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This brief report is intended to provide background information to NADL members on a recent article on imported dental laboratory restorations. This article was published online on https://www.bloomberg.com/ and also appeared in the April 24th print version of Businessweek magazine.
Overall, NADL sees the publishing of this article as an opportunity.
It is the first time in many years, that a major media outlet has covered any aspect of the dental laboratory industry. It provides a springboard for a broader and deeper conversation by other media outlets.
In early March 2017, the reporter that wrote the article contacted NADL to gather information about the dental laboratory industry.
The original story line of the article was going to focus on NAFTA and import trade tariffs and whether or not tariffs would reduce the amount of dental laboratory work coming in from Mexico.
NADL educated the reporter on the dental laboratory market and the larger issues facing dentistry. It was shared that although Mexico has some dental laboratories that provide work for the U.S. market, the percentage of work is very small compared to other countries. NADL shared U.S. government data with the reporter that countries like China and Vietnam represent the largest amount of offshore work.
NADL provided the names of nearly twenty individuals involved in the U.S. dental laboratory industry to the reporter that he could speak with to gather more information and diverse viewpoints.
The individuals recommended by NADL included owners of small, medium and large dental laboratories, as well as several supplier/manufacturers.
NADL also recommended that the reporter post his interest in speaking with individuals on the Dental Laboratory Technicians Facebook page administered by Elizabeth Curran, CDT. The goal of this outreach was to identify individuals who have had to reduce their workforce or close their dental laboratory due to offshore competition.
NADL has maintained communication with the reporter on at least a weekly basis, and sometimes daily basis to share additional information as requested.
As with any news article, NADL had no control over the content of the story, nor the storyline.
NADL at the very beginning, and throughout the story development process, provided detailed government data to the reporter. NADL also provided the reporter specific elements of NADL market research. This research is compiled annually by a third party market research firm, Valmont Research. This information helped provide a clear and factual picture of the demographics of the industry.
NADL provided considerable background information on the importance of the dental technician and dentist relationship as that directly correlates to several issues that highlight the distinction between domestic and offshore business models.
NADL tracks import trade data using a public database available from the United States International Trade Commission. Bloomberg was supplied with the government website and product codes so it could verify the data points directly.
As the trade association representing the dental laboratory industry and profession in the United States, NADL would have preferred a focus on additional topics within the story.
The article, given the story, line did not provide information on the valuable role that dental laboratory technicians and dental laboratories play in dentistry:
Some of the areas of improvement included:
It is important to note that Bloomberg, and specifically, Businessweek is a business news outlet with a circulation of 600,000. It is not a consumer publication. The readers are focused on macro business trends.
NADL’s board of directors has approved a media strategy that would encourage other media outlets to dig deeper on the offshore topic including transparency in the supply chain and standards.
Article Reference:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...eth-are-a-battlefield-as-trump-takes-on-trade
Continue reading...
Overall, NADL sees the publishing of this article as an opportunity.
It is the first time in many years, that a major media outlet has covered any aspect of the dental laboratory industry. It provides a springboard for a broader and deeper conversation by other media outlets.
In early March 2017, the reporter that wrote the article contacted NADL to gather information about the dental laboratory industry.
The original story line of the article was going to focus on NAFTA and import trade tariffs and whether or not tariffs would reduce the amount of dental laboratory work coming in from Mexico.
NADL educated the reporter on the dental laboratory market and the larger issues facing dentistry. It was shared that although Mexico has some dental laboratories that provide work for the U.S. market, the percentage of work is very small compared to other countries. NADL shared U.S. government data with the reporter that countries like China and Vietnam represent the largest amount of offshore work.
NADL provided the names of nearly twenty individuals involved in the U.S. dental laboratory industry to the reporter that he could speak with to gather more information and diverse viewpoints.
The individuals recommended by NADL included owners of small, medium and large dental laboratories, as well as several supplier/manufacturers.
NADL also recommended that the reporter post his interest in speaking with individuals on the Dental Laboratory Technicians Facebook page administered by Elizabeth Curran, CDT. The goal of this outreach was to identify individuals who have had to reduce their workforce or close their dental laboratory due to offshore competition.
NADL has maintained communication with the reporter on at least a weekly basis, and sometimes daily basis to share additional information as requested.
As with any news article, NADL had no control over the content of the story, nor the storyline.
NADL at the very beginning, and throughout the story development process, provided detailed government data to the reporter. NADL also provided the reporter specific elements of NADL market research. This research is compiled annually by a third party market research firm, Valmont Research. This information helped provide a clear and factual picture of the demographics of the industry.
NADL provided considerable background information on the importance of the dental technician and dentist relationship as that directly correlates to several issues that highlight the distinction between domestic and offshore business models.
NADL tracks import trade data using a public database available from the United States International Trade Commission. Bloomberg was supplied with the government website and product codes so it could verify the data points directly.
As the trade association representing the dental laboratory industry and profession in the United States, NADL would have preferred a focus on additional topics within the story.
The article, given the story, line did not provide information on the valuable role that dental laboratory technicians and dental laboratories play in dentistry:
Some of the areas of improvement included:
- Reference to dental technicians as cobblers. Clearly, it is known that dental technicians, based on third party data, are generally formally educated, have considerable job experience in the field of dental laboratory technology and provide a high level of consultation to their dentist clients on the most complex of cases. Dentists rely on the expertise of their dental laboratory partners to provide consistent and quality restorations for their patients.
- The story left the reader with unanswered questions. Most articles, especially when published online, prompt thinking and reaction and not an outcome. This article did not guide the reader to take any specific action; rather it provided information on market trends.
- The Article Title – News outlets seek engagement and the title used online was selected to spark engagement and click throughs by Bloomberg readers. It should be noted different titles were used on the online and print versions of the article. The title of the print version article is “U.S. Dental Labs Are Gritting Their Teeth”.
It is important to note that Bloomberg, and specifically, Businessweek is a business news outlet with a circulation of 600,000. It is not a consumer publication. The readers are focused on macro business trends.
NADL’s board of directors has approved a media strategy that would encourage other media outlets to dig deeper on the offshore topic including transparency in the supply chain and standards.
Article Reference:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...eth-are-a-battlefield-as-trump-takes-on-trade
Continue reading...