What in the World? ITC Company Spotlight – MSSC LLC

Founded in 2000, MSSC builds on a legacy of innovation that began in 1920. As a manufacturer and global distributor of marking, stenciling, sealing and coding systems, the company offers a full range of industrial printing, markets, label applicators, and dispensers that now serves customers in over 60 countries. Headquartered in Collinsville, Illinois and supported by manufacturing facilities in Owensville, Missouri, this small but resilient U.S.-based business is a key global player in the industrial printing and packaging industry.

With an eye towards guiding strategic growth and a strong believe in building partnerships that leverage needed skills and expertise, Mike Strope, president of MSSC, connected with the International Trade Center (ITC) at the University of Missouri’s Robert J. Trulaske, Sr. College of Business in spring 2023 to support the identification and evaluation of industry sectors and countries where opportunity exists to expand sales of their marking, stenciling, sealing, and coding products. What followed was an extensive analysis of product-specific trade flow data, review of key economic, industry and business environment indicator data, and evaluation of global and country-level industry data to support the identification of favorable markets.

We recently reconnected with Mike at MSSC to secure an update on actions taken and progress made by MSSC following working with the ITC: 

What was the key value gained from the research completed? 

“Of key value, we reviewed the list of company contacts and sales leads shared and reached out to many of them to introduce MSSC and discuss potential interest and next steps regarding providing representation for the MSSC product line. We then traveled to Germany and met with a couple of the best potential leads. We used the final report generated by the ITC student interns as a template and are replicating that research throughout Eastern Europe now that we have a dedicated European Sales Director in place.”

What key actions has MSSC taken over the past 2.5 years linked to the research completed?

“We are pleased to share that MSSC has been very active.  Most significantly, we have:

• Hired a European Sales Director
• Had the European Sales Director travel to Germany two times to visit potential clients
• Had the European Sales Director read the entire global market research report created by the ITC and use it as a basis to identify and evaluate expansion opportunities across Eastern Europe
• Signed distributors in Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Czech Republic in the last 6 months.”

What impact has the company Seen in its export expansion activities?

“With the hiring of a new Sales Director in Europe and additional travel to and focus on the European market, we have recently hired a Business/Data Analyst to support the information needs of our growing European distributor network. In building out our sales network, we are now seeing positive sales and revenue growth. We’ve seen over $100,000 in new business in Europe in 2025 YTD. Most of this is coming from a new UK distributor, but the others are coming along nicely, so future sales look bright.”

Any words of wisdom to share with other U.S. Exporters?

“For other American companies aiming to expand sales internationally, my advice is simple: Do your homework. Leverage available resources, like the MU ITC, join trade missions, attend international trade shows, and most importantly, invest time in building local partnerships. At MSSC, we support our distributors at trade shows and make it a priority to visit them at least once a year, because we understand the importance of personal connections.”

The International Trade Center wishes MSSC continued success moving forward.  We are pleased to maintain a close working relationship with Mike and his team.