SUNDAY, MAY 16, 1982
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BUT HONG KONG IS MOVING IN THIS DIRECTION WITH IMPORTANT IMPLICATIONS, NOT ONLY FOR OUR MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES BUT, IN A BROADER SENSE, FOR EVERY SECTION OF THE COMMUNITY.
IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS HONG KONG'S ECONOMIC WELL-BEING WILL DEPEND INCREASINGLY ON ITS ABILITY TO MOVE UP-MARKET INTO MORE SOPHISTICATED PRODUCTS, ESPECIALLY IN THE FIELD OF ELECTRONICS.
ALREADY, THERE HAS BEEN A DISPLACEMENT FROM SIMPLE ASSEMBLY PRODUCTS SUCH AS NON-CRITICAL TRANSISTOR RADIOS AND TRANSISTOR DEVICE PACKAGING, TO MORE SOPHISTICATED PRODUCTS SUCH AS VIDEO CASSETTE RECORDERS, T.V. GAMES, HIFI EQUIPMENT, ELECTRONIC WATCHES, INTEGRATED CIRCUITS AND OTHER COMPUTER ASSEMBLIES.
THESE PRODUCTS ARE OFTEN REQUIRED BY OUR OVERSEAS CUSTOMERS TO MEET WELL-DEFINED STANDARDS OF PERFORMANCE AND QUALITY ASSURANCE WHICH CANNOT BE PROVIDED WITHOUT THE BACKING OF AN INDEPENDENT STANDARDS AND CALIBRATION AUTHORITY. IN SOME CASES, SUCH STANDARDS ARE A STATUTORY REQUIREMENT IN THE CONSUMER COUNTRIES - COVERING QUALITY, CONSUMER SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION.
THIS WAS RECOGNISED IN THE REPORT OF THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON DIVERSIFICATION, WHICH SPELT OUT HONG KONG'S NEEDS IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS.
+WE HAVE FOUND THAT THE SERIOUS INADEQUACY OF INDUSTRIAL HAVE SUPPORT FACILITIES AND OF TECHNICAL BACK-UP SERVICES GENERALLY LIMITED THE SPEED WITH WHICH MANUFACTURERS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DIVERSIFY, +
MOREOVER, THE COMMITTEE WAS CONCERNED THAT THESE SHORTCOMINGS WERE UNDERLINED BY THE FACT THAT HONG KONG'S MAJOR COMPETITORS - SINGAPORE, TAIWAN AND SOUTH KOREA - HAD FOR SOME TIME TO VARYING DEGREES, PROVIDED SUCH CALIBRATION FACILITIES AND SERVICES TO THEIR OWN DOMESTIC INDUSTRIES.
ITS RECOMMENDATIONS THAT THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD AIM TO ESTABLISH A PRIMARY STANDARDS LABORATORY, INITIALLY ACCOMMODATING ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC STANDARDS AND CALIBRATION FACILITIES, BUT CAPABLE OF EXTENSION TO PROVIDE FOR PRIMARY STANDARDS IN OTHER FIELDS, ARE NOW BEING IMPLEMENTED.
THE HEAD OF THE GOVERNMENT STANDARDS AND CALIBRATION LABORATORY (GSCL), MR BRIAN TYLER, WAS APPOINTED IN SEPTEMBER, 1981. FOLLOWING AN ATTACHMENT TO THE NATIONAL PHYSICAL LABORATORY (NPL) IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, HE IS PRESENTLY REVIEWING THE ACCOMMODATION, EQUIPMENT, STAFFING AND OTHER FACILITIES REQUIRED FOR A PROJECTED OPENING IN MID-1983.
HIGH ON HIS LIST OF IMMEDIATE NECESSITIES FOR THE INITIAL PHASE IS +ABOUT 700 SQUARE METRES OF VIBRATION-FREE, CENTRALLY-SITED LABORATORY SPACE+- NOT EASILY FOUND IN HONG KONG, BUT HE'S CONFIDENT HE'LL FIND IT.
IN THE LONGER TERM, ESPECIALLY AS IT DEVELOPS AND EXTENDS, MR TYLER FEELS THE LABORATORY MIGHT IDEALLY BE ACCOMMODATED IN THE PROPOSED GOVERNMENT SCIENCE BUILDING, DUE TO OPEN ON THE WAN CHAI RECLAMATION AROUND 1985, AND HE HAS ALREADY +EAR-MARKED SPACE IN IT.+
/+WE'LL BE