– New Offerings Provide Further Clinical Flexibility and Overall Simplicity to Workflow Within the Spark Software –

BREA, Calif., April 26, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Ormco Corporation, a leading provider of innovative orthodontic solutions for over 60 years, is excited to announce the official launch of Spark™ Retainers and BiteSync Class II Corrector in the United States. Developed for doctors and patients, Spark Retainers bring a new level of comfort, durability, and clinical flexibility to orthodontic retainers whether treating with Spark™ Clear Aligners, Ormco™ Digital Bonding, or fixed brackets. With the debut of BiteSync, Spark now offers an innovative solution for mandibular advancement for Class II patients in growing stage and for adults, consisting of the Occlusion Guide for mandibular advancement and the SideBar for maxillary distalization, which can be used combined or separate. The BiteSync system allows a flexible workflow customized for each patient’s needs and added simplicity within the Spark software. The official unveiling will take place at AAO (American Association of Orthodontists) in Philadelphia, PA, April 25-27, 2025 (Booth #1015).

“Through Spark technology, I can extend the same premium patient experience from initial treatment through retention. The clinical options with Spark Retainers help me maintain the beautiful smile outcomes I achieve with Spark Clear Aligners, Ormco Digital Bonding, or Damon Ultima™ braces,” said Dr. Colby Gage1. “My Spark Aligner patients continue to love the clarity, comfort, and less staining they enjoyed while in treatment.”

“BiteSync has corrected Class II cases quickly and efficiently in my practice. I’m getting bite correction in less than 6 months2. It has worked great for my teen and adult patients3,” said Dr. Jennifer Messenger.

Key Features & Benefits of Spark Retainers:

Clinical Flexibility: Spark Retainers provide clinical flexibility with customizable options, including bite ramps, pontics, trimlines, and the option to choose your preferred scanner.Single Platform Management: Improve practice efficiency by managing Spark Clear Aligners, Ormco Digital Bonding and Spark Retainer patients all in one place.Streamlined Ordering: Order any number of trays the patient needs and fabricate from a new scan or T2 position of a Spark patient. No subscription required.Premium Materials: Spark Retainers are crafted from the same advanced TruGEN™ XR materials, ensuring the same premium performance customers have come to expect from Spark Clear Aligners.Comfort & Fit: Designed with patient comfort in mind, Spark Retainers can be scalloped or trimmed with extended coverage to ensure an optimal, comfortable fit. The design ensures that patients are at ease while maintaining an effective orthodontic result.Durability and Longevity: Spark Retainers are lab-tested to meet rigorous durability standards, providing long-lasting results and contributing to the overall success of orthodontic treatment4.Stain Resistance: Powered by TruGEN technology, Spark Retainers maintain their clarity and are resistant to staining, offering a clean, aesthetic appearance throughout their use.

Key Features & Benefits of BiteSync Class II Corrector System:

Effective: The SideBar and Occlusion Guide are tested for durability and work together to achieve a more desirable bite profile.Efficient: Mandibular advancement can occur simultaneously with dental tooth movement within the same aligner stages.Simple: No additional Class II appliance is needed. Select the Spark BiteSync option within the Spark DTX Portal, design, and approve the case.Flexible: Can be used in both mixed and permanent dentition. The SideBar or Occlusion Guide can be used together or separately, depending on treatment goals.

“We are excited to bring Spark Retainers to our doctors so they can maintain their patients’ new smiles with a retainer designed to be long-lasting and more comfortable. We have advanced our digital efficiencies, giving clinical flexibility and premium product performance our customers have come to expect from Ormco,” said Jay Issa, Vice President Portfolio Management, Ormco. “In addition, with the launch of BiteSync, we can now effectively treat Class II malocclusions eliminating the need for a separate appliance or software by utilizing two modes of Class II correction built into the Spark software and Spark Aligners. This differentiates us from other Class II technology seen from competitive aligner companies,” he continued.

Spark Retainers and the BiteSync Class II Corrector System are now available in the United States and Canada. For more information on Spark Retainers, visit https://ormco.com/en-us/spark-retainers. For information on BiteSync, visit https://ormco.com/en-us/spark-clear-aligner-solution#BiteSync.

