About

A history of innovation


It all began in Moutier (Switzerland), in a traditional village café in the heart of the famous "Watch Valley". David Mosimann, a business-minded precision mechanic, spent one of his coffee breaks chatting with a dentist, who lamented the limited performance of his rotary instruments. Keen to find ways to improve the practitioner's day-to-day work, David Mosimann set about producing his first handpieces. Slowly the project grew and, in 1959, the Bien-Air company was founded in a garage in the town of Bienne.

Right from its inception, Bien-Air set the bar high, affirming its expertise in micromechanics. The company's first turbines were considered the most reliable and durable on the market. In endless pursuit of innovations, the company took a decisive step in the 1970s when it launched its very first electric motor. Renowned for their exceptional precision and performance, Bien-Air instruments soon became popular with dentists.

The expertise and state-of-the-art technologies developed by the company also proved invaluable in the manufacture of other medical instruments, opening up new horizons. Bien-Air took the decision to diversify, focusing its expertise on the field of ENT surgery, plastic surgery and neurosurgery. In 2001, the company decided to draw a distinction between its dentistry and microsurgery activities, creating the Bien-Air Dental and Bien-Air Surgery divisions. The company's values developed as the product range expanded. Year after year, Bien-Air continued to revolutionise the medical world by producing rotary instruments and systems which are innovative, reliable and easy to use.

In 1994, David Mosimann's son, Vincent, took over the running of Bien-Air. Vincent's aim was to perpetuate the company's family spirit while remaining faithful to his father's philosophy of simplifying practitioners' work.

With headquarters in Bienne, two production/assembly sites in Noirmont (Switzerland) and eight subsidiaries, Bien-Air now employs more than 400 staff worldwide. Innovative and reliable products, a high-quality distribution network and leading Customer Service make Bien-Air the number one specialist in rotary instruments and medical systems.

History