By Edgar Brandt
WINDHOEK – Commodity Exchange cc (Comex), the Namibian company that manufactures 4 million to 5 million Smile condoms per month for the Ministry of Health and Social Services, has applied for international certification. The company plans to distribute the locally-made condoms as far as Europe and the United States of America.
“The future is bright for Comex as we are currently in the process of being certified for both CE mark in Europe and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the USA. Once received this will mean we will be able to export and market our products to any country accepting these standards. These additions means we have reached a stage where we can supply the rest of Southern Africa with a proudly Namibian product,” explained Comex production manager, Wilbur van Wyk. The CE mark is a mandatory conformity marking for certain products sold within the European Economic Area (EEA).
The company, which was established in 1994 as an agent for a number of South African pharmaceutical and disposable medical product companies, achieved global recognition when it walked away with a Gold Award for quality practices at an international quality summit in New York, USA.
“This award has opened a lot of doors, which gives us more negotiation power and puts us on the same stage as world industry leaders. We can now compete on the world stage as we form part of the quality community, setting benchmarks for others to follow in achieving global recognition,” said Van Wyk.
The production manager went on to emphasize that the international award should disprove the negative perception that the Smile condom brand seems to have received locally, simply because it is distributed for free.
“Commodity Exchange is a company that aspires to the highest standards of quality in the realm of healthcare. We feel that great quality and healthcare should be synonymous with each other. They should be interdependent of each other, and not independent of each other. We maintain and assert that quality healthcare should be a standardised practice throughout the world,” he said.
Comex’s human resources manager, Betran Maritz, elaborated on the criteria for the international award: “We were among 49 other leaders in their industry and our presence stood out among the other attendees. The reasons are that we are a young, dynamic company, innovative to [the point] where we exceed expectations. We are constantly striving to new heights while we hold the Namibian flag high amongst world leaders.”
Commodity Exchange established its condom factory, including a quality control and assurance laboratory, in Windhoek during 2002.
The laboratory ensures that the company’s products conform to the highest international standards. The company is wholly Namibian owned and specializes in the supply of healthcare related consumables and medical disposable products.