Japan's Consulting Firm CDI is Opening a Medical Representative Office in Israel

CDI Medical, the healthcare subsidiary of Tokyo-headquartered consulting firm Corporate Directions Inc., is opening a representative office in Israel, the firm announced Wednesday. Dror Barzilai, the former CEO of Nestle Ice Cream Israel, will head the new Israeli office.

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The firm is looking to represent and connect Israel-based device makers to the Japanese market, offering its assistance in dealing with regulation, feasibility studies, selecting and negotiating with the local distributors, and locating and bringing in potential investors.

Citing data from the Japanese Ministry of Health, U.S.-based analytics company Clarivate Analytics reported in November 2016 that the Japanese market for medical devices and materials stood at around $32.5 billion in 2014, 59% of which came via domestic production and 41% of which came through imports. Clarivate also stated that Japan was the third largest market for such devices, after the U.S. and Europe.

In 2014, the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry and the Israeli Ministry of Economy signed a landmark agreement to support industrial research and development cooperation between Japan and Israel. At the time, CDI Medical was mentioned in the list of companies actively seeking partnerships in Israel.

A delegation of senior officials from CDI is currently visiting Israel, headed by Takatomo Ajima, head of the firm's medical subsidiary and executive partner at CDI. The team met with Israeli companies operating in the field, and with Ami Appelbaum, Chairman of the Israeli Innovation Authority.

According to data from the Israeli Ministry of Economy and Industry, medical devices and other medical technologies were the second largest Israeli export sector to China in 2016, amounting to 15% of the exports to the country last year. According to the data, China’s medical device revenue amounted to $56.7 billion in 2016.