How Much Does It Cost To Become a DAMAS Laboratory and What Return Will I See On My Investment?
How Much Does It Cost To Become a DAMAS Laboratory and What Return Will I See On My Investment?
There are three basic charges involved in the DAMAS certification process
The first cost is $150 which is the application to the NADL. In return for this you will receive the DAMAS information pack
The second cost is the consultation fee. As a general rule this is set at $4,000 for the average size laboratory; however, Lawrence-Hall Consultants Ltd realize that in many instances, especially in the smaller laboratories, this is a major sum and we are therefore more than happy to discuss individual terms with each laboratory. This can result in staggered payments or reduced base charges
We also run small laboratory training sessions. What this means is that if 8-10 laboratories in any one area are each prepared to send a representative to attend three or four separate one day training sessions over a period of time, the charge can be greatly reduced. The consultants will explain the DAMAS system in detail and spend one on one time with each representative
The third charge is to the independent certification authority, AJA Registrars, situated in
In the case of laboratory groups, both the consultancy and certification fees are negotiable dependent upon the number of labs within the group.
The returns on your investment come from many directions. Every laboratory is different, but the majority of those seen by consultants have said that they very quickly covered the DAMAS costs by the savings they made.
Mark Jackson of Precision Ceramics Dental Laboratory in
One of the aspects of the DAMAS system is to encourage the laboratory to concentrate on the cause of problems. As an example consider remakes - a saving of $100 a week on remakes will return $5000 a year, this has easily been achieved in many laboratories. By controlling material usage and keeping waste to a minimum vast savings can be realized
The DAMAS consultant does not tell you how to run your laboratory, but he does have the responsibility, using the knowledge and experience gained over many years in laboratories and other industry worldwide, to advise on the different methods of approaching various tasks.
It is surprising how in any circumstance in or out of working life, because we are so familiar with current practices/methods, we miss an opportunity for change or improvement. An outside view is, more often than not, beneficial
I cannot tell you exactly how much return you will see on your investment. I can tell you, however, that whatever size your laboratory if DAMAS is applied correctly you will see a substantial return.
