There is a river that links
Italy and Europe and that also gives its name to a Bologna-based excellence in
dental care. Thinking big, starting with a tiny, miniaturised product. A
journey to discover Rhein83 and an idea that has scaled the world. For the programme
FARE INSIEME Giampaolo Colletti interviews Claudia Nardi, President of Rhein83
di Giampaolo Colletti
@gpcolletti
Photocredit: Giacomo Maestri e Francesca Aufiero
The brilliant idea came about in the
early ‘80s on the banks of the Rhine River, which flows almost four hundred
kilometres through eastern Switzerland. It's not a minor detail because it was
precisely the Rhine that gave its name to this entrepreneurial adventure that
broke the status quo by bringing progress and innovation. But let's proceed in
an orderly fashion. Ezio Nardi, who at the time was running a large dental
laboratory in Bologna with almost forty employees, was working near the Swiss
banks. So, the name was inspired by that river, which coincidentally is also
linked to Bologna. “Dad studied devices
for the retention of mobile prostheses, made from innovative materials. They
were so effective right from the start that, over time, erased the previous
types and still have few competitors on the world market. The study of this
device started in Bologna, a city also bordered by the Rhine”, says the daughter Claudia Nardi, current
president of Rhein83. A deliberately German name for an international
positioning, with a strong vocation for export. Today, the company records a
turnover of around 10 million euros with a profit of almost 4 million and
employs around thirty people. In Italy, it has 300 customers, including
distributors of dental products, dental laboratories and dental surgeries
through an extensive network of distributors. Abroad, the product is sold in 80
countries to almost 800 customers. Thinking big, starting with a tiny,
miniaturised product. Because, in this case, we are talking about balls with a
maximum diameter of two and a half millimetres that go inside the teeth.
However, that's where a lot of research and boundless perseverance lie. The key
to Rhein83 has been to rethink devices with innovative materials in a
pioneering way, making it a leading company among those specialising in the
dental sector.
Past,
present, future. Let's go back to the beginning, to the
year 1983. How can we do better what we
already do well? The entire history of Rhein83 revolves around this
question. A question posed by father Ezio, a startupper in his 50s at the time
who, since the beginning of his career, has had a sound obsession: that of not
being satisfied. Then, his original idea made it possible to rethink the dental
attachments of the time from scratch which, eventually, disappeared forever. “They were metal-on-metal devices, they wore
out and the prosthesis wobbled. Our proposal was more flexible, simpler and
more interchangeable from the outset. Our service is fast because we are
specialists in just in time”, says Nardi.
Today, the company deals with all types of prostheses, from prostheses
for children to ceramic prostheses. Technically, a device is put in place to
attach them in a slightly different way than in the past. A soft, retention
plastic with a strong hold over time. “We
have been working on this concept since the beginning, focusing on research
into new materials and new devices thanks to an in-house team led by Gianni
Storni, who is also CEO”, says Nardi.
Growth over the years has been exponential. Thinking and prototyping, working
in the laboratory with passion and patience. Yes, patience inevitably comes
into play: after all, it can take up to two years to submit a technical
dossier. “We have a mechanical workshop
in our company and we have had four employees working there since 2017. We have
internalised production processes that were previously external. Today, we
design and manufacture a large part of the devices and sell them worldwide”, says Nardi.
The globetrotting company. An industry survey involving more than two hundred dental specialists
found that Rhein83 ranked 39th in terms of turnover, 9th in terms of profits,
17th in terms of company value and 1st in terms of profit margin and ROA
(return on assets). However, after almost forty years, what has remained
unchanged and what has changed? Nardi has no doubt about this: “The basis
of this device, its essence, has remained unchanged. The purpose is still to
keep a prosthesis tight, but the possibilities have increased and we have
adapted to the market trying to anticipate it. Research has changed a lot over
the years, but we still make that product. Recently, thanks to research and
development by Gianni Storni, we have also come up with a device for fixed
prostheses, making it easier to be removed for dental checks”. In
order to create this niche product in dental technology, there is a significant
component linked to training, both in the classroom and online, for dentists
and dental technicians. “Helping people to understand the product has always
been at the heart of our company. In the ‘90s, we even ran a distance learning
course. It's indispensable for a dental technician who fits our product to know
how to do it and
for dentistry”.
The most rewarding moment? For Nardi, it was the arrival of his first big order
with an American company in the late 1980s. “It produced implants and
introduced us to the world. Having studied languages, I then travelled all over
the world with my partner Gianni Storni. Currently, my son also works in the
company, dealing with foreign marketing”, concludes Nardi.
When passion is combined with work, extraordinary things can be
achieved.
https://podcast.confindustriaemilia.it/
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