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The Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) published its Annual Report 2021-2022 (the Report) on 4 November 2022; it was tabled at the Legislative Council on 2 November 2022. With the theme of “Innovation Never Stops”, the Report highlighted HKPC’s major initiatives to promote reindustrialisation and make the industry smarter by driving technology applications, supporting SMEs, nurturing talent and implementing Government funding schemes.
In the reported year, a total of 652 new integrated services projects were implemented with over 14,000 SMEs served; 90% local procurement of which 75% were purchased from SMEs; Industry 4.0 related services recorded a 36% growth, and the consolidated service income was HK$666 million.
The then-Chairman of HKPC stated that the ‘Made in Hong Kong’ brand has been a trusted mark of quality and what the government has been proud of for decades. Hong Kong sees a bright future in developing advanced manufacturing for high value-added production, especially after the promulgation of the ‘Northern Metropolis Development Strategy’ which will offer ample room for development and become a cluster of industry talent.
Looking ahead, the aim is to provide more industry support for capitalising on this exciting opportunity to foster Hong Kong’s growth into an international innovation and technology (I&T) hub; similar to how numerous enterprises were assisted in setting up intelligent production lines with advanced technologies.
HKPC successfully assisted several enterprises in implementing intelligent production lines within the year, covering food technology, health technology, construction and manufacturing industries, etc. Among them included the first project with the maximum funding approved under the Re-industrialisation Funding Scheme.
Concerning research & development (R&D) achievements, over 90% of HKPC’s technical projects have been applied in different industries. In the reported year, HKPC also took home 85 local and overseas accolades, of which 85% were among the top three and 89% were supported by Government funding.
The Executive Director of HKPC stated that the council endeavours to facilitate advanced manufacturing in Hong Kong in the long run by fostering the innovative use of technologies in industrial production and operation to enhance productivity and product quality with the adoption of i4.0.
This kind of transformation certainly helps solve the pain points that SMEs have come across in their businesses. Rocket science may not be the best solution in some cases, and all they need are practical solutions that can help resolve their issues, he said.
Within the year, HKPC conducted 92 industry consultation events to gauge views on HKPC’s future development directions in different important areas. In addition, the Funding Scheme Branch continued implementing secretariat services for supporting government funding schemes and SMEs. Approved funding totalled around HK$2.1 billion within the year, of which over HK$1.6 billion had been disbursed to applicants.
HKPC recognises the importance of nurturing future talent to stay ahead of the competition in the digital age. In building a local talent pool, HKPC has dedicated strong support to the development of all ages via FutureSkills training programmes and STEM education, aiming to enrich the local I&T talent pool.
Over 15,000 participants joined the HKPC Academy’s training programmes in the past year. Most remarkably, HKPC had set a Guinness World Record for Mass Robot Programming with a group of over 500 students. A TechEd Mini-Expo had also been held to line up STEM counterparts in Hong Kong.
The Chairman of HKPC stated that in the future, HKPC will continue to spare no effort in making SMEs’ dreams come true for the ‘Made in Hong Kong’ brand to shine again. As the Government’s trusted ally, HKPC will also render staunch support to the policy to accelerate Hong Kong’s transformation into an international I&T hub and integration with the Greater Bay Area (GBA) under the National 14th Five-Year Plan, he said.