ENG-1986 — Page 92

INDUSTRY AND TRADE

65

workers. It is well known for its ready adaptability to fast-changing consumer requirements. It produces a wide range of sophisticated and high quality products and components, such as radios, cassette recorders, hi-fi systems, television sets, electronic watches and clocks, TV and handheld games, wired and cordless telephones with built-in memories and automatic dialing functions, telecommunication equipment, calculators, photocopying equipment, microcompu- ters, disk drives, printers, modems, switching power supplies, computer memory systems and subassemblies, read-write magnetic heads, and computer-aided design and testing equipment. It also produces multi-layer printed circuit boards, liquid crystal displays, quartz crystals, and semi-conductor devices, including integrated circuit wafers.

Plastics

The plastics industry accounted for eight per cent of the total domestic exports and 10 per cent of the total industrial employment in 1986. Domestic exports of plastic products during the year were valued at $12,716 million, compared with $10,678 million in 1985. The industry has 5 460 establishments and 89 447 workers. Hong Kong continues to be one of the world's leading suppliers of toys, which represented the bulk of the industry's output.

Watches and Clocks

Hong Kong is an important world exporter of watches and clocks. Domestic exports in 1986 were valued at $11,667 million compared with $9,573 million in 1985. The industry has 1 633 establishments employing 32 805 workers. Production includes both mechanical and electronic watches, clocks, watch cases, dials, metal watch bands, assembled watch movements and watch straps of various materials.

Other Light Industries

Other important light industries produce electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances, metal products, jewellery, optical and photographic goods and travel goods, handbags and similar articles.

Heavy and Service Industries

Hong Kong shipyards provide a competitive repair service and build a variety of vessels. Several large shipbuilding and repair yards on Tsing Yi Island provide services to the shipping industry and construct and service oil rigs.

The port of Hong Kong, which ranks among the top three container ports in the world, handled approximately 2.7 million TEUS (20-foot equivalent units) in 1986.

The aircraft engineering industry has a high international reputation and provides extensive maintenance and repair services. Facilities are available for the complete overhaul of airframes and engines for many types of aircraft.

The manufacture of machinery, machine tools and their parts provides support to other local industries and also contributes to Hong Kong's export trade. Of particular import- ance are blow moulding, extrusion, and injection moulding machines of up to 12 256-gram injection capacity for the plastics industry; power presses; lathes, shapers and drilling machines; polishing machines; printing presses; textile knitting and warping machines; and electroplating equipment.

Industry Department

The principal role of the Industry Department is to provide Hong Kong's manufacturing industries with the support they need to achieve growth in productivity and improvements