The four-year technical support program undertaken by SMEDA in collaboration with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Pakistan Automotive Parts and Accessories Association (PAAPAM) has been completed successfully in Lahore and Karachi.
Giving details, SMEDA chief executive officer Sher Ayub Khan said that auto sector, being one of the most important and fastest growing sectors in Pakistan, contributes towards the nation's economy through employment and revenue generation. The local vendors play an important role in the auto sector's growth by producing auto parts and sub-assemblies according to the benchmark set by the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), but on the other hand, local industry is lacking competitiveness both in terms of quality and cost, he said.
Unfortunately, Pakistan had not been able to derive maximum benefits in terms of technical know-how, production technology and quality control in order to upgrade the vendor base of auto sector, without proper training and relevant guidance. Resultantly, there is a high rejection rate during various manufacturing processes in the local auto parts industry, he lamented.
SMEDA chief said that technical support program in collaboration with JICA was, therefore, designed in 2015 to enhance manufacturing capabilities to enhance quality production and increase share of localization of auto parts. He further said that the Japanese way of improving productivity and quality had been introduced in over 50 auto parts manufacturing concerns under the guidance of five Japanese experts for long-term intervention since August 2015.
Focusing on enhancement of workers' skills, JICA experts have imparted various Japanese quality techniques at the shop floor level and considerably minimized rejections, he said and added that that for further bolstering workers' skill levels and creating sense of attaining highest skill standards, practical review was made by holding skills competitions in 11 diverse skills including welding, painting, cutting & machining, surface finish, parts inspection and fork lifter driving.