by
Gus Iversen, Editor in Chief | July 11, 2022
From the July 2022 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
Medical device stakeholders who are active in the Latin and North American markets need no introduction when it comes to the annual FIME exhibition and conference. It’s an opportunity to forge new partnerships, catch up with old friends and get your finger on the pulse of the market.
In anticipation of the upcoming event, HealthCare Business News spoke to exhibition director for Informa Markets – Healthcare, Gil Alejo, to find out what attendees could expect from this year’s meeting.
HCB News: For people who don't know, what does FIME offer medical equipment stakeholders?
Gil Alejo: Florida International Medical Expo (FIME) is a crucial networking platform for exhibitors looking to connect with leading medical device and equipment manufacturers and distributors from over 45 countries. Besides making strategic business and commercial connections, this also opens the door to significant opportunities for small and medium-sized healthcare companies.
HCB News: Why are North and Latin America important markets for medical device manufacturers?
GA: With FIME positioned as the leading event in the medical device and equipment sector for the Americas, we can confidently say that there is strong potential in this region. Looking at the medical equipment industry in Brazil, for instance, there is a large and steadily increasing number of Brazilian companies in the medical equipment manufacturing industry, and the number of people employed in the production of such equipment has slightly escalated in recent years. This has also led to a growing trend in production value, peaking at nearly 10 billion Brazilian reals (USD2.58 billion) in 2018.
However, the medical technology industry in this South American country depends mostly on imports. In 2020, the value of imports totaled USD4.8 billion. Meanwhile, although smaller in size, medical equipment exports in Brazil generated more than USD1.7 billion that same year. In the same year, nanomedicine was the medical technology segment projected to reach the highest market value in Latin America, with a total of USD19.36 billion. This was followed by the respiratory monitoring devices market, with a forecasted value of more than three billion dollars that same year.
HCB News: How old is FIME and how has it evolved over the years?
GA: FIME has been running for over three decades and we are all set to mark our 32nd edition this year (2022). Over time, it has transformed from a simple networking platform to a globally connected one-stop destination for state-of-the-art products, services, and solutions for the healthcare industry in the Americas.
