Diagnostic Medical Equipment Solutions (DMES) has served the Latin American market since 2005, focusing on Argentina. They provide mainly MRI sales, service and parts for dealers who work with doctors and hospitals. DMES has a Miami warehouse equipped for MRI keep-cold service, an essential requirement in maintenance of the equipment.

"Being in Miami helps a lot in facilitating certain services. We are not far from the port so if you have a system going to Latin America, ship it to our warehouse," said President Miguel Machuca. "We can hook up the magnet, monitor and reload the helium [to keep the unit chilled] until you are ready to ship. Then we crate, put it in a container and take it to the port." They are also close to the airport and can ship parts fast.

Other areas of expertise include site planning, installation and tech support through their team of OEM-trained engineers with extensive technical and operational knowledge of GE, Picker, Toshiba and other systems. They work with all modalities -- X-ray, CT, ultrasound and mammography. But superconducting MRI remains a highly specialized focus for the company.

"A lot of doctors in Latin America come to the U.S., buy equipment and don't know where to store it. They have no idea of the logistics or complexity and they can get in trouble," Machuca said. "Parts are missing or they store it at the wrong place. Magnets go warm. Then they call my guys in Argentina to resolve problems that could have been avoided by going with a reputable dealer."

DMES expertly assesses and handles the pre-owned equipment. "We provide all the logistics to make sure the system arrives cold. It takes a lot of knowledge to load a container on a ship that will travel to Argentina for 20 days without power. If you don't handle it right, the magnet can go warm."

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