Henry Schein Halas new flagship dental retailer

Henry Schein Halas will be launched as the flagship vehicle for US-based Henry Schein Inc's operations in Australia in March 2006. The new brand will combine the staff, showrooms and infrastructure of Henry Schein's two retail sales organizations, Halas Dental Limited and Henry Schein Regional.

In New Zealand, the two brands will continue as Henry Schein Regional and as Shalfoon Brothers.

"With our acquisition of Halas Dental in mid-2005, we were presented with a number of opportunities," said Maurie Stang, Managing Director of Henry Schein Regional. "For the last many months, we have been developing the strategy and infrastructure of how best to serve the Australian dental community utilising all the resources we have, both locally and internationally.

Mr Stang said that Henry Schein Halas will operate along similar lines to Halas Dental and offer the complete spectrum of products and equipment a practice or laboratory requires.

Henry Schein Halas will operate from the existing premises of Halas Dental around Australia.

"For our many valued customers, little will change," Mr Stang said. "All your favourite products will continue to be available from the new business. The territories of our sales representatives will become smaller so each practice will have a single, dedicated representative who can spend more time with the practice and be able to offer a greater portfolio of products. This will serve to increase our level of service and communication.

"We are also investing in training all our representatives through the Henry Schein University to ensure they have a level of product knowledge that will be unsurpassed in the industry. They will be able to offer each practice a greater range of products at very competitive prices with service and support second to none."

The Henry Schein Halas Equipment arm, set-up mid-2005 (ADP July/August 2005), will continue to deliver sales and service for the product ranges of Air Techniques, Dental 4 Windows, J Morita, Miele, Mocom, Pelton + Crane, Planmeca, Scican, X-Rite and Zeiss.

Protec Dental Technologies, another Henry Schein joint venture set-up in 2004, will continue to sell and service the Hoya ConBio dental lasers and other high tech dental products.

"The expansion of the group is designed to provide our customers with better service and ensure our products stay very cost-effective," Mr Stang said. "Once this new structure is operational, it will provide a very solid foundation from which we can start to add even greater value for our clients."