CHINESE PRODUCTS "UP TO STANDARDS"

       China's manufacturers of medical products claim to have upgraded their goods in order to overcome a negative image of offering low-quality products, and to enable them to compete with rival manufacturers around the world.
       Many of them joined last week's Fourth Medical Fair Thailand 2009. Among about 250 exhibitors at the fair, about 55 were from China, the highest number from any participating country.
       Danny Gao, sales manager of Shenzhen Creative Industry, which makes a wide range of patient-monitoring equipment and home-care products, said that some medical products manufactured by Chinese firms in the past might have had lower quality than those of their foreign rivals.
       However, they have now improved their product quality in a bid to export to the world's markets.
       His company, for example, has developed its medical equipment over the past nine years and its products are now distributed both within China and overseas, to markets such as the United States, European countries, South Africa and South America.
       Over recent years his company has been earning 70 per cent of its income from within China and the rest from exports. However, this year, revenue from the domestic market has fallen to 60 per cent of the total and 40 per cent has come from exports.
       "We would like to expand our world markets, which are much bigger than our domestic market. Exporting to world markets such the US and Europe would guarantee that Chinese medical products, like those of our company, have high quality," he said.
       Shenzhen Creative Industry's products have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, Gao said.
       Hollye Chen, marketing director of Reach Surgical, a manufacturer of medical staplers, said she believed that medical products made by Chinese manufacturers were these days of the same quality as those produced in other countries. However, Chinese firms could manufacture at lower prices because some of their costs, such as overhead expenses, were much lower than those of overseas companies.
       "Medical technology is something that every country can learn. I can say that Chinese people have the same talent as the Americans, for example. But our production costs are much lower, depending on the competitive situation and regions. So, I can't say for how much less Chinese companies can produce medical equipment," Chen said.
       Reach Surgical has been operating for four years. Its exhibit at the Medical Fair Thailand was its first foray into international markets.
       "I've heard that the healthcare business in Thailand is growing and the government supports the industry to become a medical hub for the region. So, there is a big opportunity for us to expand our business to this kingdom," she said.
       The company is also looking for other export destinations in Asia, as well as in the US, Europe and South America.
       Kris Su, international sales manager for Guoteng Science and Technology Development, one of China's leading manufacturers of patient monitors, said the medical products of some Chinese companies had low quality because fierce competition forced them to cut costs in order to set the lowest prices.
       However, some manufacturers maintain a focus on manufacturing high quality products in a bid to compete with overseas firms. So, customers - both end users and hospitals - have to study the products on the market very carefully before deciding to purchase or place orders.
       China has many manufacturers of patient monitors. However, his company exports its products to 60 countries and 75 per cent of its revenue last year came from export sales, he said.