Dental products delivered to the world with well-organized precision
LM-Dental™ is Europe’s fastest growing hand instrument manufacturer and the market leader in the Nordic countries. All of our products, such as hand instruments, LM-Activator™s (orthodontic appliances), ultrasonic scalers, and the LM Dental Tracking System™, are designed and manufactured in Finland. The company’s supply chain department oversees logistics. The department consists of four teams: purchase & warehouse, quality assurance, final release and order fulfillment.
Four dynamic teams
Working in the supply chain requires precision and organization from each team member to ensure all departmental plans stay on schedule. “As a purchaser, I must be precise, organized, price-aware, and stay current with the changing world. The purchase & warehouse team ensure that the right amount of raw materials are ordered and received, and that they meet our quality criteria. These materials are used, for example, by our research & development team as well as production in the manufacturing of our products”, says Karin Ketola, purchasing manager.
At LM-Dental™, research extends from product design to manufacturing processes. Dental products must fulfill strict standards and customer expectations. We are renowned for our top-quality products, the company’s quality assurance team ensures that both raw-materials and semi-finished goods meet the set requirements, every time. The job requires knowledge of measuring-technology, as well as understanding of different work-phases and their impacts on the finished products.
For the products to be delivered to our warehouse and from there to our customers, the final release team must approve the products for sale. A final release team member verifies that the production documentation is in order and in accordance with the requirements. The documentation is reviewed for all set work-process steps including their completion. This is routine work, requiring precision and persistence – records must be kept in order. A release team member with good communication skills excels at their duties, even when they might have to point out coworkers’ minor errors with documentation.
The order fulfillment team receives and processes customer orders. At LM-Dental™ the order fulfillment team is called Aula (Lobby). They work closely with our area sales managers and customers. “Tasks are divided among the team members, and they include, among other things, welcoming and receiving visitors, answering and screening phone calls, incoming and outgoing shipments, order processing and account receivable services. All things are taken care of because we are very much on the same page. The best aspects of my work are its diversity, customer service elements, and international contacts,” states Minna, finance administrator and logistics coordinator.
Team and individual meetings
The supply chain department is led Antti Nikkanen, who emphasizes that each employee must stay current of ongoing and future work. That is why team and individual meetings are held. Multidisciplinary knowhow and seamless communication are the keys to serving customers in the best possible way. “Everyone’s contribution is important. Even though we are racing against time, work-time needs to be set aside for going through things together and for catching up with colleagues, in addition to getting things done. Individuals complement each another and together create a beautifully functioning and efficient entity. Great team, great results!”