Subsequent to laying of foundation stone on August 19, 2016 by Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, N Chandrababu Naidu, Andhra Pradesh MedTech Zone (AMTZ) has recently launched Expression of Interests (EoIs) for scientific facilities for medical equipment manufacturing, project development, construction, set up agencies for enabling technology transfer and financial support at AMTZ in Vishakhapatnam.

The AMTZ Investors’ Brochure was also launched and is available for free download on AMTZ’s website www.AMTZ.in with the Expression of Interest documents for various Common Scientific Manufacturing Facilities. The bookings for factory is set to begin on October 2, 2016.

With 200 to 300 manufacturing units of plot area 0.25 acres, 0.5 acres and 1.0 acre each, AMTZ would host common manufacturing units commonly required for medical equipment manufacturing, tenders of which were released for selection of private agencies under Build & Operate model. These are by far the largest and most comprehensive effort ever made in India to boost the dormant medical devices industry.

Some of these facilities do not exist in India and AMTZ is set to become the first, making India the first country in Asia to host them and also becoming the first in the country to achieve this feat.

Some of the facilities include high-tech laboratories such as component testing and board manufacturing centre, electro-magnetic interference (EMI/EMC) laboratory, medical grade low vacuum molding, cabinet molding, injection molding centres, 3D designing and printing for medical grade products, sterilization and toxicity testing centre, radiation testing centre, gamma irradiation facility, rapid prototyping centre, industrial R&D centre, incubation centre, convention centre and expo halls, warehousing, regulator’s office and other facilities commonly required in manufacturing of medical devices.

These common manufacturing scientific facilities are currently not available in India to most of the manufacturers as they are high in capital investment and the manufacturers instead prefer to send their raw materials abroad for process upgradation. These facilities along with the proximity to all modes of transport like port, railways, road, air will act as unique proposition to attract medical equipment manufacturers to come and set up their units in AMTZ. This shall help reduce cost of manufacturing by over 40 per cent and this benefit could be passed on to the buyers.