NZ-based firms forge deals with PH companies

New Zealand-based companies are signing business deals on energy, medical technology, and cold storage facilities with Philippine companies, as an offshoot of the ongoing trade and investment mission in Manila.

GNS Science International Ltd. is scheduled to sign today (Friday) a memorandum of understanding with Energy Development Corp., while Orion Corp. signed a deal with The Medical City on Thursday afternoon for the setup of an electronic health record system.

Patton Ltd., meanwhile, is in the thick of negotiations for the supply of refrigeration units to the 40 new retail stores of a Japanese company operating in the Philippines, company officials said Thursday.

On the sidelines of an investment briefing hosted by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), GNS general manager Rob Johnston told reporters that the contract with EDC would cover the review of the energy firm’s geothermal prospects at the Bacon-Manito fields in Albay and Sorsogon; Leyte; Mt. Apo in Mindanao; Southern and Northern Negros; and Mariposa geothermal fields in Chile.

Johnston said the multimillion dollar contract would allow the review of the different geothermal fields.

The company will also provide EDC the necessary scientific and technical advice on “how to get more out of the field and improve the performance of the fields,” as well as on-site training for EDC employees, he added.

GNS Science had worked with EDC on another project.

Meanwhile, Orion signed yesterday an agreement with The Medical City for the installation of the electronic health record systems, said Lauren Bartlett, regional marketing and communications manager for East Asia of the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise.

According to Bartlett, this will allow medical information to be put on electronic records so that any doctor can easily access patient records.

Patton CEO Sameer Handa, on the other hand, said the group also hoped to strike more deals during the visit in the Philippines.

The planned contract with the retail firm here, if it pushes through, will be the first deal it will have in the country, Handa said.

Patton will also be setting up an office in the Philippines, but plans for a manufacturing facility will depend on the incentives the company can get from the government and the kind of contracts it will be able to bag.

The 20-man business delegation, which was led by Tim Groser, Minister of Trade of New Zealand, comprised of representatives from eight companies, one industry association and three government-led agencies.

These companies are Airways New Zealand, BCS Group, Fonterra, GNS Science, Manfreight International, Orion Corp., Patton, and Prime Foods NZ. Representatives from the New Zealand Technology Industry, Education New Zealand, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and New Zealand Trade and Enterprise also joined the business mission.