Mission Description

CS Saudi Arabia (Jeddah, Riyadh and Dhahran) will organize and lead a delegation of senior business representatives from the Saudi healthcare industry to the New Jersey/New York and Los Angeles areas to meet with potential U.S. suppliers.

The primary objective of the RTM is to match U.S. firms with participating Saudi companies which can act as qualified agents, distributors, representatives, licensees, end users, and joint venture partners, primarily in the pharmaceutical, medical, dental and laboratory equipment fields. The overall market for medical equipment in Saudi Arabia has expanded with the growing demand for sophisticated medical services. The introduction of advanced treatments has stimulated the market for advanced diagnostic, monitoring and treatment devices.

Geoffrey Walser, Principal Commercial Officer in Jeddah, will lead the Saudi RTM of 28-30 companies. Commercial Specialists Tahar Garfaoui of Jeddah, Jaquie Wathen of Dhahran and Maher Siblini of Riyadh will be the principal organizers and coordinators for the RTM.

Commercial Setting

The RTM will take place within the following context:

1. Saudi Arabia is both the largest and most dynamic market in the region for medical equipment and pharmaceutical products. It consumes about 65 percent of all such products imported by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries that include Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, U.A.E. Oman and Qatar. The existing strong demand for new medical equipment is largely fueled by a growing number of hospitals and clinics throughout the Kingdom.
2. Spending on sophisticated medical equipment and advanced pharmaceutical products is expected to increase as Saudi Arabia's private healthcare sector continues to grow at an annual growth rate of 3.5 percent. With the advent of compulsory medical insurance, industry analysts predict that private hospitals will need to enhance their medical delivery systems by upgrading their equipment and services to conform to the government health standards.
3. Increasing numbers of Saudi investors, applying for licenses to manufacture pharmaceutical and medical disposable products locally, will represent a major opportunity for U.S. companies to license their products or explore joint venture possibilities in Saudi Arabia.
4. The U.S. is Saudi Arabia's leading trading partner and investor with some 267 projects and $2.252 billion investment in the Saudi oil, petrochemical, engineering, consulting, banking and manufacturing projects. Total U.S. exports to Saudi Arabia in 1998 exceeded $10 billion.
5. While total expenditures for medical equipment are projected to increase by 3.5 percent per year through 2000, reaching a high of $294 million, the market for pharmaceutical products is estimated to reach $900 million with U.S. suppliers commanding almost 30 percent of Saudi import market.

To match U.S. and Saudi companies in an effort to create new agent, distributor, representative, licensee, end use, and joint venture relationships. The mission matchmaking is designed to benefit U.S. medical and pharmaceutical firms desiring to start or expand their businesses in the Gulf and Saudi Arabia in particular.

Mission Timetable

The RTM's program will start in Trenton, New Jersey, Monday, May 22. The RTM delegation will then depart for Newport Beach, California on Wednesday, May 24 to resume their program on Thursday, May 25 and Friday, May 26.

CS Saudi Arabia will begin active recruitment for the RTM on January 15, and will conclude April 20, 2000 -- five weeks before the mission participants arrive. This will provide ample time for CS Saudi Arabia to coordinate a full program schedule for the delegation with the Trenton and Newport Beach EAC's.

Criteria for Participant Selection

CS Saudi Arabia will follow the terms of the mission statement to help recruit and support 28-30 Saudi companies in the healthcare sector. The selection of U.S. companies by the EACs to meet with the Saudi Reverse Trade Mission members will be based on the marketability of their goods and services in Saudi Arabia, and the relevance of their business focus to the RTM goal.

In following USDOC participation guidelines, U.S. companies wishing to participate in the mission must certify that their goods and services are either manufactured or produced in the United States or if manufactured or produced outside, they must certify that the goods and services are marketed under the name of a U.S. firm and that the final product has at least 51% U.S. content.

Recruitment of U.S. firms to meet with the Saudi RTM will be conducted in an open and public manner, including publication of the Mission Statement on the Internet and in the Federal Register; promotion through the Commercial Service network; press releases; and direct contact with trade associations and companies in the healthcare industry.

Any partisan political activities (including political contributions) of a U.S. firm seeking to meet the members of the Reverse Trade Mission are entirely irrelevant to the selection process.

Contact Information

Geoffrey Walser, PCO

American Consulate General
Unit # 62112 APO. AE, 09811 - 2112
Phone: 966-2-698-3779, ext. 210
Fax: 966-2-698-3809
E-mail: Geoffrey.Walser@mail.doc.gov

Debora Sykes/Joan Dragolic

U.S. Export Assistance Center
3131 Princeton Pike
Bldg. #6, Ste 100
Trenton, New Jersey 08648
Phone: 609-989-2100
Fax: 609-989-2395
E-mail: Debora.Sykes@mail.doc.gov
Joan.Dragolic@mail.doc.gov

Maryavis Bokal/Tony Michalski

U.S. Export Assistance Center
3300 Irvine Avenue, Suite 305
Newport Beach, California 92660
Phone: 714-660-1688
Fax: 714-660-8039
E-mail: Maryavis.Bokal@mail.doc.gov.
Tony.Michalski@mail.doc.gov