Benkirane is a dental surgeon and one of the founders of Esthètica Polyclinique Medico-Dentaire, located in the northern Moroccan city of Tangier. Benkirane has been practising dentistry for 25 years, specialising in implantology and aesthetics, and is quite familiar with Planmeca’s products, since all of his clinic’s dental equipment has been produced by the company.

However, what has perhaps impressed Benkirane most are the people who make it all happen. “The human side matters very much to us,” he says. “Of course, technologically, Planmeca is a leader, they’re renowned. But for my colleagues and I, if there is no human connection, there can be no relationship. It just doesn’t work.”

The importance of the human element is also well known to Kare Hanttu, Area Export Manager at Planmeca. He believes his 17 years with Planmeca have taught him to look not only at the product or company but at the people behind it. “Morocco is an incredibly interesting region where I’ve always seen a lot of potential for our products,” says Hanttu. “However, it’s never enough to just have a great product—you also need to have a great partner and great after-sales support. When the phone rings, someone has to answer.”

“I spent a lot of time looking for the right distributor for us, before I finally met with our current distributor, Dental Technik Maroc. Although I was being contacted by a lot of people back then, I can usually tell who has what it takes,” adds Hanttu.

Although the dental industry in Morocco has been growing rapidly in recent years, the market is still transitioning to the latest digital technologies. Dental Technik Maroc’s founder and owner Mohammed Ammari has witnessed this transition first-hand. Having been in the industry since 2002, Ammari says the Moroccan market is now yearning for the latest and greatest in dental technology—and that Planmeca is delivering it.

“We are seeing more and more large dental centres being established and dentists seeking new technology—advanced technology—to make work easier and help brand their services to their customers. Now it’s becoming a trend for clinics to be equipped with Planmeca. It’s the top of the range. The number one. The crème de la crème of our dental world.”

When Benkirane and his colleague Dr Adil Berrada began to map out their clinic in 2011, their primary goal was to do things their way. “The dream was to create an institution where we would solve all the challenges we had seen in our practice,” Benkirane explains. Today, Esthètica employs 11 doctors, eight nurses, six prosthetists, and administrative and technical personnel. “We’ve pretty much managed to achieve what we set out to do,” he concludes.

According to Planmeca’s Hanttu, he is often personally involved in the clinic design process, but he also emphasizes the importance of the dealer relationship: “It tells our customers that we have someone there who is ready to take on the job and be present on a local level. The fact that we’re constantly getting these large clinic projects in Morocco is a clear signal that we’re doing things right.”

Benkirane agrees. “We are really satisfied with our Planmeca solution. What makes Planmeca special is that the business hasn’t been ‘robotised’. They are serious about what they do, and I have a lot of respect for that sort of thing.”

 

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