ENG-1984 — Page 111

INDUSTRY AND TRADE

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The ECIC's computer systems were further developed during the year, and simpler and more efficient means of providing policy-holders with protection were established.

Hong Kong Productivity Council and Centre

The Hong Kong Productivity Council, a statutory organisation established in 1967, is responsible for promoting increased productivity by industry in Hong Kong. The council has a chairman and 20 members, all appointed by the Governor, representing management, labour, academic and professional interests as well as government departments closely associated with productivity. It is financed by an annual government subvention and by fees earned from its services.

The executive arm of the council is the Hong Kong Productivity Centre which provides a wide range of industrial and management consultancy as well as process control services. It conducts a diverse range of training programmes in industrial technology, manage- ment techniques and electronic data processing. It also organises industrial exhibitions and overseas study missions, and operates a technical information service. With the implementation of the relevant recommendations by the Advisory Committee on Diver- sification, the centre has expanded its scope of services to undertake more comprehensive and wider responsibilities in the provision of industry support services.

The centre's facilities include nine classrooms, electronic data processing facilities, a microprocessor application laboratory, a low-cost automation unit, an industrial chemistry laboratory, a metal finishing laboratory, a heat treatment unit, a die-casting unit, an environmental control laboratory, a technical reference library and an on-line information retrieval service.

During the year, the Industry Development Board appointed an ad hoc working group under the chairmanship of the Secretary for Trade and Industry to examine in detail the specific recommendations of the HKPC Study on the Electronics Industry. In endorsing the recommendations in principle, the working group recommended that the views of the electronics industry and the major trade and industrial organisations should be sought on the proposed facilities and methods of financing. A report on technology transfer was also completed for the Industry Development Board.

There was a steady increase in the number of consultancy projects undertaken for a broad spectrum of the manufacturing industry, the government and the tertiary industries. The centre completed over 260 consultancy projects, including feasibility studies, produc- tion management, personnel recruitment and various technological support services. In metals technology, some 2000 heat treatment and metal finishing assignments were completed on behalf of client companies to enable them to compete not only on cost but also on quality.

The Microprocessor Application Laboratory continued to promote the application of microprocessors in process control and provide facilities for the development of new microprocessor-based products. The centre carries out limited development work in priority areas so that upon successful completion these productivity improvement systems can benefit as many factories as possible. During the year, the centre successfully developed two cost-effective computer-aided design systems for local manufacturers: one for garment grading, the other for printed circuit board design. In electronic data processing, the centre undertook 28 projects including system studies and application software develop- ment. In environmental management, projects were undertaken for industrialists, cover- ing waste water treatment, air pollution control, solid waste management and noise control.