A full-fledged Sports Industry Development Center costing more than Rs273.11 million would soon be set up in Sialkot for catering to needs of sports industry particularly soccer ball industry of the area.
Official sources told Business Recorderhere on Sunday that necessary arrangements were being made to undertake the project. The proposed center would be developed over 25 kanals of land in stipulated period of one year.
The proposed Sports Industries Development Center (SIDC), a joint venture of the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Authority (Smeda) and Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), is being funded by the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) of the 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 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.
Main features of the 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 SIDC project will improve Pakistan's position in international market of hand-stitched inflatable balls in general and soccer ball in particular. It will provide skilled workforce to the sector and help in developing 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 prototype balls for the industry and developing quality vulcanisation and past moulds.
At present soccer ball manufacturers are facing serious threats in the form of 'Thermo-molded ball' that uses 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 mould making services besides, the centre will also manufacture and sell thermo-moulded balls to the exporters on order. Meanwhile, exporters and manufacturers engaged with soccer ball industry have expressed satisfaction over the steps the government has taken for setting up SIDC in this export-oriented city. The SIDC would not only help reduce the problems of soccer ball industry but enable them to compete more easily in the global market, they added.
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