Commercial Service Success Stories
Real Results for Real Businesses
Zila Pharmaceutials of Arizona
Zila Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a leader in the dental industry with quality, innovative products that help save lives. Their newest product is a medical device used in dental offices to screen patients for oral cancer. It helps the dental professional see lesions that might be missed under visual examination alone. Additionally, Zila manufactures a suite of products for the prevention, detection and treatment of periodontal disease.
The Business Challenge
Until 2007, Zila Pharmaceuticals sold products only in the United States and Canada. The company felt it was important to offer the potentially life-saving technology for oral cancer screening to markets throughout the world. The company turned to the U.S. Commercial Service Arizona for help in identifying prospective markets and securing introductions to potential distributors able to increase Zila’s international sales network.
The Solution
Through a series of meetings and market research, Trade Specialist Pompeya Lambrecht helped Zila narrow the list of high potential prospective markets. Using the U.S. Commercial Service’s business matchmaking service, Zila officials met important business contacts in the United Kingdom, France, Netherlands, Germany, India, Italy and Egypt. Zila’s vice president of international business traveled to all seven countries to discuss the company’s market potential and meet with potential distributors—all pre-screened by the U.S. Commercial Service—ultimately evaluating which partners best fit Zila’s overall strategy.
The Result
As a result of the U.S. Commercial Service’s assistance, Zila Pharmaceuticals has appointed distributors in the United Kingdom and India. Discussions are ongoing for distributors in several of the other markets. The company projects about $500,000 in sales for the first year of doing business in the European Union and India.
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With its network of offices across the United States and in more than 80 countries, the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration utilizes its global presence and international marketing expertise to help U.S. companies sell their products and services worldwide. For more information, visit www.export.gov.
