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I 19 feature _ interview I roots4_2010 _Which MICRO-MEGA products have set stan- dardsontheinternationaldentalmarkets? MICRO-MEGA inventions have set world stan- dards; for example, in 1957 with the first dismount- able handpieces with tungsten-carbide bearings; in 1963, Giromatic, the first contra-angle handpiece able to produce an alternating 90° rotation and spe- cially made root-canal tools; in 1964, micro-motors with 40,000 rotations per minute, on the basis of which micro-motors are built today by all manufac- turers; in 1974, the Masserann Kit for the removal of fracturedendodontictoolsfromrootcanals;in1996, HERO 642, a clear and simple system of rotary NiTi files; in 2002, HERO Shaper, a rotary NiTi file system. I could go on with this list indefinitely. All these experiences led to the development of the Revo-S file system, which was launched in 2009. This system enables a root-canal preparation with only three files. Revo-S is currently state-of-the-art technology;however,developmentisongoing,which is why we hold the AGE symposium every year. _In autumn 2009, MICRO-MEGA joined a group of companies under the management of SycoTec. In March of this year, the Canadian SciCan joined the European duo. The group is now amongst the top ten manufacturers of dental equipment worldwide. Whatopportunitiesdoessuchastronggroupoffer? One great asset is that we are able to join forces andlearnfromoneanother.OurfocushereinEurope naturally lies in Germany and France, but we are also going to enter new markets. If possible, we will use joint marketing, and joint research and development in order to consolidate our position on the market. An important part of the strategy is to maintain and further the SciCan and MICRO-MEGA brands. _Isthenameofthegroupstillunderdebate? Indeed, we have debated this for a while but have finallyagreedonaname.Iamproudtoannouncethat MICRO-MEGA, SciCan and SycoTec are members of the Sanavis Group. _MICRO-MEGA sells its products worldwide. Which countries are the most important in terms of turnover?Andwhichregionsholdthemostpotential inyouropinion? Europehasalwaysplayedanimportantroleinour corporate development. The most important import- ing countries are Germany and, in our domestic market, France. North and South America are in the process of development, particularly with the intro- duction of our rotary NiTi systems. We have also recorded good growth figures in the Asia-Pacific region.Moreover,wearekeenlyobservingtheMiddle Eastern region. As you can see, MICRO-MEGA as an internationally known brand is in the process of exploiting current potential markets. Thereiseverychanceofsuccess,particularlysince research and development in the group have now reached global player magnitude and we know how to take advantage of this. _Dr Gruner, are you currently working on the developmentofnewproducts? Dr Stephan Gruner: Thanks to the above- mentioned synergies, our newly created group is going to get things moving in the dental world. We are constantly trying to maintain our technological leadandthusworkhardandintensively.Aneventlike the AGE helps keep MICRO-MEGA’s finger on the pulse of world trends. _Have your expectations of this year’s AGE meet- ingbeenmet? The AGE meeting has once again helped us progress scientifically thanks to top-notch research resultspresentedbythespeakers.Duringourinternal MICRO-MEGA sessions, we were able to discuss international market demands further, which were then tested for feasibility and formed into projects. _Prof Shimon Friedman lectured on The endo- dontic treatment outcome: The impact of the new technologies. Would you please summarise the most importantpointsforus? Prof Friedman is world-renowned in the field of endodontics.Togetherwithco-authorsDrThuanDao “MICRO-MEGA is proud of having set international milestones.” Audrey Stefani “TheAGE meeting has once again helped us progress scientifically.” Dr Stephan Gruner