HKPC Organizes Trade & Industry Forum and Business Matching Session for the Automotive Parts Industry

In support of the Innovation Expo 05 organized by the Innovation and Technology Commission of the HKSAR Government, the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) today (29 September 2005) organized a forum and a business matching session to promote the development of automotive parts industry in Hong Kong.

Under the theme of "Industrial Revolution of the 21st Century – Automotive Parts, the Way Forward for Hong Kong Industry", the 'Trade and Industry Forum' was jointly organized by HKPC and Commercial Radio One Programme: 'Saturday Forum on Economic and Current Affairs' (CRHK) and supported by the Innovation and Technology Commission of the HKSAR Government. The event provided a platform for the local industry as well as the general public to share insights and exchange views on the potential and the way forward for the Hong Kong Automotive Parts industry. Over 200 participants from the automotive and related industries attended the event.

Speakers at the Forum included Mr Anthony Wong, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, HKSAR Government; The Hon Andrew Leung, Legislative Councillor and Chairman of HKPC; Mr Lawrence Ang, Executive Director, Geely Automobile Holdings Limited (Geely); Dr Chan Kei Biu, Chairman, Group 27, Automotive Parts, Federation of Hong Kong Industries; Professor Ho Lok Sang, Department of Economics, Lingnan University; Mr Gordon Chan, President, Hong Kong Auto Parts Industry Association; and Mr George So, General Manager, Corporate Marketing, DuPont China Limited.

Highlights of the Forum will be aired on the "Saturday Forum on Economic and Current Affairs" on CRHK, from 9:00 am to 11:00 am on Saturday, 1 October 2005.

Introducing HKPC's work in supporting the automotive components industry in Hong Kong, Mr Andrew Leung said, "HKPC has been appointed by the HKSAR Government to host the Automotive Parts and Accessory Systems R&D Centre (R&D Centre), which will be established at the end of 2005. With automobile electronics among its technology foci, the R&D Centre will develop related products and technologies, facilitate collaboration among Hong Kong, the Mainland and overseas companies in technology transfer, tapping the burgeoning Mainland automobile electronics market."

"To pave the way for a coherent strategy of support for the developing automotive industry, HKPC has also set up an Automotive Industry Development Division to support the Centre's operations as well as the development of the sector at large. The Division will launch a range of services, including reinforcement of the R&D capabilities of enterprises aspiring to be Tier 1 suppliers, automotive parts testing and certification for quality and reliability, consultancy on the compliance of international management systems standards such as TS 16949, ISO14001 and OHSAS18000. It will also engage in management and technology consulting, as well as liaison between industry players," Mr Leung said.

A briefing entitled 'Geely GH-1 Model Auto Parts Business Matching Session' for the automotive parts suppliers was held after the 'Trade and Industry Forum' where Mr. Lawrence Ang, Executive Director of Geely introduced the partnering opportunities under the HKPC and Geely collaboration.

According to Mr Ang, Geely signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with HKPC in June 2005 to collaborate in the development of passenger cars and related automotive components projects in Hong Kong. Under the MOU, HKPC and the soon-to-be-established R&D Centre will support Geely in its automobile development project which will be participated by Hong Kong manufacturers. "The business matching session provides an ideal platform for Hong Kong manufacturers to explore business partnership under this collaboration," Mr Ang said.

The 'Trade and Industry Forum' and the Business Matching Session are part of HKPC's programme on "Opportunities and Challenges for Hong Kong in Building an Automotive Parts Industry" to support the development of the local automotive parts industry. Other events include the International Technical Conference and Technical Workshops to be held from 30 September to 4 October 2005.

For media enquiries, please contact:
Ms Betty Lee
General Manager
Corporate Communications & Events
Tel: (852) 2788 5036
Fax: (852) 2788 5056
E-mail: emilyc@hkpc.org

29 September 2005