About the Spark™ Clear Aligner System
Spark Aligners are manufactured by Ormco, a global leader in innovative orthodontics products, with 60 years of expertise, R & D and high manufacturing standards. Ormco has helped doctors treat more than 20 million patients in more than 140 countries. Spark Approver Software is designed to give doctors more control and flexibility, while Spark’s advanced aligner technology and TruGEN™ material provide more sustained force retention. Compared to the leading aligner brand and when contacting the same tooth, the Spark Aligner has 18% better surface contact with the tooth and is also designed to be more clear and more comfortable than the leading aligner brand, and stain less than the leading aligner material — which may be why 100% of patients recently surveyed said they would recommend Spark Aligners to a friend.5

For more information about Spark Aligners, visit https://ormco.com/en-us/spark.

About Ormco
Envista is a global family of more than 30 trusted dental brands, including Ormco, Nobel Biocare, DEXIS, and Kerr, united by a shared purpose: to partner with professionals to improve lives.  Ormco, headquartered in Brea, Calif., is a global leader and innovator of orthodontic products and solutions to help enhance the lives of its customers and their patients. For more than 60 years, Ormco has partnered with the orthodontic community to help create over 20 million smiles in over 140 countries. Distinguished products range from twin brackets (Symetri™ Clear Brackets, Titanium Orthos™ and Mini Diamond™) to pioneering self-ligating appliances with the Damon™ System (including Damon Ultima™ System and Damon™ Clear2). The Spark™ Clear Aligner System is designed to meet the needs of the orthodontist with the TruGEN™ material and Approver Software. Ormco’s Insignia™ Advanced Smile Design™ provides an all-inclusive customized indirect bonding solution for efficiency through personalization. From personalized service to professional education programs and marketing support, Ormco is committed to helping orthodontists achieve their clinical and practice management objectives. Connect on Facebook at www.facebook.com/myormco and LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/ormco.

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SOURCE Ormco Corporation

BEIJING, April 26, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — CGTN published an article on China’s latest leadership meeting on the economic situation and work. Exploring the country’s economic policy tools, the article highlights the strong resilience and potential of the Chinese economy. It also takes a look at the meeting’s stress on enhanced efforts to accelerate the implementation of more proactive and effective macro policies, as well as boosting services consumption to strengthen the overall role of consumption in driving economic growth.

China’s economy delivered a strong start in the first quarter of the year, demonstrating steady performance and resilience.

The country’s GDP grew 5.4 percent year on year to 31.8758 trillion yuan (about $4.42 trillion) in Q1 2025, ranking among the highest of the world’s major economies and positioning the country to better weather global uncertainties.

During a meeting held by the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee on Friday, the Chinese leadership analyzed and studied the current economic situation and economic work.

Noting that the country has seen its economy improve this year, with public confidence continuously boosted and solid progress made in high-quality development, the meeting called for efforts to accelerate the implementation of more proactive and effective macro policies and boost service consumption to strengthen the role of consumption in driving economic growth.

More proactive, effective macro policies

Besides the GDP, China has seen other economic indicators exceeding market expectations in the first quarter. For example, fixed-asset investment went up 4.2 percent year on year, with investment in infrastructure construction rising 5.8 percent and manufacturing investment increasing 9.1 percent.

Thanks to policy support, local-level responsiveness and the rapid buildup of innovation-driven momentum, the country’s economy showcases strong resilience and potential.

China has made thorough policy preparations to address external changes, as a series of targeted macro policies have already taken effect, and more incremental policies will be introduced as needed to mitigate external shocks.

Friday’s meeting called for efforts to make full use of a more proactive fiscal policy and a moderately loose monetary policy, coordinate domestic economic work and endeavors in the international economic and trade field, unswervingly manage the country’s own affairs well, and keep employment, businesses, markets and expectations stable.

Luo Zhiheng, chief economist at Yuekai Securities, said efforts should be made to make good use of aggregate and structural policy tools, cut the reserve requirement ratios and interest rates when appropriate, and boost consumption and corporate investment demand.

A multi-pronged approach for struggling enterprises

To aid businesses facing challenges, the meeting urged a multi-pronged approach, including stronger financial support and accelerating integration between domestic and foreign trade development.

Stressing the need to ensure people’s livelihood, it said that for enterprises that suffered relatively bigger impacts from tariffs, the proportion of unemployment insurance funds returned to enterprises to keep payrolls stable will be increased.

Amid recent U.S. tariff hikes, China’s foreign trade enterprises are actively responding with innovative products, seizing orders and expanding markets.

The country has also taken swift and proactive measures to cope with tariff shocks – reaching out to broader overseas markets while bolstering domestic sales channels with upgraded products.

