HKPC Forges Into the 40th Year With Launch of Productivity Gallery and Installation of Time Capsule

The Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) today (19 October 2006) celebrates its 40th year of services for the local manufacturing and business communities with the launch of the Productivity Gallery and the installation of a Productivity Time Capsule at the HKPC Building. The events marked the finale of the "HKPC - Into the 40th Year" commemorative programme launched in May 2006.

Officiating guests at the launching ceremony included Mr Joseph W P Wong, Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology, HKSAR Government; Mr Andrew Leung, Chairman of HKPC and Dr Samson Tam, Deputy Chairman of HKPC and Chairman of the "HKPC - Into the 40th Year" Organizing Committee.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Andrew Leung said, "The Council's history has been intertwined with the evolution of Hong Kong industry."

He said, "HKPC was established by statute as an industry support organization in 1967 when local industry was beginning to take off. Charged with promoting the productivity of industry in Hong Kong, we initially had 32 staff members providing services in training, consultancy and research as well as running a library in a modest office in Central. Over the decades, we have expanded considerably while developing new services to meet industry's continuous growth and changing needs."

"Today, we have about 600 employees engaging in technology transfer, consultancy, training and other support services in the areas of manufacturing technology, information technology, environmental technology and management systems. These services are designed to help industry move up the value chain. In addition to our Hong Kong headquarters, we now operate three subsidiaries in Guangzhou, Dongguan and Shenzhen to provide support services for the growing number of Hong Kong manufacturers that carry out production in the Pearl River Delta," he said.

Over the past four decades HKPC has made a string of major achievements and is recognized by industry as a productivity partner and technology pioneer. The newly launched Productivity Gallery is a showcase of the collaborative successes between HKPC and local industry, displaying an array of HKPC's productivity enhancement tools as well as their successful applications for enterprises in their drive towards productivity excellence.

In addition, a Productivity Time Capsule was installed at the Gallery to commemorate HKPC's 40th anniversary. Purpose-built and designed by a team of HKPC experts, the Time Capsule was custom-made to house 38 productivity enhancement tools developed by HKPC. These items represent state-of-the-art technologies and objects marking important milestones of HKPC's development.

Mr Leung said, "As HKPC forges into a new era, together with the Government and our partners, we will continue to do our level best to promote productivity excellence in Hong Kong. We will strive to support the development of emerging industries, fueling the growth of the local economy. In addition, we will assist enterprises to adopt cleaner production and green practices, enhancing their competitiveness for sustainable development."

Since the launch of the "HKPC - Into the 40th Year" Programme in May 2006, a series of conferences and forums were organized to enhance the competitiveness of local industry. These events included the "2006 International Conference for Asia Pacific Automotive Industry" in May, the "Manufacturing Solution Day 2006" in June, the "2006 International Conference on Green Surface Finishing Technology" in July and the "Growth Leadership Forum" in September. More than 1,000 representatives from different sectors ranging from automotive parts and apparel to toys and electronics attended these events.

Other officiating guests at today's ceremony included the former Executive Directors of HKPC - Mr S K Chan (1981 – 1996), Mr Thomas Tang (1997 – 2003) and Mr K K Yeung (2003 – 2006).

For media enquiries, please contact:
Ms Betty Lee
General Manager
Corporate Communications and Events
Tel: (852) 2788 5895
Fax: (852) 2788 5056
Email: justina@hkpc.org
Website: www.hkpc.org

19 October 2006