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THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 1982
HKPC'S ROLE IN TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER PRAISED
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TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY COULD HELP HONG KONG'S MANUFACTURING SECTOR TO STRENGTHEN ITS SUPPORTING INDUSTRIES, THE COMMISSIONER OF INDUSTRY, MR PETER TSAO SAID TODAY (THURSDAY).
SPEAKING AT THE OPENING OF THE MACHINE TOOLS EXHIBITION ORGANISED BY THE HONG KONG PRODUCTIVITY CENTRE, MR TSAO SAID THAT THOUGH HONG KONG INDUSTRIES FACED DIFFICULTIES SUCH AS TRADE RESTRICTIONS ON TEXTILES AND GARMENTS, A LOT COULD BE DONE BY
INDUSTRY, INDUSTRIAL ASSOCIATIONS AND THE GOVERNMENT TO ASSIST IN THE TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY.
+IN A SMALL PLACE LIKE HONG KONG, RESOURCES ARE INSUFFICIENT TO SUPPORT A LARGE SCALE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME FOR NEW TECHNOLOGIES, FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICE IS, GENERALLY SPEAKING, A VERY TIME-CONSUMING AND EXPENSIVE BUSINESS. FURTHERMORE, THE RESULTS ARE NOT ALWAYS GUARANTEED.
+WHAT HONG KONG COULD USEFULLY DO WITH REGARD TO +PRODUCTIVITY+ - AND I USE THE TERM +PRODUCTIVITY+ DELIBERATELY BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT THE HKPC IS ALL ABOUT - IS TO LEARN FROM THE SUCCESSES AND FAILURES OF OTHERS WHO ARE AHEAD OF US- AND THAT IS WHERE IMPORTED TECHNOLOGY PLAYS AN IMPORTANT PART IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR INDUSTRY, SAID MR TSAO.
THE OBJECTIVE WAS TO BRING IN IMPROVED AND NEW PROCESSES SKILLS AND KNOW-HOW AND IN THE PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS TO EXISTING MACHINERY OR THE INTRODUCTION OF NEW ONES.
TODAY NEW TECHNOLOGIES GROW AT A RAPID PACE, AND MANY ARE OF SUCH A HIGH LEVEL THAT FEW COULD BE USED IN HONG KONG, WHILE OTHERS HAVE TO BE RESEARCHED, EXPERIMENTED AND ADAPTED BEFORE THEY CAN BE APPLIED LOCALLY.
+ IT IS IN THESE CONTEXTS THAT HKPC, ACTING IN THE CAPACITY OF A TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AGENCY, ASSISTS HONG KONG'S INDUSTRY,+ MR TSAO SAID.
PAYING TRIBUTE TO THE HKPC FOR ORGANISING THE EXHIBITION, WHERE EQIUPMENT, CONTROLS AND ACCESSORIES REQUIRED FOR METAL- CUTTING AND FORMING ARE DISPLAYED, MR TSAO SAID: THE HKPC ITSELF RECOGNISES THE IMPORTANCE OF THE METAL INDUSTRIES IN HONG KONG. IT HAS ESTABLISHED A METAL INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT DIVISION TO CARRY OUT RESEARCH ON METAL PROCESSING TECHNIQUES, SO AS TO PROVIDE A TECHNICAL BASIS UPON WHICH THE METALS AND RELATED LIGHT ENGINEERING INDUSTRY CAN FURTHER DEVELOP AND DIVERSIFY.
+WITH FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM THE GOVERNMENT, THE DIVISION IS NOW CARRYING OUT A TECHNO-ECONOMIC STUDY OF THE METALS AND LIGHT ENGINEERING INDUSTRIES IN HONG KONG.
+WE AWAIT WITH INTEREST THE FINDINGS OF THE STUDY. I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT THE GOVERNMENT WILL EXAMINE IT CAREFULLY AND ACT ON IT WHERE APPROPRIATE, HE CONCLUDED.
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