The Chief Executive Officer Small and Medium Enterprise Authority (Smeda) Khawaja Shahab Anwar has said that a multi-dimensional strategy has been evolved for tracking the soccer ball manufacturing on modern and scientific lines.
Addressing the members of Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) here on Wednesday he revealed that under the plan Sport Industry Development Centre costing more than Rs 273.11 would soon be set up for catering the needs of sports industry particularly soccer ball industry of Sialkot.
The development work on proposed Sports Industry Development Centre (SIDC) would be initiated shortly and would be completed in stipulated period on one year he said that SIDC would not only provide technical facilities of manufacturing techniques of mechanised soccer ball but also produce 5000 soccer balls in a single shift while its production capacity would be 15, 000 balls per day.
Highlighting main features of SIDC project he said the project would enable sports goods sector to adopt new technology of mechanised ball, which is threatening the current hand, stitched inflatable soccer ball. The main benefits to amass from the project are facilitate in sustainable Pakistan's position in international market of hand stitched inflatable balls in general and soccer ball in particular, provide skilled workforce to the sector, help develop imported machinery locally through reverse engineering, develop an indigenous patent for mechanised soccer ball and get it registered internationally, provide assistance in setting up mechanised ball production lines in individual industrial units, developing proto type balls for the industry and developing quality vulcanisation and past molds he added.
The Chief Executive Officer Smeda said that currently soccer ball manufacturers are facing serious threats in the form of "Thermo-Molded Ball" that uses medium end technology to produce a ball having most of the characteristics of hand stitched ball.
Khawaja Shahab said that the SIDC would provide technical know how, trained labour force, reverse engineering prototype development and mold making services besides, the centre will also manufacture and sell thermo-molded balls to the exporters on order.
In his address of welcome, President Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) Dr Nouman Idris Butt said that Smeda was playing an instrumental role in the promotion of SME sector which is fast becoming backbone of the national economy. Apart from this Smeda is paying special attention towards helping the SMEs of Sialkot by introducing and implementing different projects and proposals he said.
The SCCI President said that Regional Office of Smeda (Sialkot) is providing consultancy to SMEs and is co-ordinating closely with SCCI in highlighting issues faced by the industry, bridging the gap between policy makers and industry and preparing project proposals. Dr Nouman Butt suggested Smeda to prepare a PC-1 for setting up CE Mark testing laboratory in Sialkot.
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