Exhibitors display array of products

The 2nd Hong Kong International Medical Devices and Supplies Fair (HKIMDSF), at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from today to Friday, will showcase new products, with educational seminars and networking opportunities for buyers and sellers.

Co-organised by the Hong Kong Medical and Healthcare Device Industries Association (HKMHDIA) and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), the fair debuted last year to serve the needs of those in the medical device business.

One hundred and 40 exhibitors from Canada, the mainland, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and the United States will showcase an array of modern supplies. The HKTDC has organised more than 26 buying missions from 23 countries and regions. Exports of medical and health care equipment from Hong Kong amounted to HK$7.2 billion from January to September this year, up 2.7 per cent compared with the same period last year, which accounts for 0.3 per cent of the city's total exports.

This year, visitors can expect to see two group pavilions under the Shenzhen and HKMHDIA wings. But the biggest section will be devoted to hospital equipment.

Fair highlights include a Tech Exchange that serves as a platform for getting technology to the marketplace. Tertiary institutions, such as Chinese University, Polytechnic University and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, will present their research and development projects to potential investors in the new Laboratory Equipment Zone.

The fair will feature an educational seminar, exhibitors' forum and networking reception. There will also be a BME Conference 2010, an event sponsored by the HKTDC, while a Continuing Medical Education Courses on Cardiology will be held on the second afternoon, with the Hong Kong Doctors Union as co-organiser.

Great Eastern Healthcare's deputy general manager Teresa Li says: 'We hope to build up an awareness of our brand and to introduce our products to the rest of the world.'

Time Medical, which manufactures magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment, exhibited last year. Project manager Alec Leung Keng-po says: 'We would like to see if there are any opportunities to get contacts of potential customers. Besides, additional exposure through participating helps as we are not as famous as the big international brands.'

Institutions such as the Chinese University's Centre for Innovation and Technology will double its presence this time.

Professor Wong Kam-fai, associate dean (external affairs) at the faculty of engineering, says: 'The show provides us [with] a good platform for our research teams to communicate with the industry. It also lets our researchers talk directly to potential industrial partners.'

The Polytechnic University believes that the show can help the institution find potential investors, partners and customers for the medical and health care devices it has developed. Professor Zheng Yongping, an associate professor in biomedical engineering at the department of health technology and informatics, says: 'We expect to find potential investors and partners for bringing our developments to the market.'

The fair has also attracted first-time exhibitors, such as Full Comfort Technology (Group) which distributes medical and beauty equipment.

Giorgio Di Grazia, from Italy-based F.I.M.O. SRL, which produces products for emergency dental aid and teeth whitening, says: 'All our products are in pharmacies and health care supermarket corners. We are looking for importers, distributors for pharmacies, department stores, co-operatives, chain stores and wholesalers.'