IMAGE MEDICAL FAIR ASIA 2014 and MEDICAL MANUFACTURING ASIA 2014 are increasingly seen by global manufacturers and service providers as the gateway to Asia’s booming healthcare and medical technology (medtech) industries.

The growth potential in the region’s healthcare industry has attracted the attention of the rest of the world and has seen rising interest from European and American manufacturers and service providers keenly looking to expand their footprint in Asia, which has fuelled a dramatic increase in the size of the 2014 editions.Demand for participation has grown strongly with MEDICAL FAIR ASIA 2014 fielding a 50 percent increase in exhibitors compared to the 2012 iteration, and will occupy levels 3 and 4 of Suntec Singapore from today to 11 September.

This year, Mr Lee Yi Shyan, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Trade and Industry and Ministry of National Development, openedboth exhibitions.

IMAGE Record growth and international participation

With 800 exhibitors from 35 countries MEDICAL FAIR ASIA 2014 registers a new record for its 10th edition, including an impressive line-up of 15 national and group pavilions from Austria, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom (UK), and the United States of America (USA).

International visiting delegations from various hospitals and medical institutions from Indonesia, Bangladesh, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam have also confirmed their attendance, further demonstrating the relevance andinternationality of the exhibition.

A gateway into the regional market

Thedynamic global medtech industry including research and development and product design, commercialisation, distribution and logistics is expected to hit $278 billion by 2015, and coupled with Asia’s ageing population and growing middle class expected to reach 40 percent by 2020, this has created a sizable and affluent market with a strong demand for the best medical products and services.

IMAGE “Against this bustling healthcare sector, the level of expectation and interest towards MEDICAL FAIR ASIA increases with each edition and we look forward to further enhancing the medical and health care market in Singapore and the region through the exhibition and open up new doors for overseas companies looking to invest into the Singapore and Asian market,” says Mr. Gernot Ringling, Managing Director, Messe Düsseldorf Asia (MDA).

MEDICAL FAIR ASIA2014 marks the largest edition of the exhibitionin its 17-year history,and has grown to be a special part of the medical and health care industry and a major date in the calendar.“We are especially excited with the stellar line-up which includes the m-Health Pavilion focused on information and communication technology (ICT) solutions, extensive range of onsite demonstrations and technical seminars, pre-scheduled hospital and facility tours, and TheSingapore Medical and Healthcare Conference which runs parallel with the exhibition,” he added.

This is further complemented by MEDICAL MANUFACTURING ASIA 2014which plays an increasingly relevant role in bringing to the forefront local companies and international medical technology leaders and strengthening Singapore’s position as the medtech manufacturing hub of Asia.

Synergistic co-location with MEDICAL MANUFACTURING ASIA 2014

Co-located with MEDICAL FAIR ASIA 2014, MEDICAL MANUFACTURING ASIA 2014 is jointly organised by the Singapore Precision Engineering and Tooling Association (SPETA), and in collaboration with International Enterprise (IE) Singapore and SPRING Singapore. Featuring 200 companies from 20 countries, alongside group participation from Austria, China, Germany, Japan, and Singapore, the exhibition has grown significantly since its inauguration in 2012, into a diverse and vibrant marketplace for the rapidly growing medtech sector.

The exhibitions offer a platform for Singapore’s medical, healthcare, and precision engineering companies, to showcase their capabilities and products, providing opportunities to enhance market access and collaborate with global players to optimise their design and manufacturing capabilities to take advantage of this growing market.

IMAGE “The two exhibitions are set against a dynamic backdrop as Singapore continues to establish itself as one of Asia’s fastest growing medical device and equipment markets and a leading location for medical technology,” says Mr Jeremy Fong, Chairman of SPETA.

“With MEDICAL MANUFACTURING ASIA 2014 this allows Singaporean and regional companies to stay up-to-date with the latest developments, network with industry peers and share best practices, and most importantly develop new business partnerships. Parallel events such as the MEDICAL MANUFACTURING ASIA 2014 Conference, and the buyer-centric business matching event: Global-Asia Trade Exchange (GATE) on Medical Technology, an IE Singapore initiative which pre-schedules business meetings between pre-qualified suppliers and procurement representatives, certainly bodes well for yet another successful edition,” he added.

Exhibitions show strong line-up of innovative products and conference programme

The strong line-up at MEDICAL FAIR ASIA 2014 includes homegrown company Neurostyle who is making notable headway in the medical scene here. They will feature the first commercial software system for stroke rehabilitation that allows early stroke patients to conduct their own rehabilitation in the comfort of their home or in the hospital ward.

Also, a first for MEDICAL FAIR ASIA 2014 is the introduction of the m-Health Pavilion which will feature ICT healthcare exhibitors Hippus NV, Atcor Medical, Technical Innovations, and Neurostyle, showcasing a range of innovative solutions that include remote elderly and disabled people assistance devices, aresearch-based ergonomically designed mouse and an innovative system that measures central blood pressure non-invasively.

Further uncovering digital healthcare solutions include Canadian company Leafsprout Technologies featuring a complete Health Information system between healthcare institutions across regions.

Repeat exhibitor Origin Environmental Consultancy, will showcase MediFly – medical grade maggots hatched from eggs laid by laboratory reared flies, for the debridement of non-healing wounds.

There will also be a variety of onsite presentations at MEDICAL FAIR ASIA 2014 featuring a wide range of topics such as Cyber Security for Medical Device to Measuring Arterial Stiffness to Prevent the Development of Hypertension.

Running concurrently with MEDICAL FAIR ASIA 2014 is The Singapore Medical and Healthcare Conference on 9 to 10 Sept, with the theme ‘New Paradigms in Healthcare’, with a range of topics including Healthcare Funding, Technological Advances in Healthcare and Health Tools for the Man in the Street. The conference will culminate in a technical tour and behind the scenes and visit leading medical facilities in Singapore.Dr Ruben Flores, President of the Asian Hospital Federation will be delivering the keynote address.

Focused on the upstream side of the medical supply chain, specifically medical manufacturing processes and medical technology solutions, MEDICAL MANUFACTURING ASIA 2014 will see a robust line-up of companies showcasing automation and production technology, high precision parts and components, customised ‘plug and play’ solutions, to functional medical textiles and ergonomic material handling solutions.

Parallel to MEDICAL MANUFACTURING ASIA 2014 is the 3-day MEDICAL MANUFACTURING ASIA 2014 Conference, themed ‘Reaching New Horizons in Medical Manufacturing’. It will feature a renowned panel of international speakers who will share their expertise on the present and future of 3D printing in medical applications,to legal and policy implications. The keynote address will be delivered by internationally sought after speaker Professor Stuart Williams. On the third day, delegates will be treated to an insightful learning journey through visits to one of two renowned Additive Manufacturing Centres in Singapore – The NTU Additive Manufacturing Centre and the NYP Additive Manufacturing Innovation Centre.

Both MEDICAL FAIR ASIA 2014 and MEDICAL MANUFACTURING ASIA 2014 are modelled after the world’s No. 1 medical and medtech exhibitions, MEDICA – World forum for medicine, and COMPAMED – High-tech solutions for medical technology, both of which are also organised by the Messe Düsseldorf Group.

Source: MEDICAL FAIR ASIA