The Gwinnett County warehouse is filled with a German company's baby strollers, made in China, a South African company's beds, sold to the U.S. Army and possibly headed for Afghanistan, and a long list of other products from throughout the world.

Duluth-based Transatlantic Sales LLC is an incubator for international businesses, giving them a low-cost launchpad into the North American market.

Transatlantic offers warehouse and office space, inventory management, shipping, and many other services that allow the overseas companies to get a foot in the market with a relatively minor investment.

"It's a fearful scenario for companies to just come in and jump into the American market," said Douglas Owen, vice president of operations for Disc-o-bed LLC, a South African company that makes beds for the U.S. military. "Transatlantic gives you a very smooth transition into the market."

The company's beds are assembled at the Transatlantic warehouse in Duluth. The  frames are made from South African steel and the fabric is made in the U.S.

The beds are shipped from Transatlantic to U.S. military depots and from there to remote locations such as Afghanistan.

This year alone, the company has shipped 22,000 beds.

When a German company, Trends for Kids Gmbh, decided to start selling its high-end baby strollers in the U.S. and Canada, it located its North American base at Transatlantic, where the German designed, Chinese-made strollers, complete with disc brakes, are delivered in bulk and then shipped to stores.

Transatlantic can help companies with legal, accounting and management issues so that the business can be launched in the U.S. even without a full-time employee on site.

"When you start in a new market, it's important to have all things right and have everything prepared," said Regina Mueller, Trends for Kids international marketing manager, who was at Transatlantic on a recent visit. "A good base is very important."

Trends for Kids, has no employees in the U.S., leaving the operations here completely to Transatlantic.

From whitewater kayaks to organic diapers, the Transatlantic warehouse is filled with products from abroad.

Michael Hartmann, a co-owner of Transatlantic, is originally from Essen, Germany. He came to Atlanta while working for a German environmental engineering company.

Transatlantic works closely with the Georgia Department of Economic Development as the agency recruits international companies, said Mr. Hartmann.

By providing a low-cost point of entry into the U.S. market, Transatlantic can help lure companies to Atlanta, and once the base is established, they are more likely to stay here as they grow large enough to maintain their own headquarters, he added.

Disc-o-bed currently has six employees working out of Transatlantic and is nearing the point of branching out on its own, Mr. Owen said. But it is unlikely that the company would leave Atlanta, he added.

"We are very established here," he said. "I wouldn't see us leaving Atlanta anytime soon." 

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