XN000022-1982-11-29 — Page 7

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 1982

TO FIND SUITABLE PREMISES WHICH COULD WITHSTAND SHOCKS GENERATED BY MACHINES WAS NO EASY TASK.

TWO RENTAL PLANS HAD TO BE DROPPED BEFORE THE MATSUSHITA SEIKO CO., WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF THE PROMOTION CONSULTANTS, FINALLY FOUND A GROUND FLOOR FACTORY OF SOME 1 950 SQ. METRES

IN TUEN MUN.

THE PROJECT

THE INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT'S WORK DID NOT STOP THERE. OFFICERS TOOK AN ACTIVE ROLE IN HELPING THE COMPANY TO RECRUIT LOCAL WORKERS.

WHEN IT CAME TO VISA PROBLEMS, THE DEPARTMENT'S HOT LINE IN THE +ONE-STOP UNIT TO THE IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT HELPED THRASH THEM OUT.

A TOTAL OF SIX MANAGERIAL STAFF AND SKILLED TECHNICIANS HAVE BEEN DESPATCHED FROM THE COMPANY'S HEAD OFFICE TO TRAIN LOCAL WORKERS.

THREE POLYTECHNIC GRADUATES, WHO HAVE BEEN RECRUITED AS FOREMEN, WERE SENT TO OSAKA FOR TRAINING AT THE END OF LAST YEAR.

EXPRESSING CONFIDENCE ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE PROJECT, THE CHAIRMAN OF IFM, MR JYUZABURO NAGAI, SAID: +IT IS WIDELY KNOWN THAT HONG KONG IS AN EXCELLENT INTERNATIONAL FREE PORT WITH A STRONG AND SKILFUL WORKFORCE, CHEAP AND SUFFICIENT SUPPLY OF MATERIALS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD, GOOD TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES AND A SOPHISTICATED COMMUNICATION NETWORK.

+WE IN IFM ARE DETERMINED TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF THE HONG KONG COMMUNITY THROUGH OUR BUSINESS ACTIVITIES OF PRODUCING AND SUPPLYING HIGH QUALITY PRODUCTS TO SATISFY THE CUSTOMERS.

+WE CAN ACHIEVE THIS BY TAKING FULL ADVANTAGE OF HONG KONG'S EXCELLENT SITUATION AND IMPLEMENTING THE MERITS OF JAPANESE MANAGEMENT.+

MR NAGAI SAID THAT WORLD-WIDE DEMAND FOR CEILING FANS HAD EXPANDED CONSIDERABLY DUE TO THE RISING TREND OF ENERGY SAVING.

THE MARKET SIZE IS EXPECTED TO REACH 12 MILLION CEILING FANS ANNUALLY, AND HONG KONG IS SUPPLYING ABOUT HALF OF THEM, HE ADDED.

IFM IS THE FIRST OVERSEAS MANUFACTURING COMPANY OF MATSUSHITA SEIKO CO. AND THE FORTIETH OF MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL CO., WHICH ALREADY HAS OVERSEAS MANUFACTURING COMPANIES THROUGHOUT AMERICA, EUROPE AND ASIA.

+THIS IS THE MATSUSHITA GROUP'S FIRST MANUFACTURING PLANT IN HONG KONG, AND I AM HOPEFUL THAT THIS WILL BE ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL EXAMPLE OF OUR MANY OVERSEAS INDUSTRIAL INVESTMENT PROJECTS,+ MR NAGA! SAID.