A Hong Kong medical technology firm manufacturing tailor-made body implants will expand research initiatives and explore setting up a factory in Central Asia, in a further collaboration which one expert said could also benefit the city.

Koln 3D, Hong Kong’s first orthopaedic and metal component printing technology company, revealed its plan ahead of Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s coming visit to the region early next month.

“For me, Central Asian countries are like Saudi Arabia 20 to 30 years ago. They are rich in oil and minerals, and will develop well in the future,” said Edmond Yau Wing-fung, the company’s founder and CEO.

“We hope to leverage our advanced technology to help [patients in] one country first, and gradually expand to the whole region.”

Lee earlier announced that he would lead the largest-ever delegation of the current administration, consisting of more than 30 local business leaders and around 30 mainland Chinese entrepreneurs, to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in early June.

Yau will be among the delegates and is expected to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the National Research Oncology Centre of Kazakhstan, the country’s leading cancer research institute.