Cramer Decker charges ahead

SANTA ANA, Calif. - Cramer Decker Medical added some significant muscle this year when it merged with its parent company, Cramer Decker Industries, one of the nation's largest wholesaler of compressed gas equipment.

"We are looking to grow, and we have a lot of financial backing," said Scott Decker, president of Cramer Decker Medical. "You need that support to keep your business moving in an upward direction."

The merger coincides with the company's addition of DME products to its traditional line of oxygen cylinders, conservers, regulators and related respiratory items. Now, instead of hundreds of products, "we've got thousands," Decker said.

The company's DME products include walkers, canes, commodes, bath safety products and beds (bariatric and standard).

As part of the merger, Cramer Decker Medical has integrated its departments (customer service, product development, Web design, etc.) into its parent company and added two distribution centers--Indiana and Northern California to go with existing centers in Southern California and Maryland. These economies of scale and resources make Cramer Decker Medical more efficient and better able to offer good products at a low cost, Decker said.

"With the demographics, we feel there is going to be a greater need for our products so we see a lot of opportunity," he said. "But there are a lot of question marks over what is going to happen in the industry over the next few years. We know a lot of our customers are stressed, and we're doing our best to support them by maintaining low costs and good service. That is our place in the market today."