In addition to the influences already mentioned, our business environment was marked by inflation and fears of recession, as well as the normalization of the record levels in 2021 (primarily for OPTIM surface disinfection wipes) due to the pandemic.

  Thanks to our contact with dentists, we can tailor our products precisely to their needs.

COLTENE generated sales of CHF 267.1 million (-4.3% year on year, -3.5% at constant exchange rates). The strained economic environment and bottlenecks persisting in the supply chain – as well as the normalization of the high OPTIM volumes sold in 2021 – primarily impacted Infection Control, with a -6.9% decline (-9.3% at constant exchange rates) compared to the previous period. Dental Preservation and Efficient Treatment saw only slight changes of -3.1% and -2.9%, respectively, in CHF (-0.7% resp. -0.3% in local currency terms) compared to 2021. The downturn in Infection Control predominantly affected the North American market, while China recorded decreases across the product portfolio due to the lockdowns. The EMEA region, on the other hand, performed well, with sales growth of 4.2% in local currency terms.

Thanks to strict cost control and the stable gross margin, the smaller sales base resulted in an EBIT margin of just 13.1%, down 2.6 percentage points (2021: 15.7%). The operating profit (EBIT) was CHF 34.9 million (2021: CHF 43.8 million).

In addition to serving and supporting distributors (i.e. our direct customers), maintaining contact with end customers (dentists) is also vital for COLTENE. Their feedback tells us what customers require from our products in everyday use, and allow us to tailor them precisely to their needs.

This inspired us to launch a state-of-the-art customer support application. Along with the familiar sales support functionality, it features an integrated customer service module, where all inquiries and complaints are recorded and systematically processed. Systematic recording allows the app to learn from every case and use this knowledge to respond to new inquiries. Our new customer service is faster, more expert, and more efficient – and with that our image, too.

We are currently expanding this application to include repair processing and customer training. These are two more areas where we are learning more about how people are using and benefiting from our equipment and products. We use this information to further develop our products and services to enhance customer value.

  Our new customer service – and therefore customers’ impression of COLTENE – stands out due to expertise, speed and efficiency..

In view of the growing importance of sustainable practice and due to the new obligations for nonfinancial reporting, COLTENE introduced a new
project organization for this topic in 2022. The first step in this regard was to conduct a detailed materiality analysis. In 2023, key performance indicators (KPIs) will be derived from this, and specific targets and measures defined and implemented. Key projects – such as the expansion of the solar panels in Altstätten or the involvement of the workforce and suppliers in the sustainability project – will be initiated or continued in 2023. For more information, refer to the Sustainability report.

COLTENE is well prepared for the transition to the new European Medical Device Regulation (MDR). All the product ranges will meet the new MDR regulations in Europe by May 2024. We want to adhere to this target date, even if the EU is likely to extend the transition period. Hence, this major Group-wide project will tie up fewer resources from 2024 on. These resources will then increasingly become available again for innovation in Research & Development.

The Group Management and the Board of Directors regularly assess COLTENE’s main business risks. A comprehensive risk assessment is conducted at least once a year. In this assessment, the relevant risks are systematically classified according to the likelihood of occurrence and the severity of the potential consequences. Potential risks and actions to contain these risks were examined once again during the year under review. The focus was on dealing with inflation, data loss due to cyber attacks, currency fluctuations, and general market risks.

  A new project organization is strengthening sustainable practice at COLTENE.

  In the medium term, COLTENE is expecting organic sales growth to outperform the market.