XN000022-1984-06-25 — Page 4

MONDAY, JUNE 25, 1984

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INDUSTRY URGED TO USE MORE COMPUTERS

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THE DIRECTOR OF INDUSTRY, MR JOHN YAXLEY TODAY (MONDAY) URGED MANUFACTURERS TO CONSIDER THE ADVANTAGES OF USING COMPUTERS TO IMPROVE PRODUCTIVITY.

ADDRESSING THE OPENING OF THE CADTECH (COMPUTER AIDED DESIGN TECHNOLOGY) SEMINARS AND EXHIBITION, ORGANISED BY THE HONG KONG PRODUCTIVITY CENTRE, MR YAXLEY SAID HE WAS PLEASED TO LEARN THAT SOME PROGRESS WAS BEING MADE IN THE ADOPTION OF COMPUTER TO AID THE DESIGN AND MANUFACTURING PROCESS.

+BY THE END OF LAST YEAR, ABOUT 10 COMPUTER-AIDED DESIGN SYSTEMS HAD BEEN INSTALLED IN HONG KONG FACTORIES FOR PATTERN GRADING AND MARKERS MAKING PURPOSES AND TWO OTHERS FOR PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD DESIGNS. HOWEVER BEARING IN MIND THAT THERE ARE AT PRESENT ABOUT 10 000 GARMENT FACTORIES AND 1 500 ELECTRONICS FACTORIES, WE STILL HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO, HE SAID.

MR YAXLEY SAID THAT ONE OBSTACLE TO THE ADOPTION OF THESE NEW TECHNOLOGIES IN THE MANUFACTURING SECTOR APPEARED TO BE THE HIGH COST OF EQUIPMENT.

OTHER INHIBITING FACTORS WERE THE LACK OF UNDERSTANDING AMONG SOME MANUFACTURERS ABOUT HOW A COMPUTERISED SYSTEM WORKED AND THE ABSENCE OF LOCAL SERVICING SUPPORT AND TRAINING.

THE EXHIBITION AND THE ACCOMPANYING SERIES OF SEMINARS WERE DESIGNED TO SHOW HOW THESE OBSTACLES COULD BE OVERCOME, HE SAID.

ON DISPLAY IN THE FOUR-DAY EXHIBITION AT THE HYATT REGENCY HOTEL ARE TWO COMPUTER-AIDED DESIGN SYSTEMS, DESIGNED AND BUILT BY LOCALLY TRAINED ENGINEERS AND TECHNICIANS AT A LOWER COST THAN THAT OF EXISTING IMPORTED COMMERCIAL SYSTEMS.

ONE SYSTEM IS FOR THE PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD INDUSTRY AND THE OTHER FOR THE GARMENT INDUSTRY.

DEMONSTRATIONS OF THESE SYSTEMS SHOWED HOW PCB DESIGN TIME COULD BE CONSIDERABLY REDUCED AND HOW COMPLEX PCB PATTERNS COULD BE ACCURATELY AND AUTOMATICALLY PRODUCED ON PHOTOGRAPHIC FILM. THEY ALSO SHOWED HOW FASHION DESIGNERS COULD GRADE THEIR STANDARD DESIGN UP AND DOWN SIZE AND OBTAIN BETTER CONTROL IN THE UTILISATION OF THE FABRICS.

THE HONG KONG PRODUCTIVITY CENTRE, WHICH BACKS THESE PROJECTS, IS READY TO ADVISE MANUFACTURERS ON THE SPECIFIC APPLICATIONS OF THE SYSTEMS IN THEIR PRODUCTION PROCESSES, AND TO PROVIDE TECHNICAL SUPPORT AND MAINTENANCE SERVICES.

+THE HONG KONG PRODUCTIVITY CENTRE HAS ONCE AGAIN SHOWN US WHAT IT CAN DO TO PROMOTE PRODUCTIVITY, IN THIS CASE, BY BRINGING THE BENEFITS OF COMPUTER-AIDED DESIGN WITHIN THE REACH OF OUR SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED MANUFACTURERS.

/HE CONGRATULATED