Last month, I had a fantastic opportunity to visit Singapore to see several medical device suppliers and outsourcing service providers. It was a country I knew very little about and had simply grouped in with the rest of Asia as a low labor market for manufacturing. It wasn't long before I discovered how wrong I was.

Singapore is truly a gateway to Asia. That could mean different opportunities to different companies. Some might take advantage of Singapore as a location for outsourcing or product development. For others, using Singapore to house a "base of operations" from which to launch product into the rest of Asia is an attractive concept (Singapore's numerous trade agreements makes this easier for companies without a location in the region). Either way, companies benefit from the advantages Singapore offers that make it unique in the region.

Those advantages are numerous too.

With a strong infrastructure, government support for industry, IP protection, and a lack of language barriers, Singapore makes for a very attractive location for medical device manufacturers to establish a presence in the Asian community.