Cast Frame Outsourcing

[login9922]

Local Guy i have been using for years for my cast frames. Is having major health issues and hasn't been able to work a couple of weeks and doesnt appear he will return for a while. I was looking for another lab to send cases too. Im located in louisiana and it would be for frameworks only low volume Im Mainly c+b lab.


Thanks

Steve
Bayou Dental Lab

 

[JohnWilson]

I still think Bertram Dental Lab in Wi is the best production lab out there for frames when you look at quality vs price.

As strong as a supporter of this lab that I have been over the years I have to honestly say that recently there has been some issues and I have addressed them with Jeff Bertram with hopes they will go away.

maybe it growing pains, not sure.

Goodluck

 

[kcdt]

Jochim Chrome in Concord CA or Chromeworks in Chico CA. I've been with Jochim 15 years. Very predictable. I hear nothing but good about Jerry and Chromeworks.

 

[Gru]

Are you waxing the frames, or doing CAD?

 

[wwcanoer]

Dental Design in Santa Rosa CA is very good too, and does great job of dealing with the "weird" stuff.

 

[login9922]

Thanks for the input. I have exocad for C&B implant abuts and bars. Does exocad have a partial module?

Thanks again

 

[evanosu]

Frankly I would look at outsourcing overseas. There's no difference in getting your car from Japan than getting a cast metal frame. From my experience you cannot tell me that Bertram is twice as good as from an overseas supplier. I'm paying under $60 a frame and my dentists love them. I had one who said he's tried about 15 labs for frameworks and was so happy to have found us. He could care less where it's made, he's all about quality. PM me if you are interested in the supplier and if your volume is low, you can send them to me as I send bulk almost daily.

 

[Pat_L]

Frankly I would look at outsourcing overseas. There's no difference in getting your car from Japan than getting a cast metal frame. From my experience you cannot tell me that Bertram is twice as good as from an overseas supplier. I'm paying under $60 a frame and my dentists love them. I had one who said he's tried about 15 labs for frameworks and was so happy to have found us. He could care less where it's made, he's all about quality. PM me if you are interested in the supplier and if your volume is low, you can send them to me as I send bulk almost daily.

I don't quite understand the parallel between buying a car from Japan and getting a cast partial frame. The problem with outsourcing isn't the quality, it's presuming your standard of living is more important than the standard of living of the technician in the next county. By sending your frames overseas you are reducing the amount of technicians needed in your own country. Granted, it is by a small number, but what if 50% of the labs sent their frames to China? The unemployment in the dental industry would be higher. I find it scary that one by one, North America is losing it's manufacturing jobs and people like you don't seem to care. When your country is mired in an unacceptable unemployment rate, will you accept paying higher taxes to keep everyone fed? Sorry, I've spent enough time on my soapbox, time to wax up some frames.

 

[ceram1]

I care, and IMHO the tech that is claiming they don't will eventually be bypassed themselves. At a recent lecture I attended there was some data on a slide that was compiled by DTI., the bottom line was that almost 90% of sampled docs did not want there work sent to a foreign lab. Bertram's prices are more than acceptable, the reason they have our cast partial work is the previous lab we worked with is a dsg lab that decided that their casting dept wasn't profitable enough, or at least as profitable as their 24-7 lab in Mexico. "Nothing will change, same turnaround, same price, the complex cases will still be done here," f-that. Bertram is a good casting lab.