Dental Product Manufacturer
Consolidates In Akron Move

A recent headquarters relocation brought a smile to Akron. The city is now home to the new U.S. headquarters and manufacturing center for Coltene Whaledent, a Switzerland-based, multinational corporation that makes products found in dental offices, dental labs and health-care institutions in more than 115 countries. Many of its products are polymer-based and used in applications in restorative and cosmetic dentistry and orthodontics. About 60 percent of the company's production goes to the North American market.
        The deal was a consolidation move for Coltene Whaledent, which moved its corporate offices from Rahway, N.J., and its manufacturing operations from Tallmadge, Ohio. The company says it will eventually employ about 250 at the $11-million, 175,000-sq.-ft. (16,260-sq.-m.) facility. The City of Akron provided assistance with the cost of the move and installation of equipment. It also paid for site improvement costs.
        Coltene Whaledent officials began their site search 18 months ago and plan to move into the new facility in May 2003.
        "We purchased a business in Northeast Ohio in 1996 and that was successful, and as a result we came to realize that the area has a fairly substantial pool of individuals with skill sets in manufacturing," says Joe Fasano, Coltene Whaledent's vice president, finance. Fasono says his company looked at about a half dozen sites in New Jersey and Pennsylvania before deciding to call Akron home.