Ivoclar Vivadent Establishes Its First Factory in China, Phase One Investment of $10 Million for Automated Dental Medical Device Production Line

Image source: Ivoclar Vivadent official website

DentalGoodNews｜On April 17, 2026, the Ivoclar Vivadent Group officially signed a project cooperation agreement with the Shanghai Xinzhuang Industrial Park, announcing a phase one investment of $10 million (approximately 68.18 million RMB) to build an automated dental Medical Devices production line. According to the Shanghai Xinzhuang Industrial Park, this marks the first time since the group's establishment that it has relocated its manufacturing segment to mainland China. Previously, the group only had an imported Medical Devices sales entity in China. The landing of this project is expected to fill the gap in Ivoclar Vivadent's manufacturing presence in China.

According to public information, the group was founded in 1923 and is headquartered in Liechtenstein. It has deep expertise in the R&D and sales of dental restorative materials. Its product portfolio covers direct restorations, fixed restorations, removable prosthetics, Oral prevention, and dental aesthetics. Currently, it operates 47 branches and offices, 6 major production bases, and its products are sold in over 130 countries.

Shanghai Xinzhuang Industrial Park

It is reported that the newly landed project plans to construct an automated dental Medical Devices production line. The first phase will focus on the Localized Production of products such as dental filling materials and adhesives. Wu Qiang, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Minhang District Committee and District Mayor of Shanghai's Minhang District, and Zhang Xian, Deputy District Mayor, attended the signing ceremony.

Regarding the site selection considerations, Stefan Riegler, the group's Chief Production Officer, stated: "The government provided us with a very efficient site evaluation process, with exceptionally high administrative efficiency. Many of our sister companies are already located here, and they all recommended we invest and build our factory here." He also cited clinical data for the IPS e.max® product: a 97.2% survival rate after ten years of patient use, indicating fewer repairs and replacements, lower long-term treatment costs, and a better patient experience.

According to official statistics, the Minhang District is currently home to 26 Oral Medical Devices manufacturing enterprises, forming an Industrial Cluster that includes Straumann in the Dental Implant field and 3M in the dental care sector. A relevant person in charge of the Xinzhuang Industrial Park expressed hope that the three companies—Straumann, Planmeca, and Ivoclar Vivadent—would achieve full-chain technological complementarity within the park in "implantation + restoration + imaging," promoting the integrated development of high-end dentistry from diagnosis to treatment. Physical clustering is also expected to reduce supply chain costs and facilitate the flow of talent and technology.

The park also stated that it will subsequently carry out targeted investment attraction for upstream and downstream enterprises aligned with the Industrial Cluster direction. It will collaborate with departments such as the District Science and Technology Commission, District Market Regulation Bureau, and District Medical Product Review Center to provide enterprises with full-process one-stop services. Specific measures include: establishing a whitelist for key enterprises to expedite the review and approval process for transitioning from import to local production; implementing "one enterprise, one policy" for potential companies to support the expansion of digital processing technologies; guiding enterprises to jointly establish Oral materials laboratories with universities to accelerate the domestic substitution of key materials like Dental Implant alloys; and building the "Shanghai Minhang Oral Excellence Center," while leveraging leading park enterprises to host industry-specific exhibitions.

As of the time of writing, Ivoclar Vivadent has not disclosed the specific construction commencement or mass production timeline for this production line.