By NNN-Bernama
Dubai : OSA Technology Sdn Bhd, the first Malaysian company to produce orthopaedic surgical implants and instrumentation systems, is eyeing Dubai as its gateway to the Middle East market.
Chief executive officer Dr Hyzan Mohd Yusof said the company is in talks with the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) to realise this objective.
“We’re choosing Dubai as it can be the gateway to many other Middle East countries,” he told Bernama on the sidelines of the just-concluded Arab Health exhibition, the region’s premier event for the healthcare industry participated by about 65 countries, including Malaysia.
OSA Technology started its operations at the Smart Technology Centre II in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia in Bangi in June 2007, and is undergoing a certification exercise for the ISO 13485:2003 and CE Marketing for its products.
“We should achieve that in March,” said Dr Hyzan of the company which is also aiming to capture markets in Malaysia and Southeast Asia besides the Middle East.
Dr Hyzan, who is a consultant orthopaedic & trauma surgeon at Sunway Medical Centre in Petaling Jaya, disclosed that OSA Technology is in discussion with a multinational company with a view to concluding a joint-venture arrangement that can accelerate OSA Technology’s growth.
“This is because making medical devices takes a long period but we want them to be on the table or in the market soon. If we go through the normal process, it’ll take a long time, so we have to cut it short,” said Dr Hyzan, who is also active in humanitarian work in Middle Eastern countries like Lebanon and Syria over the past few years.
He said OSA Technology came into being after receiving a RM2.89 million research & development grant from the Malaysian Technology Development Corporation (MTDC) and a further RM1.8 million as a soft loan from Perbadanan Usahawan Nasional Bhd.
“MTDC has looked at our marketing plan and our vision,” he said, thankful for the government’s backing.
“The policy (to develop entrepreneurs) is there but the mechanism is not too friendly to entrepreneurs like us,” he remarked.
“And here in Dubai – this is our first foray into the international market – we have received enquiries from countries like Syria, Pakistan, Iraq and the Emirate of Dubai itself.”
He observed that Malaysia is viewed as a country that produces high-quality products and assured that OSA Technology will do just that with the latest machines bought from Japan and raw materials sourced from Britain.
The presence of several Malaysian companies at the Arab Health exhibition was arranged by Matrade.