Minneapolis, MN—December 4, 2018—Garmers Dental Instruments, Inc. has been in business for over a century. Starting out as a small dental practice in Minneapolis, Minnesota, it later grew into a successful dental instrument manufacturer. Herman Garmers was a practicing dentist who came up with an idea to improve the clamping structure for dental cotton roll holders. His vision was to create a holder that would securely hold the cotton rolls in the desired absorbent position. This instrument was patented on January 20, 1953.
Cotton holders are used in various applications such as bleaching, cavities, fillings, and operative and restorative treatments. The holders provide more retraction, accessibility and visibility of the working area during a procedure. These are most important for use when a dentist is working alone without an extra pair of hands to help isolate the area being worked on.
During the journey of developing his improved cotton roll holder, Garmers discovered he needed complex stamping pieces manufactured to secure the connecting parts of the instrument. This is where an accidental meeting provided Garmers with the partner he needed to produce the holder.
A minor fender bender between Garmers and J.P. Boker, who happened to operate a stamping and washer manufacturing company in Minneapolis, turned into an immediate business relationship. At the time, Garmers could not find a supplier who was able to manufacture the stamped parts needed to complete his dental instrument in large quantities. Boker’s was known in the industry for being able to make custom, complex stampings to match any customer’s specification.
The Garmers’ cotton roll holder is a “household name” in the dental industry. The cotton roll holder securely holds any size or length of cotton in place during dental procedures. This keeps the cotton from rolling away or popping out. Another unique feature is the sliding chin clamp that keeps the holder in place on every patient, child or adult.
“This chance meeting ended up being a perfect match for both of us and we have continued a strong business relationship that is now going on 85 years,” said Chuck Kersey, Assistant Sales Manager at Boker’s. “Both Garmers and Boker’s share the same principals of hard work, attention to detail, and moral and ethical behavior in everything that they do.”
Boker’s, Inc., continues to specialize in producing high-quality custom metal stampings for dental and medical applications. This precision manufacturing covers a complete range of sizes up to 12 inches x 12 inches (flat) with thicknesses from .005 inches to .190 inches (varies by material) and draws of up to 3 inches deep and 8 inches in diameter. Boker’s utilizes many of the latest technologies and precision metal stamping manufacturing concepts to focus on providing customers with quality stampings that fit their needs. With over 2,000 stock material options including metallic and non-metallic, Boker’s can produce custom stampings, washers, spacers and shims in short, medium or long runs. In addition, Boker’s provides a dedicated quality-assurance department to ensure products meet strict customer requirements.
For more information on Boker’s, please visit bokers.com.
About Boker’s
Boker’s, Inc., is a woman-owned, AS9100 and ISO 9001 certified manufacturer of precision stampings and non-standard washers and spacers. To request a complimentary copy of Boker’s 2019 Stampings & Washers Catalog, 2019 Scheduling Calendar or sample pack, contact: Boker’s, Inc., 3104 Snelling Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55406-1937; call 612-729-9365 or (TOLL-FREE) 800-927-4377 or visit bokers.com.