Chesa Dental Care Services: A Market Leader in Dental Care Equipment Manufacturing in India
Dr. Anju Lilaramani
COO
Today, Chesa operates with a strength of over 150 employees on field, 100 in administration and manufacturing. Chesa also has one of the widest distribution channel with 120 distributors, giving Chesa a strength of almost 350 people working towards on a common goal. In an exclusive interview with CEO Insights, Dr. Vijay and Dr. Anju talk more about how they were able to become pioneers in this segment and what helped them to succeed in the Indian Dental industry.
"The satisfaction of supporting a dentist to do the best practice he can and give the best possible care to his patients is what motivates us every day"
Share with us the inception story of Chesa Dental Care Services. What inspired you to get into the medical device manufacturing industry?
Dr. Vijay: We started working on this concept in the year 1990 with a thought of doing something different. After trying clinical practice, we felt that maybe helping Dentists will allow us to make a large impact and got into the trading industry. The goal was to make sure good quality products are available at affordable prices. We initially started trading in consumable products and soon expanded to equipment. We imported and launched various brands and products in the Indian dental market. To put it very simply the satisfaction of supporting a Dentist to do the best practice he can and give the best possible care to his patients is what motivates us every day.
What different roles have you been under taking at Chesa Dental Care Services?
Dr.Vijay: I may be the CEO, but my core focus is on ensuring the customer is happy at all costs. I actively engage with them on social
media and try my best to ensure that all escalations are treated with maximum care and speed.In the organization, Dr. Anju and I have divided our work such that we are able to lead and manage teams effectively. I handle future expansion, strategic growth mapping, third party associations and the complete financial landscape of the firm.
Dr. Anju: My role has always been to manage the core team and the supply process, from overseeing our manufacturing process to strategizing with sales and service heads. I generally have a jam packed day. Of course, I am always there for customers if there are escalations as well. Being the COO brings upon me the responsibility of the administrative team, and administration is something I enjoy doing.
We also have our daughter in the business since the last six years, Dr. Shilika Lilaramani. Dr. Shilika leads marketing, strategy and innovation at Chesa, be it all the new software planning, innovative ideas for processes, she is always excited to bring some thing new and useful to the table. She also is the Co-Founder and MD of ViScan Diagnostics, and ViScan has scaled from one to 17centres under her leadership.
Our son, Adheesh Lilaramani has recently finished his engineering from the US and is working in the field of data analytics with a keen interest in finance. He also assists the company in streamlining data management and supports us to follow data backed strategies.
How has the structure in the medical industry changed after Covid-19, and as a CEO, what were your strategies that were implemented to counter the challenges that came across?
Dr.Anju: The Dental industry was one of the most badly affected during the pandemic primarily due to the proximity of the Dentist with the source of infection, the nose and mouth. This time was surely one of the most challenging in our professional careers, but it gave us time to take a step back and go back to the drawing board to analyze and plan the strategic steps needed to be relevant and thriving in the future. We were also one of the first companies in the industry to launch and actively market COVID protection products. #Chesa AgainstCOVID19 was our campaign and we served over almost 30,000
To put iT very simply, the satisfaction of supporting a dentist to do the best practice he can and give the best possible care to his patients is what motivates us every day
Dr. Anju: My role has always been to manage the core team and the supply process, from overseeing our manufacturing process to strategizing with sales and service heads. I generally have a jam packed day. Of course, I am always there for customers if there are escalations as well. Being the COO brings upon me the responsibility of the administrative team, and administration is something I enjoy doing.
We also have our daughter in the business since the last six years, Dr. Shilika Lilaramani. Dr. Shilika leads marketing, strategy and innovation at Chesa, be it all the new software planning, innovative ideas for processes, she is always excited to bring some thing new and useful to the table. She also is the Co-Founder and MD of ViScan Diagnostics, and ViScan has scaled from one to 17centres under her leadership.
Our son, Adheesh Lilaramani has recently finished his engineering from the US and is working in the field of data analytics with a keen interest in finance. He also assists the company in streamlining data management and supports us to follow data backed strategies.
How has the structure in the medical industry changed after Covid-19, and as a CEO, what were your strategies that were implemented to counter the challenges that came across?
