ENG-1972 — Page 46

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INDUSTRY AND TRADE

The centre's premises in Gloucester Building comprise administrative offices, three lecture rooms and EDP facilities. In order to bring the centre's services as close to industry as possible, two branch premises were acquired in Kwun Tong with a com- bined area of 16,500 square feet comprising two lecture rooms, consultancy and re- search offices, an audio-visual unit, a technical reference library, a chemical laboratory and a low-cost automation unit which is the first of its kind established in Hong Kong.

The centre completed its first five years of operation at the end of March 1972. During these five years, the centre provided training to over 7,000 persons, undertook 126 industrial and technology projects, organised nine overseas study missions, built up a library of 2,800 books on management and technology, promoted a better understanding of productivity among both managers and workers, and disseminated information on productivity matters on a regular basis.

During the year under review, the centre continued to maintain its impetus, with facilities being utilised to the full. With more technical expertise becoming available, increased emphasis was placed on industrial technology in the field of training and technical assistance within enterprises.

The newly established low-cost automation unit continued to make satisfactory progress and apart from providing training and consultancy services, the centre or- ganised two one-week exhibitions on low-cost automation equipment in November and December 1972, respectively.

Following the announcement by the government that the Loans for Small In- dustries Scheme had been accepted in principle, the centre set up a special unit within the Small Industries Services in August 1972 to undertake technical feasibility studies of loans applications.

Towards the end of the year, the Productivity Council published its Second Five Year Plan covering the period 1972–3 to 1976–7. Over the next five years, the Hong Kong Productivity Centre plans to implement 1,000 training courses, with especial emphasis on technology programmes, for 20,000 industrial personnel and to provide a total of 18,000 man-days of consultancy services and technical assistance to industry.

The government has been for some years a member of the Asian Productivity Organisation. The present deputy chairman of the Productivity Council has been appointed by the Governor as Hong Kong's director on the governing body of APO and the executive director of the Productivity Centre as alternate director.

As a member of the Asian Productivity Organisation, Hong Kong was represented at the 12th Workshop Meeting of Directors of National Productivity Centre of the APO in Tokyo in April 1972, and at the 14th Governing Body Meeting of the APO in Tokyo in May 1972.

During the year under review, Hong Kong continued to take an active interest in productivity activities organised by the APO, especially in industrial management and engineering training programmes and industry study missions.