Align Technology announces 3D orthodontal manufacturing targeting Middle East and Africa

Align Technology announces multi million dollar manufacturing facility to support growth and adoption of the Invisalign system in the EMEA region

Align Technology, a global medical device company engaged in the design and manufacture of the Invisalign system, iTero intraoral scanners, and exocad CAD CAM services for orthodontic and restorative dentistry, has announced plans to open a new manufacturing facility in Poland to address the large and underpenetrated market opportunity in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region, which represents over 5 Million annual orthodontic case starts and more than 150 Million EMEA consumers who can potentially benefit from a healthier, beautiful smile. The new Wroclaw plant will be Align’s first in the EMEA region and its third plant worldwide, joining Juarez, Mexico and Ziyang, China.

The new facility is expected to begin supplying customers in the EMEA region in early 2022. The investment is part of Align’s strategy to bring its operational facilities closer to its customers. Align works directly with doctors, dentists and orthodontists to provide them with the Invisalign system of clear aligners to prescribe to their patients’ to straighten their teeth and transform their smiles.

Align Technology is the world’s largest 3D printing manufacturer, with as many as 7,00,000 unique aligner parts produced per day in its manufacturing facilities across the globe. The Invisalign system is leveraged by over 2,00,000 Invisalign trained dentists and orthodontists. More than 9.6 million patients have been treated with the Invisalign system worldwide, including 2 million patients in the EMEA region as of the fourth quarter of 2020.

The new Align manufacturing facility will open in early 2022, with plans to support all EMEA Invisalign case shipments by 2024. The multi million dollar investment by Align is one of the larger projects by an international company in the greater Wroclaw area.

“I am excited to announce plans to open our first aligner manufacturing facility in the EMEA region, and third globally. This significant investment underscores our commitment to the more than 62,700 Invisalign trained doctors and their patients in the EMEA region and extends our local operations in the region that include treatment planning facilities, TREAT, based in Poland, Germany and Spain,” said Emory Wright, Align Senior Vice President, Global Operations.

“We are proud to open Align’s first manufacturing facility in the EMEA region. The state of the art EMEA plant is expected to add more than 2,500 jobs to Align by the end of 2025, making it the company’s largest investment in EMEA to date. Align has been expanding its presence in the region for the past 20 years by adding new offices, building strong regional and local teams, and expanding digital treatment planning facilities in three different markets  with plans for further expansion. This new investment will allow us to deliver on our ongoing commitment to Invisalign doctors in the region to support them with more dedicated, customised support, as well as quicker turnaround and delivery times,” added Markus Sebastian, Align senior vice president and managing director, EMEA.