ENG-1979 — Page 60

INDUSTRY AND TRADE

31

During 1979, the centre organised more than 250 training programmes for more than 6,500 participants and carried out 170 consultancy and technical assistance projects for more than 140 clients in industry. In keeping with government efforts to attract investment in manufacturing industries, it played an important role in providing much-needed technical support services to industrialists establishing operations in Hong Kong. The centre as- sisted a number of companies applying for industrial land in Tai Po Industrial Estate for the establishment of technically-advanced and capital intensive production plants.

The centre organised two industrial exhibitions on production machinery and equip- ment and sponsored six overseas study missions during the year. The 1979 edition of the Directory of Hong Kong Industries, a salary report and industry data sheets were published.

As a member of the Asian Productivity Organisation (APO), Hong Kong was represented at the 1979 workshop meeting of national productivity centres in Tokyo, and at the govern- ing body meeting in Bali. Hong Kong agreed to host the Asian Productivity Congress in October, 1980, to commemorate the organisation's 20th anniversary.

The centre is a participating organisation of the Asian Network of Industrial Technology Information and Extension, set up under the auspices of the Industrial Development Research Centre of Canada. It is also a member of the Federation of International Docu- mentation Sub-committee on Information for Industry.

Other Trade and Industrial Organisations

The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, founded in 1861, is the earliest established trade and industrial association in Hong Kong. Its membership, comprising 2,300 com- panies covering all branches of commerce and industry, is represented on a number of government boards and committees. It also is a member of the International Chamber of Commerce. The chamber is actively involved in promoting Hong Kong trade and attracting new industry.

The Federation of Hong Kong Industries, established by statute in 1960, has a member- ship broadly representative of all industries, many nationalities and all sizes of enterprise. To encourage and improve industrial design, the federation established the Hong Kong Industrial Design Council which offers practical training programmes and advice to de- signers and design service users. The council operates a design depository for people who wish to obtain copyright protection, and organises annual design competitions and exhibi- tions. The federation also established the Hong Kong Packaging Council to promote the development of packaging education and technology, and the development of skills and expertise in packaging.

The federation's Hong Kong Standards and Testing Centre provides testing, inspection, certification and related services. Its facilities include chemical, calibration, electrical, electronic, engineering, food, footwear, gemmological, microbiological, packaging, phar- maceutical, textile, toy, watch and radio interference testing laboratories. The centre's services also include pre-shipment inspection, quality control, production inspection, industrial research, product development and technical consultancy.

The Federation of Hong Kong Industries operates a seal-of-approval scheme for Hong Kong products found to comply with recognised standards or specifications, which have been manufactured under an approved system of quality control and supervision.

Established in 1934, the Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong has some 2,000 members. The association, a member of the International Chamber of Commerce,

Page 60Page 61