NEO Lab: Digital Growth Demands Addition

In 2010, thanks to a $450,000 makeover of a 7,000-square-foot building, New England Orthodontic Lab (NEO) moved into a beautiful new facility in Wilmington, MA. And although it was a state-of-the-art operation complete with ergonomic benches, advanced equipment and a high-tech security camera system, there was just one problem: “When we renovated this building, digital wasn’t even a twinkle in our eye,” says Christian Saurman, who co-owns the business with his father, Bill.

However, soon after moving in, the lab got involved in digital technology and its growth skyrocketed: it now has five 3D printers for orthodontic models, doubled its client base to 1,000 and increased the size of its staff from 35 to 84. As a result, the lab was bursting at the seams even after trying to reorganize some of its departments, like moving its digital technicians into a large section of the lunchroom.

So, in 2016, the lab hired a design/build...