Chairman Surgical Instruments Manufacturers Association of Pakistan (SIMAP) Tahir Ashfaq has said that export of surgical instruments has been increased considerably in recent past due to effective measures adopted by Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) and individual efforts of the local business community.
In an interview with Business Recorder on Saturday he said TDAP was making adequate efforts for enhancing the export of surgical instruments and in this regard arranging trade exhibitions in various countries. At present he revealed that export of surgical instruments is US 365 million dollar and local industry was producing 120 million surgical instruments while 150,000 workers were engaged with the industry and earning their livelihood.
Replying to a question the SIMAP chairman said that due to the standard and quality of Pakistani surgical instruments the demand of the instrument was increasing rapidly in Ethiopia and other African countries which is a healthy omen. Answering to another question he said in order to explore the market and assessing possibilities of demand surgical instruments a high level delegation of surgical industry will visit South Africa in May this year.
The establishment of Common Facility Centre (CFC) was direly needed to facilitate the small and medium surgical instruments manufactures to enable them to bring innovation in their products to compete with the world market SIMAP Chairman said. Tahir said that modernisation of industry become more imperative at this juncture but our SMEs were unable to install modern machinery in their units and under the circumstances the setting up of common facility centre in this export-oriented city become vital to facilitate the SMEs.
There was an urgent need of developing another Industrial Estate in the area because hundreds of small vendors and manufactures were scattered in far-off around the city which cannot afford buying small piece of land for their manufacturing units he said. He said that existing Small Industrial Estate was unable to cater the needs of growing number of vendors, the SIMAP proposed the establishment of new estate where provision could be made to accommodate industrial vendors, suppliers and service providers who don't have their own business premises. Answering a question the SIMAP Chairman disclosed that we are working on brand developing and this regard a committee had already been constituted.