owners are riding the crest of the wave.
Jeffrey Bolton likes thisThe Art of the Appointment
LMT Communications, Inc. · Management · Nov 2001By asking their dentist-clients to make an appointment for each case, owners and managers are using pre-scheduling systems to solve one of the most chronic production problems in the laboratory—fluctuating workflow.
Implants: Now a Standard of Care
Maribeth Marsico · Management · Nov 2006Thanks to advances in CAD/CAM technology, immediate-loading implants and internal connection designs, implants are becoming the restorative dentist's first choice in tooth replacement.
Let's Get Personnel: a Guide to Creating An Employee Policy Manual
LMT Communications, Inc. · Management · May 2001Whether you have five technicians or 50, employees need to know what you expect from them and what they can expect from you.
Professional Employer Organization: An Offsite Human Resource Department For Your Laboratory
LMT Communications, Inc. · Management · Jan 2005By outsourcing the human resources functions of their businesses to professional employer organizations (PEO), lab owners gain a valuable partner with personnel management expertise...
The Training Crisis: How It's Affecting Our Industry
LMT Communications, Inc. · Management · Jan 2004In the face of a perpetual lack of newcomers to the field and a wealth of technologically advanced products, laboratory owners face a training challenge on two fronts: they need to educate their technicians and their dentist-clients.
The Generation X Gap
LMT Communications, Inc. · Management · Oct 2001Generation X is the term used to describe Americans born between 1964 and 1981—but they’ve also been referred to as disloyal and demanding, especially by their baby-boomer managers. Generation gaps aren’t new...
Disclosure, Registration and Regulations: What You Need to Know
LMT Communications, Inc. · Management · Apr 2006An overview of disclosure, FDA registration and regulations that every laboratory owner needs to know.
Regulations May Help Improve China's Image
LMT Communications, Inc. · Management · Oct 2008China has implemented new labor laws and environmental regulations and is changing tax incentives in an effort to pacify citizens and encourage an exodus of factories.
11 Retention Strategies That Work
LMT Communications, Inc. · Management · Jan 2003When it comes to holding on to your technicians, money isn’t everything. Employees want challenge, growth opportunities and to truly feel like valued members of your team—not just another cog in the wheel.
By the Numbers: How to Use Them & Improve Them
LMT Communications, Inc. · Management · Sep 1998For those who are intimidated by accounting terminology and financial reports, LMT tells you what to look for, how to understand the reports and explains how to take a systematic approach to running a financially successful laboratory.
Your Balance Sheet: Why It's Important
LMT Communications, Inc. · Management · Sep 1998The balance sheet—comprised of assets, liabilities and the owner’s equity—provides a snapshot of the financial condition of your laboratory at any given time.
About Lab Management
Burnout: Are Your Technicians Feeling Tested, Bested, Toasted and Roasted?
LMT Communications, Inc. · Management · May 2000Are your technicians stressed, having difficultly concentrating or withdrawing? They may be on the verge of job burnout. Learn how to spot the warning signs and help your technicians survive and thrive when caseloads and overtime are high.
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The Dollars and Sense of Pick-Up and Delivery
LMT Communications, Inc. · Management · Mar 2000It is still standard practice in our industry to provide case pick-up and delivery as a free service for local dentist-clients. However, many laboratory owners don't track their...
The J-1 Visa: How to Sponsor An International Technician in Your Lab
LMT Communications, Inc. · Management · Apr 2007LMT explains the application process for obtaining a J-1 visa, which allows overseas technicians to train in U.S. laboratories for up to 18 months.
How to Put a Price Tag On Your Business
LMT Communications, Inc. · Management · Oct 1998LMT explains the valuation process and various methods used by professional appraisers. Also included: strategies for adding value to your laboratory if you are putting it on the market.
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The Piecework Payoff
LMT Communications, Inc. · Management · Sep 2000Piecework, once a dirty word in our industry, gets a second look from laboratory owners now convinced that pay-by-the-unit compensation offers them greater control...
Kids With Working Parents
LMT Communications, Inc. · Management · Apr 1999At D&S Dental Laboratory in Wisconsin, President Dick Pilsner, CDT, has extended the idea of a family-friendly work environment to include an on-site daycare center for employees' children.
About Lab Management
Prior to the Pitch: How to Secure a Bank Loan
LMT Communications, Inc. · Management · Oct 2002Considering a commercial bank loan to take your business to the next level? LMT offers advice for the financing novice and also explores alternative financing options.
About Lab Management
Alternative Financing Options
LMT Communications, Inc. · Management · Oct 2002If a bank isn’t willing to take a risk on your growing laboratory or you simply want to conserve your “borrowing power,” you may want to consider one of these financing alternatives:
R&E Tax Credit: Turn Your Research and Experimentation Efforts Into Dollars
LMT Communications, Inc. · Management · May 2006Experimenting with new products? Adding new equipment? Learn how to turn your research and experimentation efforts into dollars for your laboratory; this is especially good news for million-dollar-plus labs.
About Lab Management
How to Encourage Your Employees' Service Ethic
LMT Communications, Inc. · Management · Jan 2001How to encourage your employees' service ethic...
