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infant industries and subsidising others including those with foreign investment representing desirable high technology. example Taiwan and Korea have registered strong and significant industrial growth and technological expansion in recent years, partly as a result of a determined Government policy towards the promotion of domestic industry and the introduction of higher technology through various incentives. These Governments try to look ahead and to interpret the signs so that their planning of support and other services for industry They also rely on may be timely, comprehensive and effective.
overseas markets to a very large extent and so are subject to the same problems as we in Hong Kong experience when trying to determine where our industry might be going and what we should
do to assist it to get there.
This
Manufacturing today is no longer a simple matter of assembly and packing. Those manufacturers who wish to survive must constantly strive to produce higher quality goods with higher value added and aimed at a higher market segment. needs better trained workers, better motivation and management,
It also means better productivity and better support services. higher quality production equipment and probably higher cost materials and components. It certainly means that the manufacturer must look further down the line for payback of his investment. Reinvestment also requires much greater thought than ever before. Manufacturing is increasingly sophisticated
The and interdependent with other industries and services. computer age has brought huge benefits but also many new challenges to manufacturers.
Hong Kong has recognised at least some of these challenges and bit by bit, but not necessarily cohesively, has managed to put together a number of supporting services quite This process vital to the continued development of industry.
including the development of industrial and technical training in our Universities, Polytechnics, Technical Institutes and special training schemes has not been very well coordinated and