A-dec
Industry | Manufacturing |
---|---|
Founded | 1966 |
Headquarters | Newberg, Oregon, US 45°18′55″N 122°57′12″W / 45.3152°N 122.9534°W |
Key people | Ken and Joan Austin, Founders Scott Parrish, CEO Marv Nelson, President |
Products | Dental chairs, lights, cabinetry and sterilization |
Number of employees | 1500 |
Website | A-dec.com |
A-dec (Austin Dental Equipment Company)
History
In 1964, Ken Austin built an improved air-powered vacuum system known as the Air-Venturi System, which varied from the belt-drive devices in use at the time.[4][5] That same year the company released the first miniature delivery unit designed specifically for the new reclining patient chair, Dec-Et, followed by the complementary Tray-Cart, the first mobile dental assistant's work surface. The mobile equipment helped the company grow rapidly.[6] In 1966, A-dec was incorporated, and at the time the company was housed in a Quonset hut in Newberg.[4][7] They built a new plant and offices on 150 acres (0.61 km2) on the edge of Newberg in 1971. The company expanded distribution into 23 countries that year as well.
In 1977, A-dec offered a full line of instrument delivery systems. In subsequent years, the company added chairs, stools and dental lights, becoming a full service provider in the 1980s with revenues of $75 million annually by 1990.[7] They developed a dental cabinetry line in 1983 as well as building the self-contained water system, allowing dentists to have a controlled water supply to handpieces, and syringes, improving the industry's infection control. A-dec began a partnership with W&H, a family-run company based in Austria and a leading manufacturer of rotary dental instruments in 1985. The partnership positioned A-dec for new growth into the dental handpiece and ancillary equipment markets with the A-dec|W&H co-brand. In January 1990, they bought A-dec Diversified Inc., a company also in Newberg.[8] The company grew to 600 employees by 1992.[9] In 1999, the company was named as the 88th largest woman-owned company in the US.[10]
A-dec introduced new products the Cascade and Radius in the 1990s, and in 2004 introduced the A-dec 500. The chair-mounted delivery system brought new technologies together for the first time and created an integrated system. The development of A-dec 500 led to streamlining the company's production lines and staging A-dec for a quicker time-to-market for its products. They also switched from a cold press to a hot press for their wood piece production at their 60,000-square-foot (5,600 m2) plant.
By 2006 the company had grown to almost 1,000 employees and annual revenue of $250 million.[4] A-dec named Scott Parrish president of the company in 2007, replacing founder Ken Austin.[12] In 2008, the company held a contest for dentists and gave the winners new office equipment.[13] They also opened a new 25,000-square-foot (2,300 m2) training facility that year in Newberg.[14] This facility doubles as a showroom for visiting dental professionals to view the company's products.[15] The company introduced the A-dec 300, a fully integrated chair and delivery system with a smaller footprint in 2009. That year they also laid off 100 employees due to the worldwide economic downturn.[16] In February of that year the company was fined by the Environmental Protection Agency and then reached a $325,700 settlement for selling an unregistered pesticide.[17]
In 2024, A-dec announced the expansion of its business with the launch of the A-dec Certified Pre-Owned Equipment program.[18] The company has developed a refurbishing process that includes a rigorous multi-point inspection to ensure the quality of its used dental equipment. A-dec's certified pre-owned equipment is sold in packages, with sales and installation managed by authorized A-dec dealers.
Operations
Founders, George Kenneth 'Ken' Austin Jr. (1931-2019[19]) and Joan D. Austin (1931-2013[20]), developed the "A-dec Way", a written expression of the operating philosophy which governs all aspects of the company.[21] Introduced in 1972, the philosophy contains 15 points from a concern for people to encouraging creativity among others.[21] Employees receive profit sharing from the privately held corporation.[5][22] The company's 40-acre (160,000 m2) campus in northeast Newberg has 11 buildings with 500,000 square feet (46,000 m2).[22] As of 2003 the private company was debt free.[23] Most of the equipment built is custom ordered by dentists.[24]
The company has affiliations with the
A-dec has won many award including being named as one of Oregon's Most Admired Companies by the
See also
References
- ISSN 0040-9243.
- ^ ISSN 0043-7662.
- Oregon Economic & Community Development Department. Archived from the originalon 2007-08-17. Retrieved 2009-05-08.
- ^ a b c Tims, Dana (December 21, 2006). "Joan Austin brings a quiet boom to Newberg". The Oregonian. pp. A1.
- ^ a b Edmonston Jr., George P. (September 2002). "Building a Better Mousetrap". Oregon Stater. Oregon State Alumni Association. Archived from the original on 2006-08-31.
- ^ Colby, Richard (November 14, 1988). "A-DEC built on dental equipment". The Oregonian. pp. D8.
- ^ ISSN 0891-4036.
- ^ "Two A-DECS become one". The Oregonian. January 25, 1990. pp. D11.
- ^ Blackmun, Maya (April 10, 1992). "Pacific Metal bows to quirks of customer". The Oregonian. pp. B6.
- ^ Duryee, Tricia (May 4, 1999). "Five Oregon Companies Make Top 500 List of Women-Owned Businesses". The Oregonian.
- ^ Steves, David (December 11, 2003). "Big donors give tax petition a push; Ballot Measures; Nearly half of the $600,000 it cost to put it on the ballot came from five companies". The Register-Guard. p. D1.
- ^ Tims, Dana (January 4, 2007). "Northwest: Ken Austin, co-founder of A-dec, steps down". The Oregonian. p. C2.
- ^ "Two Dental Practices Win Big to Help Patients". dentistryiq.com. 2008-08-31. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
- ^ Staff (April 17, 2008). "Metro Southwest Neighbors: In Brief - SW-Tigard". The Oregonian. p. 9.
- ^ Moody, Robin J. (April 4, 2008). "A-dec opens a new showroom". Portland Business Journal. Retrieved 2009-05-08.
- ^ Tims, Dana (February 13, 2009). "Dental supplier A-dec jettisons 100 employees". The Oregonian.
- ^ Learn, Scott (February 7, 2009). "Dental supply firm, EPA settle dispute". The Oregonian.
- ^ "A-dec Launches Certified Pre-Owned Program". Dental Products Report. 2024-02-27. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
- ^ "George Kenneth "Ken" Austin Jr". The Oregonian. May 20, 2019. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
- ^ "Joan D. Austin". The Oregonian. June 13, 2013. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
- ^ ISSN 0360-9936.
- ^ a b Brinckman, Jonathan (June 10, 2004). "Inside Oregon Business: A weekly look at businesses' strategic decisions details keep A-dec lean". The Oregonian. p. B1.
- ISSN 0021-8448.
- ^ Hall, Mark (June 24, 2002). "Web ServicesOpenPortalDoors; Industry standards make for easier access and application integration". Computerworld: 28.