YOUR LAB MAGAZINE BY KULZER #3 THE NEW NORMAL SOLUTIONS Financial security, p. 4 APPLICATION Gloss Layer, p. 12 VIEWS Kulzer employees, p. 14 EXPIERENCE Kulzer Mobile Academy, p. 19

DEAR CUSTOMERS The pandemic continues to control our daily lives, routines and the way we work. We, as your global Kulzer team, want to thank you for your trust and loyalty during these – for all of us – challenging times. Please let me assure you: We are here for you without compromise! Our local teams work tirelessly to support you in maintaining the oral health of your patients; as we know their oral health is integral to their overall health. Please reach out to us whenever we can assist you. Together we will gain strength again and together we will overcome this crisis – because: We are better together. In the current WE issue we want to give you insights into how your colleagues around the world cope with the challenges arising through COVID-19. Kulzer employees from Germany, USA and Brazil share their experiences in a personal interview. Having yours and our employees’ safety in mind Kulzer decided to not attend various trade shows – this includes the world’s largest dental fair, the Inter national Dental Show in Cologne, Germany. Since this decision we have been working on an alternative event format that would offer you added value while giving us control and flexibility – especially in view of the pandemic. The solution we are now developing for you, our customers, is the Kulzer Mobile Academy, a concept that combines training and trade fair, personal meetings and digital exchange – close to you. Get curious and first insights in the magazine. We are all in this together. Together we are able to find solutions to stay connected, together we will gain strength again and together we will overcome this crisis – because: We are better together. Take care and stay healthy, Marc Berendes CEO Kulzer Write to us! Do you have any comments on this topic? We are always grateful for your suggestions – recommendations, questions, criticism – by e-mail: we@kulzer-dental.com #3 3 3

Position Cost of materials and external services Salary costs Rent Other fixed costs Interest and redemption payments Employer’s salary Cost 10,000.00 € 20,000.00 € 5,000.00 € 5,000.00 € 2,000.00 € 8,000.00 € Total monthly regular payments 50,000.00 € As the owner of a dental laboratory, you are familiar with the monthly continuous flow of payments and withdrawals from day- to-day business. First determine – as shown in the example – the costs for materials, personnel, rent, and other running costs of administration and maintenance. Also take into account payments for loans and interest as well as private withdrawals in sole propri- etorships and partnerships as imputed entrepreneurial income. This sum of regular monthly payments, here 50,000 euros, should be the minimum amount available on the business bank account at the end of the month – after transfer of the total costs including wage and salary payments. This would pre-finance one month of daily business. Solid financing prevents unpleasant surprises Do you know the golden rule of financing? It requires the temporal correspondence between the raising of capital and its use as assets. Imagine your dental lab needs a new DLP 3D printer. It has a useful life of eight years. The loan you use to finance the pur- chase should run for the same period. The capital borrowed and the assets financed with it must therefore have the same maturity. The bottom line: calculate the financing to ensure sufficient liquid- ity. At the end of the day, you’ll be better off if you base your busi- ness activities on these two basic economic rules described in this article, understanding liquidity and smart financing. In the second part of this article, you will learn five concrete, detailed tips that will effectively support you in this. HANS-GERD HEBINCK Business consultant from Soest, Germany, helps dental laboratories and practices to improve their performance and profitability, e. g. through communication and team training. hebinck-unternehmensberater.de … and its possible consequences Liquidity is defined as the ability to meet all payment obligations – when they are due. Even if scarce liquidity does not necessarily lead to insolvency, it does increase costs compared with a company that has sufficient capital at hand. Common consequences of liquidity problems include: expensive interest due to exceeding credit lines extortion by banks in loan negotiations and poor financing conditions financing cancellations and loss of innovative strength lost profits from unused discount drawing possibilities costs from reminder fees and late payment surcharges due to late payment loss of reputation and poorer conditions with suppliers because payments are transferred too late loss of reputation among employees due to late salary payments and limited room for manoeuvring when deciding on salary increases The top priority should always be ensuring sufficient and appropri- ate liquidity. But how much short-term liquidity is advisable? Let's take a look at the following simplified figures, which are intended as a guideline for “good times” with a normal economic cycle: #3 5

