Description
Align Technology is an American manufacturer of 3D digital scanners and Invisalign clear aligners used in orthodontics. It is headquartered in Tempe, Arizona. The company manufactures the aligners in Juarez, Mexico and its scanners in Israel and China.
Company history
Align Technology was founded by Zia Chishti and Kelsey Wirth in 1997 and began working on the development of a clear aligner. Align received FDA clearance to market the Invisalign system in 1998, and it was first marketed in 2000. Align Technology went public on January 26, 2001, on the Nasdaq Stock Market.
In March 2011 Align acquired the Israeli company Cadent for $190 million; Cadent manufactured intraoral scanners that included 3D imaging, as well as software to display the acquired images and to plan treatment.
Joseph M. Hogan joined Align in June 2015, and serves as CEO and President.
The company's sales reached $1 billion for the first time in 2016 and its products were being used in about 8% of people who got braces. In 2017 the company was faced with the challenge of the expiration of its patents on its Invisalign system starting in October 2017 and the beginning of generic competition.
In March 2020, Align Technology announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire exocad Global Holdings for approximately $418.7 million.
