XN000022-1980-01-29 — Page 7

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 29, 1980

BRITISH TRADE SECRETARY VISITS ELECTRONICS FACTORY

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THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR TRADE, THE RT HON JOHN NOTT THIS (TUESDAY) MORNING VISITED AN ELECTRONICS FACTORY WHICH HAS WON NINE HONG KONG AWARDS FOR ITS PRODUCTS IN THE LAST THREE YEARS.

MR NOTT, ACCOMPANIED BY THE DIRECTOR OF TRADE, INDUSTRY AND CUSTOMS, MR WILLIAM DORWARD, AND THE SENIOR BRITISH TRADE COMMISSIONER, MR DEREK MARCH, WAS CONDUCTED ON A TOUR OF RADOF IN ELECTRONICS (FAR EAST) LTD FACTORY AT MA TAU WEI ROAD, KOWLOON BY THE COMPANY'S MANAGING DIRECTOR, MR LAWRENCE SCOTT.

THE COMPANY MAKES VIDEO MICRO-PROCESSOR GAMES- DESK TOP CALCULATORS- NON-VIDEO SPORTS AND LOGIC GAMES= AND MICRO-PROCESSOR BASED EQUIPMENT - INCLUDING THE TELETEXT DECODING RECEIVER WHICH WON THE 1979 GOVERNOR'S AWARD FOR HONG KONG DESIGN.

MR NOTT WAS TOLD BY MR SCOTT THAT THE COMPANY, WHICH BEGAN PRODUCTION IN 1975, THIS YEAR EXPECTED TO PURCHASE FROM TWO COMPANIES IN BRITAIN SEMI-CONDUCTORS VALUED AT $25 MILLION,

THE COMPANY, WHICH IS 51 PER CENT BRITISH-OWNED, IS ABOUT TO LAUNCH A NEW SOPHISTICATED MICRO-PROCESSOR CARTRIDGE GAME AND MR NOTT WAS SHOWN THE $835 000 COMPUTER-CONTROLLED IN-CIRCUIT TESTER, JUST BOUGHT FROM THE USA. MR SCOTT SAID IT WAS THE MOST MODERN MODEL IN HONG KONG, AND WOULD ENSURE THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF QUALITY CONTROL.

MR NOTT'S TOUR ALSO INCLUDED THE ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT, THE QUALITY CONTROL SECTION, AND THE PRODUCTION AREA WHERE HE CHATTED WITH WORKERS. THE VISIT ENDED WITH A DISCUSSION WITH MANY OF THE COMPANY'S MANAGERS.

RADOF IN ELECTRONICS, WHICH HAS TWO FACTORIES TOTALLING 70 000 SQUARE FEET, AND EMPLOYS 1 100 STAFF, SELLS MOST OF ITS PRODUCTS TO THE UNITED STATES, THE UNITED KINGDOM, GERMANY AND HOLLAND.

THE AWARDS IT CAPTURED IN 1977 COMPRISE THE PRODUCT OF THE YEAR CONTEST- THE HONG KONG NEW PRODUCTS COMPETITION= THE DIRECTOR OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY AWARD IN THE NEW PRODUCTS COMPETITION- THE FEDERATION OF HONG KONG INDUSTRIES AWARD FOR GOOD DESIGN AND THE HONG KONG EXPORTERS' ASSOCIATION BEST PRODUCT FOR EXPORT AWARD - ALL FOR TV GAMES.

THE COMPANY ALSO WON THE 1978 FEDERATION OF HONG KONG INDUSTRIES' AWARD FOR GOOD DESIGN FOR A THERMAL PRINTER AND DESK CALCULATOR AND LAST YEAR RECEIVED THE GOVERNOR'S AWARD FOR HONG KONG DESIGN- THE NEW PRODUCT AWARD IN THE HONG KONG NEW PRODUCTS COMPETITION AND THE DIRECTOR OF TRADE, INDUSTRY AND CUSTOMS AWARD IN THE HONG KONG NEW PRODUCTS COMPETITION ALL FOR THE COMPANY'S TELETEXT DECODING RECEIVER.

ELECTRONICS IS HONG KONG'S SECOND LARGEST INDUSTRY IN TERMS OF THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS, WITH 1978 EXPORTS TOTALLING $4 741 MILLION.

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