Proclinic Group, founded by the Raneda de la Hoz family, was born in Zaragoza in 1983. Four decades later, that family project dedicated to manufacturing some products for dental clinics has become one of the main suppliers of machinery and services in the dental sector on a national scale. “We offer everything a dental clinic requires, both in terms of consumables and equipment,” explains Manuel Alfonso, CEO of the company, which has recorded a 24% revenue growth since 2020. Owned by the Spanish venture capital manager Miura Partners since 2021, in its last financial year it increased its turnover by 16%, to 256 million euros, and is currently immersed in a process of expansion throughout Europe. “It was in 2016 when the seed was planted to begin international expansion, but the project really took off with the acquisition of the majority stake in the company by the Miura group in 2021,” says Alfonso. First came the acquisition of a logistics centre in Poland – in addition to the state-of-the-art automated logistics centre of more than 12,000 square metres that they have in Zaragoza – and then another in Italy, which, they explain, allows them to supply their clients in the north of the continent within 24 to 48 hours. The reinforcement of their presence in Italy, one of the European markets with the greatest projection and growth forecasts, has come with the acquisition, in June, of the Italian company VS Dental. After the purchase, the group expects to increase its turnover by around 20 million euros, up to 276 million euros, and estimates that the weight of the international market in its activity will be above 50%. Alfonso insists that the objective is to lead the product offering in Europe. Although its main market continues to be Spain, the most exponential and accelerated growth, he explains, comes from abroad. “We are very ambitious regarding the European market and we share the goal of becoming the leader there,” he says. “In the last three years, since the incorporation of Miura Partners, we have doubled the size of the company. Half, or slightly more, has been organic growth and the other half, inorganic. [el que se deriva de fusiones o adquisiciones]“Acquisitions are a fundamental part of the company’s growth and the partnership with Miura reinforces this process: “The inorganic part is key and the objective is to ensure that we have the necessary resources to undertake the following phases, which will be more aggressive,” concludes the executive. In fact, in April, Proclinic renewed the agreement with Miura Partners, which has raised the Dent&Co fund, endowed with 200 million euros, in order to provide more support to boost the next phase of the company’s growth. This vehicle is led by Federated Hermes together with a group of institutional investors. There are two factors that, for the CEO of Proclinic Group, suggest that these are good times for the dental sector. The first is that concern for oral health and aesthetics continues to increase, so its market share is very solid and in Europe “it grows around 3% annually,” he points out. The second is a population pyramid that tends to invert and that suggests that these services will be increasingly needed, so the market will tend to grow strongly in the medium and long term. The company has four lines of business: distribution (Proclinic), production (through Exotec Dentaire, manufacturer of clinical consumables), training for its clients at the DEAC dental academy, and supply and technical assistance offered by Fadente, another of its subsidiaries. Currently, the company has a catalogue of more than 100,000 products that reach 32 countries and it is in the logistics capacity where, according to Alfonso, one of the company's strong points is found. «We have reinforced customer service, with 99% availability of products within 24 hours and an assistance service with experts.» In addition, they have expanded the sales channels to make access to potential buyers easier: «The experience of e-commerce has helped us lead sales in many areas,» he concludes.
The pillar of training
Artificial intelligence, digital dentistry, invisible or activator orthodontics… Training is essential for professionals in a healthcare and aesthetics sector that is constantly being updated, and it is also part of Proclinic’s business, which is trying to meet this demand for knowledge with the DEAC academy. In fact, it is a growing business, since according to a study by the Key-Stone Institute, specialised in the dental sector, 70% of dentists say they have participated in a conference or training course in the last year. “The data reflects the notable interest of professionals in acquiring training in the dynamic and innovative dental sector,” explains Alfonso. In fact, DEAC, which has had some 3,000 students, offers both paid courses for professionals and talks and presentations by experts. Regarding the setbacks that the sector may suffer, the CEO of Proclinic is very optimistic: “It is a good time for us and perhaps the biggest challenge is knowing how to adapt to a market that is growing a lot and grow in it.” In the medium and long term, he explains, the plan is to continue along the same path: “In the next five years the idea is to double the size of the business again,” he concludes. Follow all the information on Economy and Business on Facebook and Xor in our weekly newsletter
