MW International: Global Alliances Position Company For The Future
After almost a decade in the bulk raw material business, MW International, Hillside, NJ, now stands poised to take on the millennium with a host of global alliances that position it strategically in various segments of the nutraceuticals industry.
The company has defined as its strategy connecting with leading manufacturers in specific global regions to work exclusively on particular products, explained Leo Cullen, Vice President-Sales and Marketing. “From a strategic point of view, we have developed alliances with manufacturers in each of the key areas we’re servicing—food, supplements, pharmaceuticals and animal health. Depending on the product area, we’re representing particular manufacturers exclusively and we are tied directly to the manufacturer. We’re not just another distribution company that doesn’t know where its products are manufactured,” he said. “Our goal is to offer the broadest coverage of products and manufacturers in all areas. We’ve consciously organized the global scope of our operations.”
The alliances include an exclusive agreement with Buckton Scott in the U.K., which has offices and manufacturing facilities in China, Eastern Europe and Canada. “We are the exclusive North American supplier for the company’s chondroitin, glucosamine and amino acid products,” explained Mr. Cullen.
MW is also in the process of putting together a joint development venture with the Italian firm Hammer Pharma, one of the largest botanical extract producers in Europe. Under terms of the agreement, MW will represent the company’s botanicals lines exclusively in North America.
He continued, “We also have a joint venture with Northeast Pharmaceutical Company in China for vitamin C, B1 and L-carnitine, as well as an exclusive agreement with Zhejiang Pharmaceutical Factory, another Chinese company, for the supply of natural and synthetic vitamin E.”
MW is also involved in the pharmaceutical market through its AF International subsidiary; it has several joint ventures in place in this segment as well.
In addition, said Mr. Cullen, MW cultivates alliances from a research standpoint. Perhaps most notable recently has been the development of its “C-Med 100” patent-pending cat’s claw extract developed in conjunction with Campa Med. The product, which debuted this spring, has been shown to help the immune system, enhance cell membrane integrity by promoting the phospholipid/cholesterol balance in cell membranes, promote DNA repair and promote the absorption of nutrients at the cellular level.
MW continues to work on other products from the Amazon, said Mr. Cullen. “Our research portfolio has more than 100 products under evaluation currently. We have the exclusive worldwide marketing rights for anything developed through this alliance,” he said. “There are several new products from the Amazon Basin that are close to being commercialized; there are some final tests to be done before we launch these products,” he explained, adding that the products will be patented and fully researched, along the lines of the C-Med introduction.
Other projects are also on the horizon. MW is working with the Howard Foundation in Cambridge, U.K. for a creatine-based nutritional for the sports nutrition and elderly energy markets. The company is also negotiating an association with Easyway Biotechnology, Monheim, Germany, for a new diet product.
Commenting on MW’s research initiatives was company founder Michael Moers. “These are just a few examples of our research-oriented activities,” he said. “We believe being innovative is part of the business. The secret of our success is a combination of quality manufacturers and the types of people we have within the company handling the marketing.”
Mr. Moers summarized the company’s direction. “We are a bulk raw materials supplier trying to locate the best product worldwide, whether it is a vitamin, botanical extract or specialty supplement. We associate ourselves with the best factories worldwide. What we’re striving for is the highest quality products available for our customers. Our worldwide exposure allows us to do that. We’re not just talking about new products, but new concepts and new markets, new worlds to sell into.”
MW International
225 Long Avenue
P.O. Box 308
Hillside, NJ 07205-2349
Telephone: 973-926-4025
Fax: 973-926-0989
E-mail: cullen@mw-intl.com
Website: mwinternational.com
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