Dr.Anju: The Dental industry was one of the most badly affected during the pandemic primarily due to the proximity of the Dentist with the source of infection, the nose and mouth. This time was surely one of the most challenging in our professional careers, but it gave us time to take a step back and go back to the drawing board to analyze and plan the strategic steps needed to be relevant and thriving in the future. We were also one of the first companies in the industry to launch and actively market COVID protection products. #Chesa AgainstCOVID19 was our campaign and we served over almost 30,000
Dentists. Even during lockdown, our team was doing its best to support Dentists with the best gadgets and protective gear such that they could cater to emergency cases and patients.
Dr.Vijay:One of the milestone achievements during this period was the launch of Chesa Academy.Via Chesa academy, we were conducting various free webinars for Dentists, and this allowed them to keep upgrading their knowledge and skills even when they were not practicing. We launched a lot of upcoming enterprising speakers on our platform and also conducted various events like debates, extempore and more.
In your professional journey so far, which are the milestones that bestowed you with utmost satisfaction?
Dr. Anju: For us at Chesa, when we hear a customer is happy with our product or service, I think that brings all of us the maximum satisfaction. We have second generation Dentists coming to us 20-30 years after we helped their parents setup their own practice, so that is a great feeling when we are catering to the youngsters of today. We have received various prestigious awards from important bodies in the industry such as Famdent and Bitein. We have also got wards for Highest Sales performance from companies like Ray Korea, Megagen Korea, Alliage Brazil, and many more.
This year was particularly special because we also managed to win the award for Entrepreneur of the Year in Trading Business Distributor by Entrepreneur India, which is surely a feather in our cap! We hope to reach a point where every customer is always smiling and happy with his/her Chesa products and can find all their Dental product needs with us as a one stop solution.
Dr. Vijay: Right from establishing our first manufacturing plant to successfully launching various products that were well accepted by the market, and most recently, exhibiting our products to the inter-national markets at IDS Koln has brought a sense of immense satisfaction. Close associations with companies such as 3M Dental India and Durr Dental alongside getting to work with companies such as Alliage, MegaGen, Ray Medicals, Fussen and many more gives us immense joy.
Dr. Vijay Lilaramani, CEO
Dr.Vijay is a pioneering professional that strives for consistent improvement through constant innovation.
Dr. Anju Lilaramani, COO
Dr.Anju is an exemplary professional that strives to ensure that they never compromise on the quality of their offerings.
Dr.Vijay:One of the milestone achievements during this period was the launch of Chesa Academy.Via Chesa academy, we were conducting various free webinars for Dentists, and this allowed them to keep upgrading their knowledge and skills even when they were not practicing. We launched a lot of upcoming enterprising speakers on our platform and also conducted various events like debates, extempore and more.
In your professional journey so far, which are the milestones that bestowed you with utmost satisfaction?
Dr. Anju: For us at Chesa, when we hear a customer is happy with our product or service, I think that brings all of us the maximum satisfaction. We have second generation Dentists coming to us 20-30 years after we helped their parents setup their own practice, so that is a great feeling when we are catering to the youngsters of today. We have received various prestigious awards from important bodies in the industry such as Famdent and Bitein. We have also got wards for Highest Sales performance from companies like Ray Korea, Megagen Korea, Alliage Brazil, and many more.
This year was particularly special because we also managed to win the award for Entrepreneur of the Year in Trading Business Distributor by Entrepreneur India, which is surely a feather in our cap! We hope to reach a point where every customer is always smiling and happy with his/her Chesa products and can find all their Dental product needs with us as a one stop solution.
Dr. Vijay: Right from establishing our first manufacturing plant to successfully launching various products that were well accepted by the market, and most recently, exhibiting our products to the inter-national markets at IDS Koln has brought a sense of immense satisfaction. Close associations with companies such as 3M Dental India and Durr Dental alongside getting to work with companies such as Alliage, MegaGen, Ray Medicals, Fussen and many more gives us immense joy.
Dr. Vijay Lilaramani, CEO
Dr.Vijay is a pioneering professional that strives for consistent improvement through constant innovation.
Dr. Anju Lilaramani, COO
Dr.Anju is an exemplary professional that strives to ensure that they never compromise on the quality of their offerings.