Collaborative Medical Solutions Principal Trey McIntyre explains that the company was formed after nearly 20 years in the pre-owned medical imaging equipment space.
“Actually, about four years ago, it was an international client from those early days in that business who came to us with an endoscopy opportunity. We had become friends over the years, and it was great to connect again and work together,” McIntyre says.
“While endoscopy equipment was somewhat of a new category, many of the same principles apply,” he adds. “People want someone reliable when buying pre-owned equipment; someone who will provide quality solutions and follow through. Relationships matter to us, and good relationships require product quality and availability, and ongoing support. We work hard to build long-lasting partnerships around the world by growing our inventory, improving our quality processes and being consistent in communication.”
TechNation found out more about Collaborative Medical Solutions during a recent Q&A with McIntyre.
Q: What are some advantages that your company has over the competition?
MCINTYRE: Our global reach and experience in international sales and support has been a key to our success and will be the biggest part of our growth in future. Our team has served more than 30 countries around the world, and we’re proud that nearly all our clients are repeat customers.
Q: What are some challenges that your company faced last year?
MCINTYRE: It may sound absurd to say, but the slowdowns of the pandemic still influence our industry. Project timelines for delivering new equipment to hospitals and outpatient facilities have been pushed out or otherwise interrupted, and that has effects everywhere in the endoscopy market, from service and repair lead-times to pre-owned equipment availability, and so on. By offering many different brands of endoscopy equipment – from Olympus, Fuji, Pentax, and many others – we’ve managed to maintain inventory levels and still offer great opportunities and solutions.
Everyone is still challenged to find staff to meet demand, and this industry is no different. We’re happy to have grown our team and be able to help find creative ways to work together.
Q: Can you explain your company’s core competencies and unique selling points?
MCINTYRE: We take a consultative approach with our clients, and really try to understand everyone’s unique needs and challenges. Our focus is on the best brands and technology that can help our global client base with the equipment they need for their practice. Previously owned scopes and towers can add a lot of value as part of an overall strategy to manage and upgrade endoscopy equipment.
The great partnerships and other relationships we’ve formed with organizations and people who share our values have been an incredible resource we can bring together to offer unique and powerful solutions.
Q: Can you share some company success — one time that you “saved the day” for a customer?
MCINTYRE: Endoscopy asset managers deal with tight budgets and compressed timelines quite a lot in today’s health care industry. There was a facility that was struggling to find a solution to update their technology. We were able to lay out a strategy that showed exactly how they could get the technology they needed, including customizable warranty options, which was a significant concern. What made it all work was that we were able to give value for the much older scopes and equipment that they’ve been using – they were surprised to be able to reduce their purchase price with what they considered “outdated” assets. Beyond that, it was important to them to keep their patient schedule intact while finalizing financing options. We were able to provide loaner scopes and processors so there were no interruptions at all.
It’s a common case, but another example we’re proud of. We received a request for older model scopes from a very small country that seems to struggle to purchase the endoscopy equipment they need from reputable providers. The commerce and logistics challenges often make people shy away, which can be understandable, but that’s where our international experience shows best. To be able to deliver quality scopes to them, at a price that makes sense for their budget, means a lot. Those are the customers who need support, and we know we’ll work together on the next opportunity when it comes, as well.
Q: Can you please tell us about your employees?
MCINTYRE: As part of our international growth, we’ve brought on Barney Greig to oversee sales, marketing, and sourcing in the European and other markets. Barney comes with a wealth of experience in used medical devices, crucial in such a specialized niche market, where product and market knowledge is vital.
To understand its challenges, its nuances, its players and its often-underestimated value within the health care landscape has been incredibly helpful.
More importantly, he’s immediately shown that he shares our key values: always focused on long-term relationships, creating an excellent customer experience, and offering technical and customer support long after the point of sale. He is based in England, but loves to travel and meet with clients, vendors and partners in person from Germany to New Zealand where he was born and raised.
Q: Can you describe your company’s facility?
MCINTYRE: Our big news is that we’re opening a new U.S. headquarters this fall. We are in the later stages of the construction project, and the whole team is excited about what’s coming. It’s larger than our current space, and will better fit the growth we’ve seen, as well as our expansion plans for the future. We’ll almost double the QA/QC capability, carry more endoscopy inventory that’s ready to ship, plus give the new faces on our customer support and operations teams some elbow room.
For more information, visit cmsscopes.com.
