Promoting re-industrialisation in Hong Kong

At the invitation of the Federation of Hong Kong Industries (FHKI), the Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Mr Nicholas W Yang and I went to Huizhou and Shenzhen today to learn more about Hong Kong industrialists' achievements in innovation and technology in neighbouring areas.

In the face of keen competition, Hong Kong has a pressing need for industrial innovation. In this year's Policy Address, I put forward a proposal to promote re-industrialisation in Hong Kong so as to support high value-added technology industries and high value-added manufacturing processes, particularly smart production and technology research and development.

The FHKI is very supportive of the Government's work in re-industrialisation. The Federation is actively examining how high value-added and high-end technology can enhance the competitiveness of local industries. To this end, the FHKI invited me to Huizhou and Shenzhen to visit two Hong Kong enterprises engaged in high-end technology production. I visited their factories that produce glass panels, injection molding components and dies of high production value. Using advanced technologies and automated management systems, these large-scale facilities have reached world-class standards in terms of product development, design, craftsmanship and quality. This shows that Hong Kong enterprises have built a solid foundation in the development of high value-added technology industries.

One of the enterprises that we visited was Biel Crystal (Huizhou) Manufactory Limited. Established in 2008, this large Hong Kong sole proprietorship is currently the biggest foreign investor in Huiyang District, Huizhou. Ranked 23rd in Guangdong Province's top 100 manufacturers last year, it is mainly engaged in the production of crystal glass, cover glasses, ITO touch panels, TFT-LCD, PDP, and OLED flat panel displays and glass plates for micro-electronic devices. Biel Crystal has a site area of nearly 600 000 square metres. Last year, the total area of its factories and dormitories completed exceeded 1.5 million square metres. These include a single industrial building of 210 000 square metres, the largest in Guangdong Province in terms of gross floor area. The enterprise employs about 120 000 staff.

Another enterprise that we visited was TK Mold (SZ) Limited. Established in 1983, it is a leading one-stop total plastics solutions provider that mainly engaged in the design and fabrication of injection molds and products. The enterprise has about 200 professional staff specialising in mold design using computer software programmes, such as CAD, CAE and CAM. Besides the two bases in Shenzhen, the enterprise also has production bases in Suzhou and Germany.

During our visit to Huizhou, we met with the Secretary of the CPC Huizhou Municipal Committee, Mr Chen Yiwei, and the Mayor of Huizhou, Mr Mai Jiaomeng, to learn about Huizhou's latest developments.

Hong Kong has extensive links with the international community and is adjacent to the huge and efficient production base in the Mainland. That is why the Massachusetts Institute of Technology of the United States has decided to establish its first overseas Innovation Node in Hong Kong, as announced four months ago. We should take full advantage of the synergy effect that Hong Kong and nearby areas in the Mainland create to promote Hong Kong's re-industrialisation and enhance our economy's competitiveness. This will also provide more diversified career development opportunities for our young technologists and engineers.

The Chief Executive went to Huizhou in the morning to visit a Hong Kong manufacturer engaged in the production of glass panels with high-end technology. He is being briefed on the enterprise's business development by management of the enterprise.		Management of the Hong Kong glass panel manufacturer briefs the Chief Executive on the company's business and products.
The Chief Executive meets with the Secretary of the CPC Huizhou Municipal Committee, Mr Chen Yiwei, to learn more about Huizhou's latest developments.		The Chief Executive went to Shenzhen in the afternoon to visit a Hong Kong manufacturer engaged in the production of molded plastic components with high-end technology. He is being briefed on the enterprise's business development.
The Chief Executive took a group photo with staff of the Hong Kong glass panel manufacturer and the delegation of the Federation of Hong Kong Industries after visiting the enterprise.

Video of the Chief Executive visiting Hong Kong high-end technology enterprises in Huizhou and Shenzhen

17 April, 2016