Plan to attract food and green tech firms

Council aims to boost smart production lines in city to over 130 in five years

The Hong Kong Productivity Council hopes to encourage overseas food manufacturers and green tech companies to set up smart production lines in the city that reduce operating costs and increase efficiency as part of a government push for intelligent factory processes.

Council chairman Sunny Tan was referring to the mission ofthe Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises (OASES), which the government will set up next month, to increase the number of smart production lines in the city from about 30 at present to more than 130 in five years.

OASES aims to attract at least 100 high-potential innovation and technology enterprises to set up operations in the city in the next five years.

Tanyesterday said the council would target firms specialising in three technologies to set up digital productionlinesin the city.

''The goal is to attract worldclass, hi-tech and top -notch enterprises and high -end manufucturing industries to settle in Hong Kong, especially companies specialised in robotics, food tech, biotech and green tech," he said.

According to Tan, the council signed a collaboration agreement in February with a local egg importer to set up Hong Kong's first smart production line manufacturing liquid eggs to enhance its production capacity and quality.

A smart production line uses interconnected equipment to optimise a factory's operation, reducing costs and increasing efficiency.

The importer established its first pasteurised factory in HongKongin 2013tosupplyfresh liquideggs to hundredsofeateries and bakeries, taking up a marlcet share of nearly 30 per cent. Restaurants and bakeries use liquid egg to save the time it takes to crack raw eggs.

With the installation ofsmart production lines, the factory can double its production capacity to between 60 and 70 tonnes offresh egg liquid every day, and achieve an overall cost saving of up to 30 percent.

The project received a subsidy of HK$14 .9 million from the Re -industrialisation Funding Schemeunderthe Innovatlonand Technology Commission. The production line will begin opera! - ing in two years.

The council said it also signed a deal with a firm to set up Hong Kong's first intelligen t production line ror fresh com juice in April.

Meanwhile, Tan, a lawmaker representing the textile and garment sector, said many foreign enterprises showed interest in collaborating with Hong Kong whenhewasinThailandaspartof Chief Executive John Lee Ka -chiu's delegation to the AsiaPacific Economic Cooperation summit in Bangkok.

"Hong Kong is playing a critical role in assisting mainland Chinese enterprises to go global, meanwhile bringing in international enterprises and investments, " Tan said, hoping Thai enterprises wouldconsidersetting up shop in the city.

Council director Mohamed Butt admittedit would b e difficult for enterprises to move parts of their productionto the city unless they were assmed ofopportunities for sustainable development.