4 4: Recognise and utilise leeway Conversely, some businesses have rather ample liquidity reserves in the form of large bank deposits. In such cases, there is a risk of a loss of prof- itability, e. g. due to a lack of interest or inflation. However, the effect of the low return on uninvested funds can be neglected at present – if one takes into account the low interest rate phase which is likely to continue for a long time. In the case of large bank balances, however, consideration should be given to distributing these balances over accounts at several banks. The possible advantages: it may be possible to avoid or reduce negative inter- est rates and increase deposit insurance in the event of a banking crisis. If you have large bank balances, ask your house banks what deposit protection they currently guarantee. 5 5: Choose financing formats that are easy to calculate Do you know the difference between bullet loans and annuity loans? The annuity loan is the safe option: with financing calculated on the basis of the term. Here, the financing lasts as long as the actual use. In contrast, with bullet loans, the loan is not repaid over the term. Instead, an investment fund or a life insurance policy is saved at the same time – with the aim of having saved enough capital at the end of the term so that the loan can be repaid in one amount. Bankers or financial service providers usually promise that a considerable amount of capital will be saved in addition to the amount of the loan for retirement. That sounds good at first. But what if, for example, far too long repayment terms were chosen for lab start-up loans, and at the same time, the financial products for the savings do not yield the planned (and necessary) return? This often happens, with the consequence of financing gaps that have to be covered at an advanced age. A further disadvantage is the fees that are charged twice: as interest on the loan over the entire term, as well as for high commissions and/or expenditure premiums for the savings product. So always separate financing from invest- ment transactions and avoid bullet loans – even if they are sold to you as a tax-saving model. CONCLUSION A good businessperson in a small or medium-sized company finances investments smartly and calculably, thereby ensuring sufficient liquidity in their dental laboratory. In good and less good times, it’s important to remain as independent of banks as possible, and you will be able to withstand even harder crises. WHAT EXPERIENCES DID YOU MAKE DURING CORONA-TIME? Share your views to the economic impact in your country under we@kulzer-dental.com #3 7 45

When a lab receives the impression from the dentist, it is regular procedure to take disinfection measures – which now in times of COVID-19 are even more impor- tant. When working in the lab, basic hygiene rules concerning COVID-19 should always be followed (see the “Good to Know” part of this article for a short recap). There is one other point of contact which dental labs shouldn’t forget: the transport to and from the dental lab. A courier driver who enters the dental office and the laboratory and does not meet all hygiene requirements poses a risk to everyone. We would like to show you in a short picture gallery how you can minimise the risk of contamination when having materials and work transported to and from the dental practice.  Couriers must follow all hygiene rules when picking up or delivering a package in the dental lab. They should wear a mouth and nose covering and disinfect hands before entering your workplace – and keep a distance of 1.5 metres at all times.  When materials arrive, the package should be thoroughly disinfected. GOOD TO KNOW BASIC RULES FOR THE WORKPLACE IN DENTAL LABS • Wash and disinfect your hands several times a day. • Disinfect shared workplaces after finishing work. • Sneeze or cough in the crook of your arm or in a tissue. • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces. • Keep at least 1.5 metres distance to other people. In the dental lab, you can keep one workplace open between two people to keep the recom- mended distance. • If it’s not possible to keep your distance, wear a mask. • Disinfect all items coming from the dental practice like impressions, crowns, bridges etc. • Ventilate rooms often. Enclosed spaces should be ventilated every hour for 10 – 15 minutes. #3 9

TRAINING 2.0 WEBINARS DURING COVID-19 CRISIS Dental technicians cannot do their work from home. Still, dental technicians had often a lower workload due to the fact that dentists treated less patients during lockdowns. What to do with the extra free-time? Where to get new information, stay up-to-date, or improve your knowledge in dental fields? Workshops or in-person education were no longer possible. That’s when another new normal stepped in: webinars. At Kulzer, we adapted to the new situation as well, and have been providing more webinars for our customers. Thanks to many years of innovation in all dentistry fields, and good contact to experts in the dental world, we were able to organise various webinars on diverse subjects. We also trained our own staff, providing training to 1,052 people in 62 webinars! Here are some details about our customer webinars from March to September 2020: Countries: Belarus, Benelux, Brazil, France, Germany, India, Italy, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Middle East, Poland, Russia, Spain, USA Topics/Purpose: 32.1 % 18.9 % 11.3 % 7.5 % 5.7 % Restoration Impression Bonding Teeth Prosthetics Digital Signum Ceramics Scrap Others 5.7 % 5.7 % 3.8 % 3.8 % 5.7 % Example of a webinar Webinar with the most participants: Indirect Mock-up, Speaker Dr. Amir Hajdhamou, 6,100 participants Webinars held: 66 Participants: 31,363 YOU WANT TO JOIN ONE OF OUR WEBINARS? Then go to kulzer.com/we-elearning and click on your country to see whether and which webinars are being offered! #3 11

3 Finally, the veneer is covered with the transparent OT1 from the Signum Matrix set as thin as a glaze material for ceramics. Optionally vibrate the object after application to distribute the OT1. The great thing is that fresh composite is there on the surface and the dental technician can draw ingenious textures with the brush. In between the textures can be “fixed” for about 10 seconds with the fishing lamp HiLite pre 2. With the universal curing HiLite power 3D it has to be interpolymerised for 90 seconds to “freeze” the final surface design. Now the Signum insulating gel is applied in a layer of approx. 5 mm on the veneer to cover it. This way the surface is not exposed to atmospheric oxygen. This is the prerequisite for uniform polymerization. The final polymerization of 180 sec- onds takes place in the HiLite power 3D. Afterwards a large part of the gel can to be transported into the storage pot using an instrument. Thus the material costs can be kept very low. The remaining insulating gel is washed off under running water. A shiny surface is already visible. 4 5 Finally, a high-gloss polish with the Mepol brush and Signum HP Diamond is all that is needed, the finish is provided by the Hipol high-gloss buff. Clean under water with a brush or in an ultrasonic device (no evaporation). This way the veneer retains its shine. YOU WANT TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE SIGNUM INSULATING GEL AND SIGNUM HP DIAMOND? All product features and information can be found here: kulzer.com/we-signum-surface #3 #3 13