Bai Wenxi, vice chairman of the China Enterprise Capital Alliance, urged the use of policies such as financial support and consumption coupon subsidies to further support foreign trade enterprises and continue to increase financial subsidies for export-to-domestic enterprises.

Boosting service consumption

Friday’s meeting also highlighted the need to boost service consumption, urging a swift removal of restrictive measures in the consumption sector and proposing to introduce a re-lending facility for service consumption and elderly care.

Service consumption has gradually become a new engine of economic growth and an important area for tapping consumption potential. In the first quarter of 2025, retail sales of consumer goods, a major indicator of the country’s consumption strength, gained 4.6 percent year on year.

Supported by targeted policies to boost consumption, service-related spending also picked up pace. In the first quarter, retail sales of services grew 5 percent year on year.

In addition, a series of documents to boost service consumption are implemented intensively. For instance, Chinese authorities have unveiled a work plan to boost service consumption in 2025 and released a series of new measures aimed at expanding and upgrading consumption in the domestic services sector as part of broader efforts to stimulate domestic demand.

A report released by a think tank, the China Institute for Reform and Development, forecasts that by 2030, the per capita services consumption of China’s urban and rural residents could exceed 20,000 yuan, accounting for more than half of total consumption.

Services consumption has become a propeller of goods consumption, and a “goods-like services” trend is gaining momentum across the country, said Chi Fulin, head of the think tank.

For more information, please click:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-04-25/Unboxing-China-s-economic-policy-tools-after-latest-leadership-meeting-1CRzRDF2bLi/p.html 

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SOURCE CGTN

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, April 26, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Artificial intelligence (AI) took center stage as more than 700 professionals from the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) sectors gathered for the annual AEC Connect Day. The event, hosted in Malaysia on 24 April by Glodon, a leading digital building platform service provider, featured key government officials from the Ministry of Works, Public Works Department, CIDB Malaysia, the National Artificial Intelligence Office (NAIO) under the Ministry of Digital, and the Malaysian Research Accelerator for Technology and Innovation (MRANTI), as well as representatives from the Malaysian BIM Association and other notable industry groups.

Established in 2018, AEC Connect Day has evolved into a premier regional forum spanning Southeast Asia and the Middle East, offering a vital platform for industry leaders, innovators and experts to connect, exchange insights, share impactful customer success stories, and explore the latest advancements shaping the future of digital construction.

This year’s event, themed “The AI-Powered Future,” highlighted the growing integration of AI and digital tools across the construction industry. A key focus was placed on Malaysia’s progress in implementing Building Information Modeling (BIM) and AI-powered solutions, showcasing the nation’s commitment to digital transformation in the built environment.

YBhg. Dato’ Mohd Sakeri Bin Abdul Kadir, Deputy Secretary General (Policy and Development) of the Ministry of Works of Malaysia, emphasized the government’s commitment to digital transformation in the AEC industry, noting that implementation is no longer optional – it is essential for enhancing competitiveness, profitability, and sustainability across the entire construction value chain. He also stressed the importance of partnerships with technology providers from the private sector like Glodon to unlock the full potential of digitalization within Malaysia’s construction ecosystem.

Dr. Yuan Zhenggang, Chairman and President of Glodon Company Limited, opened the event by emphasizing the urgency for digital evolution in construction: “The construction sector is at a pivotal moment, the wave of digitalization and AI is reshaping the entire lifecycle of the built environment—from design and construction to operations—ushering in a shift from experience-driven to data-driven practices.”

A keynote presentation from Sr Dr. Nazirul Fariq, Product and Growth Strategy Director of Glodon Asia International, showcasing the latest development of AI in the built environment. He introduced Glodon’s AI large model AecGPT and other AI-powered products such as Concetto and Zplan, which encompasses seven key areas, including planning, design, transaction, cost management, construction, operations, and comprehensive management.

The event also marked the official launch of Glodon Gsite, a centralized and integrated digital platform that helps construction contractors streamline stakeholders’ collaboration, boost efficiency, reduce costs and risks, and gain competitive advantages.

Additionally, Glodon unveiled major upgrades to its Cubicost 5D BIM Digital Cost Management Solutions, representing a significant leap in AI-powered integrated cost management capabilities.

With AEC Connect Day 2025 in Malaysia concluding on a high note, Glodon reaffirms its commitment to expanding its AI-powered solution offerings and deepening regional empowerment initiatives across Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

For more information, please visit: https://asia.glodon.com/

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SOURCE Glodon Company Limited