HKPC Technology (Holdings) Co., Ltd. Signs First Licensing Agreement with Private Sector for Technology Commercialization

The HKPC Technology (Holdings) Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC), today (27 April, 2006) signed the first licensing agreement with a local company for the commercialization of an environmental management system developed by HKPC.

The signing ceremony between HKPC Technology (Holdings) Co., Ltd. and Nishitani (Asia) Ltd on the Handy Toilet Waste Disinfection System (HTWDS) was officiated by Dr Samson Tam, Chairman of HKPC Technology (Holdings) Co., Ltd. and Mr Francis Chau, Managing Director of Nishitani (Asia) Ltd, with Mr K K Yeung, Executive Director of HKPC, and Mr Tatsuo Nishitani, Managing Director of Nishitani Japan and Executive Director of Nishitani (Asia) Ltd, as witnesses. Developed by HKPC, the HTWDS is an environmental solution to reduce the risk of the spread of germs through the sewage system.

Speaking at the ceremony, Dr Samson Tam said, "Today's signing ceremony marks a new chapter for HKPC in technology commercialization. This Licensing Agreement is the first transaction of the HKPC Technology (Holdings) Co., Ltd., a company set up in 2004 as HKPC's vehicle for the commercialization of patents, technologies and deliverables resulting from HKPC's research and development projects. The financial returns of such technology commercialization will naturally be ploughed back to HKPC to support the development of more innovative technologies, which is again conducive to the interests of industry."

"Under this Agreement, HKPC Technology (Holdings) Co., Ltd. will grant Nishitani (Asia) Ltd a non-exclusive licence to manufacture, market and sell the HTWDS," he continued. "The System is one of the many environmental technologies developed by HKPC in response to growing concerns over health and hygiene in Hong Kong. In August this year, Nishitani and HKPC will collaborate to install this system in about 100 toilets in the new infectious diseases block at the Princess Margaret Hospital," he said.

"Today's transaction is only the beginning. We will continue to collaborate closely with industry to turn HKPC's project deliverables into innovative and useful products through technology commercialization for the benefit of industry and society," said Dr Tam.

Established in 1996, Nishitani (Asia) Ltd is the Hong Kong operation of Nishitani & Co., Ltd. in Japan – an international trading house with business activities covering cement, mining, mineral processing, environmental engineering and steel structures. Mr Francis Chau, Managing Director of Nishitani (Asia) Limited, said, "We are confident that the partnership between Nishitani and HKPC Technology (Holdings) Co., Ltd. will benefit the community at large."

He said, "When the first batch of HTWDS in Princess Margaret Hospital becomes fully operational, we expect a significant surge in demand for the products from local hospitals, rehabilitation centers, elderly homes, healthcare centres, and clinics. Apart from local users, our long-term objective is to promote the product through our worldwide sales network to the global market."

"We will work closely with HKPC to continuously improve the product, ensuring our leading position in the competitive global market," said Mr Chau.

Introducing the HTWDS, Mr K L Tsang, Technology Services Manager (Environmental Management) of HKPC, said, "Following the outbreak of the SARS epidemic in 2003, HKPC has developed the Toilet Waste Disinfection System. Pilot testing in Princess Margaret Hospital showed that 99.999% of E. Coli in the raw sewage was killed within seconds. At present, over 200 Systems have been installed in the isolation wards of Princess Margaret Hospital, Prince of Wales Hospital and Queen Elisabeth Hospital, with each System controlling up to 9 toilets in each ward."

"The compact, stand alone HTWDS is the second generation design of the System. By doing away with substantial piping works, the new System can be installed in the toilets of individual households, public or commercial facilities. The prototypes have been successfully tested and the HTWDS is ready for production," said Mr Tsang.

Also joining the signing ceremony today were Mr Yukio Nishitani, CEO and Chairman of Nishitani Japan & Hong Kong, and Nishitani's partners in Hong Kong.

For further information on HKPC's environmental management services, please contact Mr K L Tsang at tel. (852) 2788 5628, or email: kltsang@hkpc.org.

For media enquiries, please contact:
Ms Betty Lee
General Manager
Corporate Communications and Events
Tel: (852) 2788 5895
Fax: (852) 2788 5056
Email: justina@hkpc.org
Website: www.hkpc.org

27 April 2006