【JP:9340】Stock Price

Aso International is a dental laboratory group specializing in orthodontics that manufactures and sells custom-made orthodontic appliances. In addition to high-quality laboratory products, the company also imports and sells digital equipment such as intraoral scanners and 3D printers, and provides ancillary services including product seminars and repair services.

The company's primary customers are orthodontic dental clinics nationwide and dental universities and their affiliated hospitals, with orders from these sources forming the core of its revenue. The company has diversified its revenue streams through material sales, digital product sales, seminar operations, and repair services, establishing a stable transaction base despite operating in a single business segment.

The product lineup consists of three main categories: ①various orthodontic appliances such as expansion plates and retainers, ②transparent aligner-type orthodontic appliances (AsoAligner DIGITAL), and ③indirect bonding systems using brackets and wires (labial, lingual, and digitalized HARMONY lingual). By combining in-house manufacturing capabilities, 47 partner locations, and overseas operations, the company blends digital technology with craftsmanship to meet over 100 different customer needs.

The company has placed capturing growth opportunities in the global market and achieving sustainable expansion at the core of its growth strategy. External research indicates that the global orthodontics market will expand significantly over the coming years, and the company aims to substantially increase its overseas sales ratio by capitalizing on this tailwind. Currently, overseas sales account for approximately 4.9% of total sales. The company is strengthening sales channels in markets such as the United States through establishing local subsidiaries and registering as an official supplier to universities and other institutions. It is driving business expansion using the number of dental medical institutions served and sales per facility as key performance indicators.

The company differentiates itself through focused investment in product quality and high-value-added services. In addition to high-precision orthodontic laboratory products manufactured in-house domestically (with a track record of handling over 100 types), the company combines the wholesale and retail of digital products such as intraoral scanners and 3D printers with support services including seminars and repair services. This creates a comprehensive solution that is easy for general practitioners (GPs) to adopt. To improve quality, the company is advancing mechanization and standardization of work processes and stabilizing supply capacity by leveraging a network of partner organizations (approximately 47 locations domestically and internationally).

The company is advancing concrete organizational preparations to accelerate overseas expansion. In April 2024, it established ASO INTERNATIONAL USA, INC., and is already registered as an official supplier at multiple universities including the University of California, San Francisco, University of Texas at Houston, and Boston University. The company is strengthening ASO INTERNATIONAL MANILA, INC. in the Philippines as a manufacturing base. With overseas employees exceeding 300 across the three companies combined, the company aims to improve its overseas sales ratio through expanding sales channels centered on the United States and international division of labor in production.

The company positions technological innovation as a driver of growth and is focusing on digitalization and artificial intelligence utilization. Specifically, it is developing an AI-based system to virtually reproduce normal tooth alignment and advancing cloud-based data integration with dental medical institutions. Additionally, the company is expanding the applicable scope of its aligner product "AsoAligner DIGITAL" and developing comprehensive treatment packages tailored to customer needs to enhance product competitiveness. Simultaneously, it is pursuing productivity improvements through personnel development programs and work process automation, with the aim of improving operating profit margin, a key management metric.