Small and Medium Enterprise Development Authority (Smeda) has prepared a multi-dimensional strategy for the modernisation of Sports goods industry especially the soccer ball manufacturing sector enabling it to cope with the new challenges of global market.
Official sources told Business Recorder here on Saturday that under the programme Sports Industries Development Centre (SIDC) costing Rs 273.11 million would be established shortly in Sialkot.
The Main concept of the project was to enable sports goods sector to adopt new technology of mechanised ball, which was threatening the current hand-stitched inflatable soccer ball.
The main benefits to amass from the project were to 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.
The Sports Goods sector of Sialkot was the main export sector of the city with total exports of about $350 million per annum. The city caters to 85 percent of total world demand of hand stitched inflatable balls, which means around 40 million balls annually worth $210 million.
Sialkot globally known for production of value-added products and quality production of sports goods, surgical instruments, leather garments, musical instruments and sportswear etc and contributing $800 million annually to national exchequer.
The local soccer ball manufacturers were 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.
Under the plan SIDC will introduce thermo-bonded ball technology in Sialkot industry. 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.
The capacity of the centre on single shift basis would be 5000 balls per day while the centre will generate employment opportunity for 432 persons.
According to a rough statistics the balls were stitched by a work force than 60,000 including female stitchers and exported to world market.