Can I Draw You a Picture?

West Fargo-based Multi Technical Publication Services, Inc. is a technical writing and illustration firm that in recent years has expanded its services to Belgium. Multitech Inc. provides technical support to ag and industrial equipment manufacturers in the form of assembly instructions, repair manuals, operator manuals, translations, parts catalogs, service videos, technical animations and 3D model renderings. Multi-Tech’s client list includes local exporters Amity, Bobcat, Case New Holland, DMI, Doosan, Gates Mfg., Polaris, Precision Equipment Mfg., Rapat, Superior Mfg. and Trail King. The company’s forte is making very complex equipment understandable to non-engineer operators.

When Multi-Tech’s customers were expanding in Europe, it provided an opportunity for Multi-Tech to expand alongside its customers. The company opened an office in Ghent, Belgium in 2014, from where it services its European customer base. As Multitech was in the process of opening their office in Belgium, they contacted the U.S. Commercial Service (CS) in Fargo for assistance on European and Belgian labor and tax laws, site selection, documentation and visa restrictions. CS North Dakota’s Heather Ranck connected MultiTech with the CS Brussels, Belgium office, whose staff helped find some specific information Multi-Tech needed.

“Having an office in Belgium gives us a more centralized global and larger European presence to provide our services,” said Scott Schrock, Multimedia Manager at Multitech. “The U.S. Commercial Service provided helpful assistance and identified the details we needed to start our European business quickly.”  To learn more about Multi-Tech, click here. CS North Dakota has also been a source of business referrals and is providing support on CE Mark procedures as well, with the support of U.S. Commercial Service experts in Brussels and Washington, DC.

For more information on how the U.S. Commercial Service can help your business export, contact Heather Ranck at Heather.Ranck@trade.gov or visit www.export.gov/NorthDakota.