Rockeby Infl uenza A Virus Antigen Test is the success story which encapsulates the new Rockeby. In November 2005, as Managing Director of the Company, I made the strategic decision to take over the marketing of our contract manufacturer’s “rapid bird fl u test.” At that time, the threat of bird fl u was waning and the fi rst wave of bird fl u had disappeared from Thailand. Nevertheless, with foresight and with a conviction that the bird fl u danger was not over, our team started marketing the product under our own name. The marketing activities centred on attending specifi c conferences which were dealing with bird fl u directly such as a Pandemic Infl uenza conference in Paris, Bangkok, Singapore, Ankara, Cairo etc. Almost every opportunity was followed up and the efforts have paid off handsomely for the Company. Rockeby now receives daily enquiries for our veterinary test for detecting strains of Infl uenza A and has sold the product in Asia, Europe, Middle East and Africa. Moreover, Rockeby has been able to win several tenders, a solid testimony that the test has been widely-accepted and competitively-priced.
A few months ago, Rockeby agreed with our partner Pacifi c Biotech to acquire the technological know-how for this product - effectively making it our own product. We will enhance the product by leveraging on our in-house R & D capability.
Rockeby can proudly claim that in the nine months since it fi rst entered the market we have become a player in this fi eld to be reckoned with. We have gained widespread market acceptance and, aside from new customers, we have enjoyed a tremendous level of repeat purchases.
We are now is in discussions to enter the Chinese market with a potential joint venture for our veterinary test. This project is the biggest challenge for the company. However, it also has the potential to reap us the greatest financial rewards. We will be able to harness our China experience and integrate it with the expertise brought by our partner to manage this project.
Besides the veterinary test Rockeby also has an Infl uenza A test for human use. Currently the product’s sales record is not as impressive. However, we are in negotiations with a major multi-national pharmaceutical company that approached us to supply the human fl u test on an OEM basis. Again, this is an excellent endorsement of our products.
