Organised by the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK), Croatian innovators met with potential Malaysian partners through business forums and individual talks in Kuala Lumpur. Could the distant Malaysian market offer opportunities for Croatian companies?
As Novac writes on the 22nd of February, 2020, Roto kruna (crown), Citus, Sestan-Busch, Priroda lijeci (Nature heals), Dizz Concept and Altpro have presented their products and services. A visit to the Malaysia Technology Expo Innovation Fair and Exhibition was also organised, where the Croatian companies presented themselves in the organisation of the Association of Croatian Innovators and won an impressive four gold medals.
Gold for industrial design and printing was won by 3D Tech, gold for ICT by Citus, gold was also won by the healthcare company Priroda lijeci, while the gold medal for construction went into the hands of Dizz Concept.
''The quality of our innovators is confirmed by numerous international awards, so it isn't surprising that Malaysian investors have shown great interest in their products. We've opened the doors of this market to them by organising visits, and judging by the meetings held, some of them will soon realise concrete cooperation,'' said HGK Industry Sector Director Tajana Kesic-Sapic.
"This is a big market where there is definitely room for Croatian companies with quality and innovative products," said Kesic-Sapic, such as Infobip, who already has an office there and was also featured at the fair.
Among the six Croatian companies as part of the delegation was Dizz Concept, whose director Darko Spiljaric presented potential Malaysian investors with PIA pop-up cuisine intended primarily for small apartments, tourist facilities and offices.
"Our modular concept saves a lot of space and has already received numerous awards. We tailor our products to individual markets, which is why we have six models of PIA cuisines that are made exactly from the inputs of clients from different countries. The differences are drastic, so the kitchens we make, for example, for the Taiwanese market have virtually nothing to do with the ones we do in the US,'' explained Spiljaric, adding that thanks to the good organisation of HGK, they have held many quality meetings and the further development of the situation depends on the technical arrangements of them and any potential partners.
Dizz Concept is among the Croatian companies already operating worldwide, and along with the US and Taiwan, they are present on markets from Hong Kong and Singapore to over a dozen EU countries, all the way to Kenya and Canada. Citus presented a piece of innovation at the fair that represents an entirely new approach to human-machine communication using artificial intelligence and blockchain technology.
"We take the parametres of the man who controls the machine and we create a unique footprint that makes all the data anonymised. That footprint can then access various content and information while fully protecting the privacy of its users,'' explained Brigita Prole of Citus Marketing.
''At this innovation exhibition, we've established contacts with many local entrepreneurs thanks to the excellent preparation of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce and I hope that we'll manage to realise all the agreed deals upon our return home. What matters is that we've come to meetings with companies that know very well what we're doing, with concrete proposals for cooperation. This isn't the first time we've been there, and we can see the growing interest of the Malaysian market and the seriousness of approaching the business. I believe that a lot of good jobs will be done in the near future for the benefit of Croatian companies,'' said Prole.
HGK co-financed the expenses of the member companies by fifty percent. As part of the visit, the delegation was received by the National Chamber of Commerce of Malaysia and the Malaysian Export Agency (MATRADE), where Croatian companies and their innovators held B2B interviews with Malaysian partners.
They also visited the Malaysian Palm Oil Authority (MPOB) and the Proton car factory in Kuala Lumpur. Otherwise, the MTE 2020 is a place where innovators are given visibility and plenty of market opportunities to commercialise their innovation, and it is also a meeting place for business and research organisations to showcase their latest inventions and see what competitors are doing in different industries.
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