WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2018 KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) and the Malaysian Rubber Export Promotion Council (MREPC) are joining forces to co-organise MATRADE’s signature business matching programme - International Sourcing Programme (INSP) - in conjunction with the International Rubber Glove Conference & Exhibition (IRGCE) 2018 today.

IRGCE is a biennial event organised by the Malaysia Rubber Glove Manufacturers Association (MARGMA) and co-hosted by MREPC. This year’s IRGCE is the 9th series since its inception in 2002.

Although MATRADE and MREPC have been an integral part of IRGCE, this would be its first ever collaborative effort in bringing foreign buyers to meet with Malaysian manufacturers. Both MATRADE and MREPC, through their offices abroad, have identified a total of 33 foreign buyers from 11 countries who have expressed interest in sourcing Malaysian-made rubber gloves and other rubber medical devices. This presents a good opportunity for both parties to introduce foreign buyers to other Malaysian medical devices as well as rubber-based products.

According to Ir Dr Mohd Shahreen Zainooreen, Chief Executive Officer of MATRADE, MATRADE and MREPC are confident that the INSP during IRGCE 2018 will bring a positive impact to both buyers as well as local manufacturers. “Though many see the glove industry as an established sector, pockets of opportunities continue to exist around the world, particularly in emerging markets (India, China, Brazil, Turkey and Russia) As Malaysia’s trade promotion agency, we find business matching initiatives such as the INSP as an effective platform for Malaysian exporters to meet with high-quality buyers from around the world, without having to travel overseas,” he said.

MATRADE and MREPC will also explore other mutually beneficial opportunities for further collaboration over the next several months.

Medical gloves contributed RM10.24 billion (51.7 per cent) to Malaysia’s total exports of medical devices valued at RM19.78 billion in 2017. During January to June 2018, exports of medical gloves further grew by 6 per cent to RM8.48 billion from RM7.95 billion in 2017.

Ms Low Yoke Kiew, Chief Executive Officer of MREPC said “Malaysia’s exports of rubber gloves in 2017 hit an all-time high, benefiting from the synchronised recovery in global growth and demand. Given the strong export performance in 2017, Malaysia is expected to continue to dominate the world market for rubber gloves especially medical gloves for use in the healthcare sector.”

“The industry is confident to achieve the target of securing at least 65 per cent of global exports of rubber gloves by 2020. MREPC will continue to undertake marketing efforts to increase awareness on glove use and to promote high-quality gloves from Malaysia to further drive the growth of the rubber glove industry,” she mentioned.

MATRADE and MREPC will continue to undertake specific promotional programmes in Medical Device and Healthcare through participation in the upcoming MEDICA Dusseldorf 2018 (12 – 15 November 2018) and Arab Health 2019 (28 – 31 January 2019). MATRADE will also be organising an Export Acceleration Mission (EAM) to Europe (Netherlands & Belgium) on Medical Devices (7 – 9 November 2018).