Deadbeats: How to Handle Delinquent Accounts
LMT Communications, Inc. · Management · Nov 2001Statistically, 18% of customers are considered “slow” payers and 2% have no intention of ever paying. Chasing deadbeats can be time-consuming and even uncomfortable. However, by taking a proactive, preventive approach and staying on top of delinquent
Collection Letters: One Lab's Approach
Mark Jackson, RDT · Management · Nov 2001Mark Jackson, owner of Precision Ceramics, Montclair, California on writing effective collection letters
About Lab Management
A Unique Partnership—Laboratories With Dentists On Staff
LMT Communications, Inc. · Management · May 1998Reduced remakes. Technical expertise. Improved communication. Three things almost any laboratory owner would like to have more of, but how? A few progressive laboratory owners tell you—hire a dentist.
About Lab Management
More Low-cost and No-cost Morale Boosters
LMT Communications, Inc. · Management · Jan 20057 Tips to boost employee morale
Cumulative Trauma Disorders: Prevention is the Best Medicine
LMT Communications, Inc. · Management · Oct 2006Thirty-four percent of all workday injuries and illnesses are related to cumulative trauma disorders (CTDs). A claims and loss control expert details how to reduce or avoid CTD claims by minimizing your technicians' risk factors.
About Lab Management
Cross Contamination: the Risk and the Reality
LMT Communications, Inc. · Management · Sep 2001Despite OSHA regulations and recommendations from numerous industry groups, laboratories still report that many of their clients aren’t disinfecting impressions and incoming cases. Should you be concerned?
Dental Laboratory Industry Piques FDA Interest
LMT Communications, Inc. · Management · Apr 2005In light of the dramatic rise in imports from overseas laboratories in the past several years, the FDA has become concerned that these low-cost offshore restorations might not contain FDA-approved materials that are legally required to ensure patient
About Lab Management
Exit Planning Strategies: Thinking About Selling Your Laboratory?
LMT Communications, Inc. · Management · Apr 2007Experts say you should be thinking about how you'll retire from the moment you open your doors; at the very least, you should begin formulating your plan 10 to 15 years in advance of your expected retirement date.
About Lab Management
Exit Plans
LMT Communications, Inc. · Management · Jan 2002If you don't know where you're going, how will you get there? An exit plan is not just about the day you'll leave the laboratory, it's about setting long-term goals so the future doesn't sneak up on you.
About Lab Management
Globalization and Automation: Hot Topics at CDLA Meeting
Kelly Fessel Carr · Management · Nov 2006Globalization and automation: hot topics at CDLA meeting
How to Build a Successful Partnership
LMT Communications, Inc. · Management · Mar 2003An effective business partnership can help your laboratory flourish. Together, you have a larger pool of talent and resources. But when a partnership sours, the results can be devastating. Laboratory business partners share what makes their alliances
About Lab Management
How to Write a Business Plan
· Management · Nov 1998Sherman Borkan, CDT, CM, outlines key details you should consider including in your business plan.
About Lab Management
Lab 2 Lab: Why Outsourcing is Win-win
LMT Communications, Inc. · Management · Mar 2000The shortage of skilled technicians and the abundance of new restorative systems are driving the demand for outsourcing. Subcontracting enables laboratory owners to test the market and see how a product fits into their workflow before they buy.
About Lab Management
Labs Go Lean
LMT Communications, Inc. · Management · Jun 2007Laboratory owners who have implemented Lean Manufacturing principles reveal how they're eliminating waste, streamlining workflow, reducing turnaround times and ultimately becoming more competitive.
About Lab Management
The Legalization of Denturism: a Fight Led By Few
LMT Communications, Inc. · Management · Jun 2004Denturism is now legal in six states: Arizona, Idaho, Maine, Montana, Oregon and Washington—and denturists say more legislation is right around the corner. Read on to learn how they did it and if your state may be next.
About Lab Management
Make Sure Quality Goes Out the Door...Not Out the Window
LMT Communications, Inc. · Management · Mar 2007Are you confident that every case that goes out the door is representative of your technical standards? Owners share strategies to assure that all restorations leaving their labs are their best work.
About Lab Management
Managing Change
LMT Communications, Inc. · Management · Apr 2001Change is a natural process and one of the few constants in life, but it’s also something many people resist. Failure to successfully implement change can be devastating to a laboratory: technicians become preoccupied, productivity drops, gossip and
About Lab Management
Mergers and Acquisitions: is Our Cottage Industry Going Corporate?
LMT Communications, Inc. · Management · Mar 2007In the past two years, three private equity firms have invested in dental laboratories and group laboratories have made a considerable number of acquisitions, with some of them being the largest purchases in our industry's history. How are these move
About Lab Management
Offshore Competition: How It's Affecting Our Industry
Kelly Fessel Carr · Management · Apr 2004Spurred by the tight economy, chronic shortage of technicians, an ever-increasing need to stay competitive in a price-driven market and the communication ease of the Internet, more and more laboratory owners are considering overseas outsourcing as an
About Lab Management
Offshore Outsourcing: Shopping in a Global Market
LMT Communications, Inc. · Management · Apr 2005In our price-competitive, technician-deprived industry, offshore outsourcing is becoming an increasingly viable business strategy.
About Lab Management
Outsourcing: How Did We Get Here?
LMT Communications, Inc. · Management · Apr 2004The first wave of out-sourcing began two decades ago with jobs for making shoes, cheap electronics, and toys departing to developing countries. It caused a huge blow to the U.S. manufacturing sector...
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