MSBDC Client Profile: NutraMax Products, Inc.

NutraMax Products, Inc.
Gloucester, Massachusetts
www.nutramax.com

"During the past decade, Paula Murphy and the MSBDC's Massachusetts Export Center have been a critical resource for the export side of our business," observes Steve Zafron of NutraMax Products, Inc. Steve is manager of international sales with the Gloucester-based firm, which develops, manufactures, and markets over-the-counter health care and personal products. NutraMax product lines include cough drops and throat lozenges, adhesive bandages, medical gauzes and tapes, first aid kits, toothbrushes, dental floss and dental accessories, travel kits, dietary supplements, ready-to-use enemas, disposable douches, pediatric oral electrolyte maintenance solution, and disposable baby bottle liners. The firm-the largest employer in Gloucester-is a leading private label provider to America's supermarkets, drug stores, and mass merchandisers. It also markets its own products under specific control brands and manufactures and distributes products for strategic partners in consumer products and related industries.

Ten years ago, NutraMax had little overseas presence. Today, it sells products in seventeen countries (many of them in Latin America, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East), which account for a growing profit stream. "With our diverse product lines in place domestically, leveraging them overseas made a lot of sense: our pricing was already highly competitive and many of our target countries had a great need for our products," notes Steve. "Mastering the details and nuances of international business, however, has been challenging. That's where the Export Center has been a critical resource," he emphasizes. "Over the years, the center has introduced us to freight forwarders, international distributors, and international brokers who send us leads. They've also helped us with the considerable compliance and other detail work that accompany exporting. Putting your tax ID number on invoices and your ID on shipping containers might seem obvious, but learning the ropes about these and other details from experienced counselors can move you much faster down the learning curve. I've attended free Export Center seminars on a variety of topics and have gotten fast answers to specific questions via a simple phone call to Paula or Kathleen Newell. "If, for example, I can't get through to officials in Taipei, Paula or Kathleen typically can."

A year and a half ago, the Export Center played a critical role of a different sort on Nutramax's behalf. Although the firm's products are freely sold in the United States, many countries that import them require accompanying certificates of resale from government authorities in the United States. When the Massachusetts Department of Public Health abruptly discontinued certifying all nonfood products (including Nutramax's exports), the firm was left without a government resale certifier. "I was in panic mode, because I couldn't find a suitable alternative. We could have used the FDA, but their turnaround times were too slow," Steve recalls. Instead, he turned to Paula Murphy at the Export Center, who joined forces with US Commercial Service's Jim Cox, and State
Senator Bruce Tarr. Three months later, Nutramax had a new certifier, the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture, which offered a streamlined certification process. "Over the years, I've learned the ropes of exporting, but I know that I can always turn to Paula and Kathleen for information and during a crisis," observes Steve Zafron. "They are true champions of small manufacturers in this state."

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