The two synergistic trade exhibitions for the medical, healthcare and MedTech sectors, MEDICAL FAIR ASIA and MEDICAL MANUFACTURING ASIA 2018 closed to resounding success on 31st August. With its largest edition to date, more than 14,000 trade visitors from 72 countries visited the fairgrounds of MEDICAL FAIR ASIA this year a 16 per cent increase from 2016. MEDICAL MANUFACTURING ASIA 2018 registered some 6,000 visitors from 56 countries – making it a 12 per cent increase from the previous edition.
The three-day synergistic exhibitions hosted more than 1,220 exhibitors from 62 countries who reached out to a diverse, international profile of visitors. While 40 percent of the visitors came from outside Singapore, the majority were from Asia with neighbouring ASEAN countries particularly well represented. As Dr Chew Wei Lun, a certified functional medicine practitioner and first-time visitor observed, “I was impressed by the breadth of products on show and the wide internationality of exhibitors. In fact, I even learned more about the rehabilitative products which I was on the lookout for.”
Confirming its position as the region’s leading business platform for the healthcare and medical sector, MEDICAL FAIR ASIA 2018 hosted a total of 23 national pavilions and country groups — its strongest line-up yet. Exhibiting under the Russian Pavilion was the Shvabe Group, which specialises in the manufacture of optical and medical equipment. According to its Managing Director and Chairman, John T.C. McGough, they were very pleased with their participation, having made many useful contacts with potential distributors. He said, “Asia is the future, and this is where growth will be in the next decade. Singapore — with its strategic locale — is the gateway to the region, and we will definitely be back in 2020 with a bigger booth.” The Russian Pavilion was among the nine new country pavilions which made their debut at MEDICAL FAIR ASIA.
Future-ready solutions a big hit at the exhibitions
The positive market outlook for the medical and MedTech sectors was well-reflected by the number of high-quality visitors seeking cutting-edge solutions among the more than 10,000 products showcased at the exhibition, representing the entire end-to-end value chain from medical manufacturing processes and machinery, to finished products and components.
FREE Bionics Group’s Head of Business Development, Ms Huang Tinlan, commented that the new zone on Community Care was the perfect spot for their first time participation at MEDICAL FAIR ASIA; “Through this exhibition, we made new contacts, including doctors and therapists from rehabilitation centres as well as neurological departments from Mount Elizabeth Hospital, Tan Tock Seng and Sengkang General Hospitals. The event was a good platform to present our products and we will definitely be back in 2020.”
New technology and digital health solutions were the big draws at the exhibitions, with the new Start-up Park gaining much interest as a dedicated showcase for young companies to pitch to top decision makers and seek potential investors. For healthcare and pharmaceuticals venture capitalist Dr Anand Govindaluri, Founder and Managing Director of Govin Capital Pte Ltd, the Start-Up Park was a great place to listen to product pitches on new innovations and digital health solutions in a face-to-face setting. “This is my first visit to MEDICAL FAIR ASIA and I am particularly impressed by the Start-Up Park concept, and Future for Health (FTR4H) digital health lounge,” he said.
“With an ageing population, it is important to create a connected healthcare ecosystem, and I was excited to extend my discussions with JAGA-ME,” added Dr Govindaluri. JAGA-ME, a home-grown mobile app that aims to connect nurses and patients, was one of eight start-up companies that exhibited at MEDICAL FAIR ASIA.
On the MEDICAL MANUFACTURING ASIA front, companies with new approaches to innovation also took centre stage, underlined by the opening speech by Dr Koh Poh Koon, Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry. He emphasised the growing trend of medical technology companies moving up the value chain and the need for new approaches and greater collaboration.
For MedTech exhibitor AMT Pte Ltd, efforts to expand their business in the medical space has increased over the last five years with their newest endeavour focused on clean room capabilities. A long-time exhibitor since MEDICAL MANUFACTURING ASIA’s first edition in 2012, AMT’s Marketing Director, Mr Zulkefli Zainal said, “The exhibition has been improving over the years and visitor traffic is much better now than before with even more quality visitors who are knowledgeable in the products on the show floor.” AMT’s manufacturing expertise includes the development and patented manufacture of metal/ceramic parts using their trademarked and award-winning “In-Coring” process which can now be used in the medical field.
The place to do business for the medical and healthcare, and MedTech sectors
Strengthening their positions as the sourcing and procurement platforms of choice, both exhibitions welcomed visiting delegations and VIP buyers from Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam. According to Dr Prapa Wongphaet, Director, S. Medical Enterprise Co Ltd, who led the Thai Medical and Wellness Tourism Association delegation, seeing the isolation tank from a UK-based company was unexpected; “This is the first time we have seen something like this, and it is exactly what we need. We can now use this tank to isolate patients in case of an epidemic. Visiting the exhibition with my team also fostered many on the spot idea generation and exchange sessions, and I am glad to bring these best practices back to our hospital,” she said.
Reiterating MEDICAL FAIR ASIA’s anchor as the medical business exhibition for the region was Mr Christophe Marque, Chairman of the Association of Malaysian Medical Industries. “The exhibition was vibrant with a lot of interaction seen between exhibitors and visitors on the show floors. It is trade exhibitions like these that value-add the industry as they pave the way for people to meet and discuss business.”
For Swiss machining solutions manufacturer Willemin-Macodel SA, MEDICAL MANUFACTURING ASIA proved to be the ideal gateway to introduce and promote their manufacturing solutions to the Southeast Asian market. “Although this is our first time here, the response has been very good and we have been busy with many requests looking for medical manufacturing solutions in Malaysia, Indonesia and even high-precision manufacturing parts from Singapore,” said Mr Philippe Zürcher, Head of Business Development.
Well-attended concurrent programmes augmented the exhibitions
Complementing MEDICAL FAIR ASIA and MEDICAL MANUFACTURING ASIA 2018 were a series of industry-focused conferences, seminars and workshops covering a wide-range of topics such as Sports Medicine, Wearable Technologies, Robotic Surgery, Community Care and MedTech that attracted 700 international attendees.
According to seminar attendee Mr Dennis Ng, Executive Director of Ignite-Growth, the discussions on bringing healthcare to the community at the Paradigm Shifts in Healthcare seminar reflected “the way the world is moving towards, and (he is) happy to gain new insights for (his management consulting) company.” The seminar which made its debut at the exhibitions this year featured speakers from the Singapore General Hospital and KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
MEDICAL FAIR ASIA and MEDICAL MANUFACTURING ASIA are synergistic trade exhibitions for the medical, healthcare and MedTech sectors and are part of the MEDICAlliance’s network of trade fairs — sharing the global expertise of MEDICA, REHACARE, and COMPAMED — by the Messe Düsseldorf Group.
The next editions of the co-located exhibitions will take place from 9 to 11 September 2020 at the Marina Bay Sands, Singapore.
About the Organiser
Messe Düsseldorf Asia is a subsidiary (http://mda.messe-dusseldorf.com) of Messe Düsseldorf in Germany, one of the world’s leading trade fair organisers, responsible for organising more than 20 global No.1 exhibitions in various industries. With extensive expertise in organising trade fairs in Southeast Asia, Messe Düsseldorf Asia has developed a portfolio of numerous trade fairs in Southeast Asia since 1995.