How did your customers deal with this difficult situation? Jeff Bachey: Everyone has suffered dramatically trying to operate under these pandemic circumstances, and a lot of people were personally affected with furloughs and layoffs. Everyone is cutting spending to get through this difficult time. Most companies have had to be flexible on payment terms in order to manage the situation. Tatiana Assis: A special experience for me during these times was to be able to close important and challenging sales deals, even without a personal contact to the customer. This was an unfamiliar situation. I personally strongly believe in a new work model that will continue after the pandemic, in which the use of social media has shown to work perfectly for us. What did you learn through this pandemic? Arzu Okkay-Oeztürk: The whole crisis showed me how we have to treat everybody and everything on this earth differently, which means being more mindful and realising how precious this life is. Tatiana Assis: Yes, I agree. For me social isolation was undoubtedly something I had never experienced before, but I’ve learned a valuable lesson: the human ability of adaptation. This has never been so important. Jeff Bachey: It’s been crazy times and we’ve learned so much. This virus reminded me how grateful I am to work for a global company like Mitsui, who supports and protects its employees through very difficult times. Tatiana Assis: The labs have gone through a rough time in Brazil, as well. The dental market in general has shown its strength and dental professionals are more than ever demonstrating their respon- sibility towards the health of their clients, partners, and patients. So overall, based on the feedback we’ve been receiving from dentistry professionals, we have a positive feeling. Arzu Okkay-Oeztürk: In Germany, dentists and dental labs are lucky to have the possibility of working reduced hours while still getting paid, which is subsidised by the German government (Kurzarbeit). Most labs I heard of used this “tool” to get through the hardest months. But I was surprised by the big differences I heard about from our custo mers. Some labs really struggled with cash flow and having enough work for their staff, while others were telling me that after the shutdown they had too much to do, and didn’t have enough staff to get all the work done. Of course, this depended in some ways on the region, since certain regions were not as massively affected by COVID-19. What is a special experience you had during the COVID-19 crisis? Jeff Bachey: When I had one of my last business trips in the middle of March in New York, it really hit me when we had our business meeting and nobody shook hands. Later on, on my flight back home, the airport of New York City, which is normally one of the busiest airports in the world, was almost empty. That was an awakening for me. HOW CAN WE FURTHER HELP YOU DURING COVID-19? Write us your suggestions under we@kulzer-dental.com #3 15

How did the dental lab world cope? How to proceed and improve on the most effective way to be best prepared for the time after the lockdown? One way is to try out materials like HeraCeram and explore new possible applications. It’s nice to do great work, but it’s even better when you can share your efforts with others. The Facebook group HeraCeram World provides a great place for dental technicians from all around the world to share the results they achieved with veneers and Hera Ceram. Social Media helps us to come closer together even in challenging times of COVID-19 lockdown phase. Join this amazing community where you can feel the dedication and passion of so many dental technicians! We collected some wonderful work shared in this group during the coronavirus lockdowns and high- lighted them here in our magazine. Thanks to all the dental technicians for their great work and their consent to use it in our magazine! #3 17

UPSKILLING WITH THE KULZER MOBILE ACADEMY TRADE SHOW FEELING DESPITE COVID-19 How can knowledge transfer and new products, personal exchange and digital dialogue formats be combined? We have developed a solution for our customers and partners which, despite COVID-19, offers a certain trade show feeling: The Kulzer Mobile Academy. STEFAN KLOMANN Chief Marketing Officer “After our decision not to take part in the coming IDS, we worked on finding an alternative event for- mat that would offer our customers real added value while giving us control and flexibility – especially in view of the pandemic,” says Stefan Klomann, Chief Marketing Officer at Kulzer. The Mobile Academy, with which Kulzer will be touring the world from 1 March 2021, is a new training concept and is entirely dedicated to further training: customers are invited to expand their knowledge and skills with Kulzer training courses and at the same time get to know new Kulzer products. Customers do not need to go on an extensive journey – the Mobile Academy brings the most important information about the fair directly to their doorstep in a trailer. The Hanau-based dental company is heading to more than 200 locations in Germany, neighbouring European countries and the USA with the Mobile Academy Pavilion, whilst observing the local Covid 19 guidelines. The Mobile Academy will start on 1 March 2021 at the Kulzer headquarters in Hanau, accompanied by reports in the social media, such as live streams of the lectures. There will also be online services throughout the entire truck tour, so that the dental experts will be able to participate virtually in the tour or in individual lectures and training sessions. With this concept, we want to offer our customers a way to enjoy a relaxed event close to their place of work during this extraordinary time without the long journey, the hustle and bustle of the trade fair and the associated uncertainties. FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK OR INSTAGRAM and stay up-to-date when we announce our tour plan for the Kulzer Mobile Academy! https://www.facebook.com/kulzerinternational/ https://www.instagram.com/kulzerinternational/ #3 19