Development centre for sports industry proposed: Smeda starts modernisation plan

The Small and Medium Enterprise Authority (Smeda) has finalised necessary arrangements for initiating modernisation programme of Sports Goods Industry, Sialkot. The official sources told Business Recorder here on Saturday.
Under the plan, Sport Industry Development Centre costing more than Rs 273.11 million would soon be set up for catering the needs of sports industry particularly soccer ball industry of Sialkot.
The proposed Sports Industries Development Centre (SIDC) is a joint initiate of Smeda and Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), being funded the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) of Federal government.
The step was being taken for sustaining future of Sports Goods sector by infusing modern technology of mechanised ball through the provision of common facilities services, technology transfer and training etc.
The proposed centre would be developed over 25 kanal of land and be completed in stipulated period of one year. The SIDC would not only provide technical facilities of manufacturing techniques of mechanised soccer ball but also produce 5,000 soccer balls in a single shift, while its production capacity would be 15,000 balls per day.
The main features of SIDC 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. At present 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.
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.
Meanwhile, exporters and manufacturers engaged with soccer ball industry have expressed their satisfaction and said the steps taken by the government for setting up SIDC in this export-oriented city and hub of cottage industry.
The SIDC would be an addition in Sialkot which would not only help reduce the problems of soccer ball industry, but also enable them to compete global market more easily, they added.