Align Technology maintains strong growth in Q1 2012

Align Technology has experienced sequential and year-over-year fiscal growth during the first quarter of 2012.

The dental products manufacturer generated net revenues of $135.1 million (83.74 million pounds) for the quarter, up by 4.8 percent compared to Q4 2011 and 28.8 percent on Q1 2011.

This better-than-expected performance was driven by strong sales volumes for the Invisalign system, particularly from the North American orthodontic market, which helped the firm break the $100 million barrier in this territory for the first time.

Improvements were also seen in the scanner and computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing services business, with further sales growth expected in the second quarter.

Thomas Prescott, Align's president and chief executive officer, said: "I'm very proud of our team and the great results they delivered this quarter, which reflect their continued focus and execution of our strategic growth initiatives."

It follows on from a year of positive growth experienced by the firm in 2011, driven by geographical expansions, new product launches and the acquisition of Cadent.