The Managing Director of  A to Z  Innovations is interviewed by journalist Mike Tanousis of the Middle East Hospital magazine www.middleeasthospital.com   

Middle East Hospital : What does A to Z Innovations / NuTech Medical do?

A-Z Innovations: We innovate product designs for medical and industrial advancement. Invent and design products such as the ParaSkate, Paradoc and the Paragrip. These products are patented and represent major improvements in how medical staff and patients are treated. The ParaSkate has been specifically designed to assist in the handling of gas cylinders.  The ingenious design allows cylinders simply to be dropped into the ParaSkate – the cylinder is automatically gripped and allows the user to maneuver the cylinder as required without lifting the cylinder, and without use of bulky trolleys, etc.

 We have also designed a portable Resuscitation Support Module (RSM) a light weight unit designed to provide support to at risk patients being moved between hospital departments.

MEH: What is the Unique Selling Point of your product range?

 A-Z I: Gas bottles are in widespread use in several industries and they are tall, thin and heavy. The dangers their instability poses while they are being moved and used are considerable, and this is a worldwide problem. Previous systems to keep gas bottles in place simply do not work effectively. But by using Paragrip and its counterpart Paraskate, a simple mini-trolley, stability of bottles is greatly increased both in use and in transit. Until now, gas trolleys have not changed significantly since their first invention, but now the Paragrip principle provides major benefits to the user over existing trolleys. Easy to use and deploy (being light weight compared to trolleys), they are also quiet, with no squeaking wheels or rattling chains and bars to wake up other patients up during the night. The trolley is very stable and maneuverable (turning 360 degrees), and can be taken up kerbs or a few steps if required without detaching from the cylinder. The ParaSkate is compact and can be used in confined areas, which is impossible with conventional trolleys. It is also easy to clean and sterilise. 

The ParaDoc provides a secure port for storage of cylinders or for use at the side of a patient in need of gas. In the event of an emergency the ParaSkate and ParaGrip can provide gas to those patients in need who are being removed from piped services. The ParaSkate can also be moved easily by female operatives without breaching health and safety rules.

 MEH: Who currently uses your products, and what are your plans for market development?

 A-Z I: Hospitals are the main market for the ParaSkate range. However, universities, health centres and any areas that deploy gas cylinders are also viable markets. Also, the emergency medical teams in ambulances and support vehicles could use the ParaSkate instead of carrying heavy gas cylinders. Other markets could be those businesses that use helium gas, carbon dioxide gas cylinders. This system is ideal for the healthcare sector but its wider potential in many other industries that need to move and use heavy, potentially unstable vertical objects frequently is even bigger, it has prospective applications across the building and construction industry, brewing, firefighting and many other sectors.

MEH: Which countries are you currently operational in, and which new markets are you looking to gain access to?

 RM: We are active in the UK, Sweden, Eire and France. NuTech, which has also undertaken the UK Trade & Investment Passport to Export programme, is setting up manufacturing facilities in the UK, Mexico, Poland and India and we are negotiating license agreements in all the world’s main prospective customer countries. We test marketed the ParaSkate and the Paragrip at Medica in Düsseldorf in 2007 and received just over eighty enquiries from many countries including Iran, Egypt, Turkey, Algeria, Qatar, Bahrain and Nigeria. The Middle East (ME) represents an important potential market for NuTec. Currently we have no marketing presence in the ME but we are seeking an established company to sell or license the ParaSkate range of products throughout the region.

 The markets with the greatest potential for growth would be those regions with a well developed health service especially where gas cylinders are used. The strategy for exploiting and optimising the uptake of this range must be with a regional company or organisation who has the knowledge, skill and capabilities. In the past NuTec Medical has exhibited at Medica. We are optimistic that we will find a company to represent the ParaSkate range at next year’s Arab Health, and other relevant exhibitions in the ME region in the foreseeable future.

Middle East Hospital magazine is distributed to hospitals and healthcare establishments accross the Middle East and Gulf  regions.  The magazine can also be read (in English !) at www.middleeasthospital.com