KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 14 (Bernama) — The Malaysian Rubber Board (MRB) has teamed up with intellectual property specialist, Adastra Intellectual Property Sdn Bhd, to boost smallholders income and elevate their position in the rubber supply chain, said MRB chairman Sankara N Nair.

He said the strategic partnership would bridge the gap between technology producer and technology user by integrating rubber smallholders into the business aspect of rubber production.

“The industry players can learn about MRB’s technology offerings and adopt viable solutions that will improve their competitive edge globally.

“Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with innovative products and services can better protect their businesses and innovations by leveraging Adastra’s expertise in the areas of filing for trademarks, design and patents,” he said in a statement today.

Sankara said this would allow SMEs to confidently compete in the industry, both domestically and globally, especially as Malaysia remains as one of the top exporters of rubber-based products.

“We encourage SMEs to leverage MRB’s expertise and resources to collaborate and improve on technical and technological capabilities to strengthen the rubber-based products industry.

“Since sustainability and green technology are taking centre stage, there are lots of opportunities to delve into innovative products using latex and natural rubber compounds which are competitive or even more superior in quality to current product offerings,” he added.

— BERNAMA

http://bernama.com/en/news.php?id=1756801