XN000022-1989-10-26 — Page 3

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1989

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GOVERNOR VISITS PHOTOCOPIER FACTORY IN TSUEN WAN

THE GOVERNOR, SIR DAVID WILSON, VISITED A JAPANESE-OWNED

PHOTOCOPIER MANUFACTURING PLANT IN TSUEN WAN TODAY (THURSDAY) TO KEEP UP WITH CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE LOCAL INDUSTRY.

ACCOMPANIED BY THE DIRECTOR OF INDUSTRY, MR T.H. BARMA, THE GOVERNOR VISITED MITA INDUSTRIAL COMPANY (HONG KONG) LIMITED, ONE OF THE WORLD'S LARGEST MANUFACTURERS OF DESK-TOP PHOTOCOPYING MACHINES.

SIR DAVID WAS TOLD THAT MITA IS CURRENTLY THE LARGEST MANUFACTURER OF PHOTOCOPIERS IN HONG KONG, PRODUCING 240,000 MACHINES FOR THE AMERICAN, AUSTRALIAN AND EEC MARKETS EVERY YEAR.

THE GOVERNOR ALSO LEARNT THAT, SINCE COMING TO HONG KONG 10 YEARS AGO, MITA HAS BEEN EXPANDING ITS OPERATIONS AND HAS CONVINCED A NUMBER OF JAPANESE COMPONENT SUPPLIERS TO ALSO ESTABLISH OPERATIONS IN THE TERRITORY, THEREBY PROVIDING A MUCH LARGER BASE FOR THE OFFICE EQUIPMENT INDUSTRY.

MITA OWNS TWO FACTORY PREMISES IN HONG KONG, ONE IN TSUEN WAN AND THE OTHER IN CHEUNG SHA WAN. THEY OCCUPY A TOTAL FLOOR AREA OF MORE THAN 40,000 SQUARE METRES.

SIR DAVID WAS IMPRESSED WITH THE MODERN PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY IN THE MITA PLANT, AND WITH ITS EMPHASIS ON "QUALITY AND RELIABILITY" IN ITS PRODUCTION PROCESS.

"I AM PLEASED TO SEE THAT MITA'S INVESTMENT IN HONG KONG HAS INTRODUCED NEW PRODUCTS. MANUFACTURING PROCESSES, TECHNOLOGIES AND MANAGEMENT METHODS TO THE TERRITORY, AND HAS HELPED ΤΟ STRENGTHEN HONG KONG'S VITAL LINKAGE INDUSTRIES, SIR DAVID SAID.

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SIR DAVID ALSO NOTED THAT JAPANESE INVESTMENT IN HONG KONG WAS THE LARGEST INVESTMENT OUTSIDE JAPAN IN ASIA, AND THAT LAST YEAR THIS INVESTMENT IN THE TERRITORY'S MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES WENT UP BY ABOUT $1 BILLION.

"IN OTHER WORDS. THEY PAY A GREAT DEAL OF ATTENTION TO INVESTMENT IN HONG KONG AND, IN THAT WAY, HAVE SHOWN GREAT CONFIDENCE IN HONG KONG'S ECONOMY AND THE FUTURE OF THE ECONOMY, HE SAID.

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AS AT THE END OF 1988, JAPAN WAS THE SECOND LARGEST OVERSEAS INVESTOR IN HONG KONG'S MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES, ACCOUNTING FOR 27 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL.

THE ELECTRONICS SECTOR ACCOUNTS FOR 34 PER CENT OF TOTAL JAPANESE INVESTMENT IN HONG KỌNG AND THE LEVEL OF JAPANESE INVESTMENT IN THIS SECTOR HAS BEEN GROWING RAPIDLY.

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