In recent years, the Hong Kong government has put forward the goal of "re-industrialization", hoping that "re-industrialization" will bring new impetus to Hong Kong's long-term economic development.
However, various sectors of society have not yet had a clear understanding of the concept of "reindustrialization".
Countries all over the world are also talking about "re-industrialization". If Hong Kong wants to develop in this direction, which development model should it adopt?
Since the factory moved north in the 1990s, the number of people engaged in manufacturing in Hong Kong has been declining year by year, making Hong Kong's industry seem to be gradually declining.
However, in fact, many enterprises are still headquartered in Hong Kong, which makes Hong Kong's service industry flourish, especially the "producer service industry", that is, product design, quality inspection, transportation and logistics, etc.
In recent years, the number of resources invested by such Hong Kong-funded enterprises in research and development has been increasing. Even under the shadow of the trade war and the epidemic, most enterprises will still increase investment in product research and development.
It can be seen that companies are aware of the global trend: In the era of "Industry 4.0", industry not only relies on "labor", but "brain power"; industry is based on technology, which is capital and knowledge-intensive, and production processes are equipped with equipment. Modern workshop with advanced technology and facilities.
Through the introduction of artificial intelligence and big data to improve production lines, innovative technologies link the entire product cycle, and manufacturers can monitor the entire production process in real time.
Three Industrial Villages Repositioned as Innovation Parks to Promote "Innovative Manufacturing"
As the "Industry 4.0" boom swept the world, the Chief Executive proposed the "re-industrialization" policy direction in his 2016 Policy Address, gradually breaking away from the labor- and land-intensive industrial model, and pooling strength to use technology to revitalize Hong Kong's manufacturing industry.
When labor costs are no longer a decisive factor in industrial development, the manufacturing industry is expected to thrive in Hong Kong with the help of technology.
One of the important tasks of the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (STP) is to promote the re-industrialization of Hong Kong through innovation and technology.
The Science and Technology Park repositions its three industrial villages as "Innovation Parks" (INNOPARK), aiming to support the development of high-end manufacturing industries and promote "Innofacturing". The innovation and technology ecosystem established and operated by the park provides technical and business development support, so that "Made in Hong Kong" products can go out of Hong Kong and become famous internationally.
The Science and Technology Park has established the development direction of re-industrialization, select suitable innovative manufacturing enterprises to settle in the Innovation Park, combine technology and industry, and promote the development of "innovative manufacturing" in Hong Kong.
The Science and Technology Park hopes to pool resources to promote projects that are beneficial to Hong Kong, while incorporating technological elements, advanced craftsmanship and sustainable development.
Under the guiding principles of openness and transparency, the HKSTP will continue to maintain communication with the industry and introduce more measures to support the development of Hong Kong's re-industrialization.
The Science and Technology Parks Corporation announced in November last year that it would officially reposition its three industrial estates in Tai Po, Yuen Long and Tseung Kwan O as "INNOPARK", leading Hong Kong to realize the vision of "re-industrialization".
High-efficiency dedicated industrial buildings introduce innovative technology applications
The high-end production lines of innovative manufacturing enterprises require specially designed workshops and sophisticated supporting equipment. To support these diversified needs, since 2015, the Science and Technology Park has successively built five multi-storey and high-performance special-purpose industrial buildings in three innovation parks, including "Data Technology Center" and "Advanced Manufacturing Center" in Tseung Kwan O, "Precision Manufacturing Center" and "Medical Products Manufacturing Center" in Tai Po, and "Microelectronics Center" in Yuen Long.
Many companies stationed in the Innovation Park pointed out that the Science and Technology Park has grasped the inherent advantages of Hong Kong's industry and is full of confidence in promoting "re-industrialization".
The "Precision Manufacturing Center", which has been in operation for more than two years, has all its units leased out, and the "Data Technology Center" has also begun to be occupied.
On the other hand, the Science and Technology Park has also actively responded to the needs of the industry and society. For example, during the epidemic, medical supplies such as masks need to be manufactured in large quantities, and specially designed factories such as "dust-free workshops" must be equipped. A building has been refurbished into a "Medical Supplies Manufacturing Center" dedicated to the production of medical supplies, medical-related equipment, materials, accessories, health-related products and other precision instruments.
The units in the "Medical Supplies Manufacturing Centre" are now fully leased and will be commissioned later.
These reflect the strong market demand for high-standard industrial facilities.
The Science and Technology Park is also pleased to see that this year's policy address proposes to build a second "Advanced Manufacturing Centre", which will lay a solid foundation for promoting "Innovative Manufacturing".
The Medical Products Manufacturing Center (MARS) in Tai Po Innovation Park has already leased out all units, and a total of 11 local and international innovative manufacturing companies will gradually settle in, focusing on the manufacturing of medical products and related equipment, health-related products and other related manufacturing process.
The Innovation Park carries a long history of industrial villages. The Science and Technology Park not only introduces enterprises that meet the direction of "re-industrialization", but also devotes itself to assisting the upgrading and transformation of production lines of traditional industries, such as introducing new technologies for smart production, and assisting them in purchasing automation equipment and smart Production planning and other new technologies.
The Science and Technology Park will ensure the efficient use of land resources and work with enterprises to promote the "re-industrialisation" of Hong Kong.
The author of this article is Dr. Yao Qingliang, engineer.
Dr. Yao is the Senior Director of Reindustrialization at the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (STP), responsible for leading and planning key infrastructure and projects for reindustrialization.
Before joining the Science Park, Dr. Yao worked as a senior executive in start-ups and multinational corporations. Among them, he served as the General Manager of Network and Computing Division Asia at Motorola Semiconductor for over 15 years. He is also one of the main developers of "Dragon Ball Microprocessor". .
(Information provided by Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation)