*By Conor White* With the company's first manufacturing plant in China up and running, the chief executive of Align Technology, the maker of Invisalign orthodontics, isn't concerned about a possible trade war between the United States and China. "By the end of the year we'll have a good, contained business in China, and be able to service our Chinese business," said Joe Hogan, the CEO of Align Technology. "So I feel great about the moves we've made there, given the talks that are going on." Align's stock was the top performer on the S&P 500 in the last year, soaring 132 percent in 2017. The company's management has said sales could top $2 billion by 2020. To reach that goal, the company is reaching out directly to consumers who may need its Invisalign products: clear, plastic teeth aligners taking the place of traditional metal braces. "We have a really strong consumer business, in the sense that we advertise to consumers, and direct them toward doctors," Hogan said in an interview Tuesday with Cheddar. "So the consumer awareness part of this is a big part of this strategy also." Consumers are increasingly aware: Invisalign shipments are up more than 30 percent year-over-year in the first quarter of this year. For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/stars-align-for-invisalign).

Share:
More In Business
Layoffs are piling up, raising worker anxiety
It's a tough time for the job market. Amid wider economic uncertainty, some analysts have said that businesses are at a “no-hire, no fire” standstill. At the same time, some sizeable layoffs have continued to pile up — raising worker anxieties across sectors. Some companies have pointed to rising operational costs due to U.S.'s new tariffs, while others have redirected money to artificial intelligence investments. Workers in the public sector have also been hit hard. Federal jobs were cut by the thousands earlier this year. And many workers are now going without pay as the U.S. government shutdown has now dragged on for more than a month.
Load More