HKPC 2006/07 Annual Report Highlights 'Productivity in Action'

The Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) will step up its efforts to support industry in meeting environmental challenges as well as enhancing its competitiveness in tapping new opportunities, according to the Hon Andrew Leung, Chairman of HKPC, in his message published in the Council's 2006/07 Annual Report.

Mr Leung said, "Operating in an era where technologies and processes, as well as factors that determine competitiveness are changing more rapidly than ever, productivity enhancement has become an immensely challenging task."

Outlining HKPC's efforts in assisting industry for productivity excellence, Mr Leung said HKPC has been expanding its presence in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) to provide Hong Kong enterprises there with integrated support across the value chain. A major initiative is the launch of the Shenzhen SZ-HK Productivity Foundation, which provides a platform to support the development of Hong Kong and Mainland SMEs in the areas of technology innovation, CEPA business opportunities, information services, management and training, and product promotion.

In addition, HKPC will strengthen its support to manufacturers in industrial restructuring and upgrading through a comprehensive programme covering technology and process improvement, to value creation and regulatory compliance.

On the environmental front, Mr Leung said, "HKPC will continue to accord high priority to the research and development of new environmental technologies, especially in the areas of cleaner production (CP) and green productivity." Pending approval of funding from the Legislative Council, HKPC will launch a five-year programme to assist Hong Kong-owned factories within the PRD to adopt CP technologies and processes to reduce emissions and enhance energy efficiency.

To help local companies move up the value chain, HKPC is committed to driving the development of industries that offer high growth potential. Mr Leung said the Council will gear up its efforts in areas including automotive parts, aviation, medical devices and logistics.

Under the theme of 'Productivity in Action', the Annual Report also highlighted HKPC's performance over the past fiscal year, including its various initiatives to enhance the capabilities of Hong Kong enterprises in manufacturing technology, information technology, environmental technology and management.

Looking to the future, Mr Wilson Fung, Executive Director of HKPC said, "HKPC would focus on further strengthening our capabilities through synergy building by forging closer ties with industry. In this connection, we will launch the Centrepoint as a permanent platform at the HKPC Building for local and Mainland trade associations to converge for business networking and promotion. When officially opened later in the year, the Centrepoint would also serve as a multi-purpose facility for the staging of industry support programmes such as monthly theme promotion, business matching events and networking activities."

"Looking ahead, we will continue to embrace the challenges on the horizon and work closely with industry to create yet another milestone in productivity enhancement," Mr Fung concluded.

For media enquiries, please contact:
Mr Alfonso Tam
Principal Consultant (Corporate Services)
Corporate Communications
Tel: (852) 2788 5895
Fax: (852) 2788 5056
E-mail: justina@hkpc.org
Website: www.hkpc.org

9 November 2007