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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 1987
ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY FACING A CHALLENGE
THE EMERGENCE OF APPLICATIONS SPECIFIC INTEGRATED CIRCUITS (ASIC) AND SURFACE MOUNT TECHNOLOGY (SMT) IN RECENT YEARS PRESENTS A CHALLENGE TO HONG KONG'S ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY, THE DIRECTOR INDUSTRY, MR K.Y. YEUNG, SAID TODAY (THURSDAY).
SPEAKING AT A SEMINAR ORGANISED BY THE AMERICAN CHAMBER COMMERCE, MR YEUNG SAID IF HONG KONG'S ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY DID RESPOND TO NEW TECHNOLOGIES, TWO TRENDS WERE LIKELY TO EMERGE.
"FIRST, PRODUCTION REPRESENTED BY SIMPLE MANUAL IS LIKELY TO BE TRANSFERRED OUT OF HONG KONG ΤΟ LABOUR AND OTHER COSTS ARE RELATIVELY LOW," HE SAID.
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ASSEMBLY WORK COUNTRIES WHERE
"SECONDLY, PRODUCTION INVOLVING MORE COMPLEX PROCESSES AND RESULTING IN HIGHER VALUE-ADDED PRODUCTS WOULD MOVE AWAY FROM HONG KONG TO COUNTRIES THAT ARE MORE TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED.'
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MR YEUNG SAID THE GOVERNMENT HAD COME TO THE VIEW THAT THE ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY MUST SEEK TO MAINTAIN AND IMPROVE ITS COMPETITIVENESS AND THAT THERE WERE CERTAIN AREAS IN WHICH THE GOVERNMENT HAD AN IMPORTANT ROLE TO PLAY.
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THAT WOULD
**THE GOVERNMENT IS AIMING TO CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT ENABLE THE INDUSTRY TO CROSS THE TECHNOLOGICAL AND OTHER BARRIERS WHICH STAND IN THE WAY OF IT BECOMING MORE COMPETITIVE, HE SAID.
MR YEUNG SAID IN TERMS OF MANPOWER TRAINING, INDUSTRIAL LAND AND ACCOMMODATION AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT SERVICES AND FACILITIES, THE PUBLIC SECTOR WAS PLAYING A STRONG ENABLING ROLE IN HELPING THE ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY TO MAINTAIN AND IMPROVE ITS COMPETITIVENESS.
WHILE NOTING THAT THERE WAS NOW GREATER AWARENESS IN THE INDUSTRY OF THE RELEVANCE OF EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES AND OF THE NEED ΤΟ UPGRADE ITSELF, MR YEUNG ADDED THAT GIVEN THE FURTHER STIMULUS PROVIDED BY PUBLIC SECTOR SERVICES AND FACILITIES, ENTREPRENEURS WOULD BE MORE WILLING ΤΟ INVEST IN PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT, IN THE MASTERING AND APPLICATION OF NEW TECHNOLOGY IN MOVING INTO TOTAL QUALITY.
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