Hong Kong’s First “Future Manufacturing Hall” Grand Opening HKPC Heralds a New Era of Industrial Transformation Promoting “Microfactory” to Enhance New Productive Forces Aiding Hong Kong’s Development as an International I&T Centre

[8 July 2024 | Hong Kong] The Central Government has explicitly emphasised the need to accelerate the development of "New Productive Forces" by coordinating technological and industrial innovation and expediting the construction of a modern industrial system. The Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) has been actively responding to this national strategy. Today, the first "Future Manufacturing Hall" (FM Hall) in Hong Kong officially opened. The FM Hall showcases revolutionary "Microfactory" concept, advanced manufacturing technologies for smart production lines, and the formation process of new productive forces, highlighting Hong Kong's advantages in innovation and new industrialisation through successful case studies.

Professor Sun Dong, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Mr Ricky Li Kwok-bun, Director of Innovation and Technology Commission, Hon Sunny Tan, Chairman of HKPC, and Mr Mohamed Butt, Executive Director of HKPC, have attended the grand opening ceremony. Together, they explored and demonstrated how Hong Kong injects new momentum under the "New Productive Forces" development strategy. The opening of the "Future Manufacturing Hall" marks a significant step in Hong Kong's efforts to promote industrial transformation and upgrade, potentially aiding Hong Kong's development as an international innovation and technology (I&T) centre. It aims to lead the local manufacturing industry towards smart, green, and high-end development, injecting new industrial impetus into Hong Kong.

Showcasing "Hong Kong Got Industries"
Ushering in a New Era of "Made in Hong Kong"

The opening ceremony was graced by representatives from various industries, legislators, Government officials, experts, and scholars. The FM Hall not only showcases internationally leading smart production line success stories but also integrates the innovative concept of "Microfactory". By leveraging advanced smart production technologies, Microfactory enables highly flexible production modes, thereby enhancing both production flexibility and space utilisation efficiency. Boasting features like customisation, small batch production, and quick market responsiveness, Microfactory is instrumental in driving the upgrading of traditional industries and the development of emerging ones.

The FM Hall gathers numerous successful cases from the Greater Bay Area (GBA), highlighting Hong Kong's unique advantages in industrial development. It will become the largest demonstration platform for "New Productive Forces" in South China, fostering deeper exchanges and cooperation between Hong Kong, the mainland, and international Governments, industries, academia, and research sectors, showcasing the new era of "Hong Kong Got Industries" and "Made in Hong Kong".

Professor Sun Dong, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, stated in his speech that the development of new quality productive forces is a crucial policy direction for the country and a core engine driving high-quality economic development. Hong Kong should fully leverage its unique advantages with new quality productive forces being developed according to local conditions, promoting new industrialisation to support the high-quality development of the new real economy and better integrate into national development. He commended HKPC as the strategic partner that has consistently supported the Government's efforts in promoting I&T development and endeavours in advancing new industrialisation.

Professor Sun also said that new quality productive forces have become a key driver for Hong Kong's economic transformation and high-quality development. The establishment of the Future Manufacturing Hall highlights Hong Kong's strengths and potential in developing I&T as well as new industrialisation. It provides a platform to facilitate cross-sectoral exchanges and cooperation among Government, industry, academic, research, and investment communities both locally and internationally, and will also play an important role in promotion and education.

The opening of the new FM hall is part of HKPC's activities celebrating the 27th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China. Hon Sunny Tan, Chairman of HKPC, stated that The new FM Hall showcases the results of HKPC's efforts in helping enterprises set up smart production lines, especially the achievements of the New Industrialisation Funding Scheme (NIFS), marking a crucial step in Hong Kong's industrial transformation and upgrade. HKPC encourages enterprises to utilise Government funding to set up smart production lines and enhance productivity. In January of this year, the Hong Kong SAR Government introduced optimised measures for the NIFS, providing up to HKD 45 million to support enterprises in setting up smart production lines in Hong Kong, using innovative technologies to upgrade and transform their businesses.

Hon Sunny Tan further mentioned that as a market-oriented applied R&D institution, HKPC actively collaborates with various parties and has achieved corresponding results. Over the past few years, we have engaged with over 47,000 local SMEs, introducing them to government funding opportunities and the potential for developing new productivity and smart production lines. In the past two years, our projects have received over 200 awards, including the prestigious Edison Award, often regarded as the "Oscars of the scientific community”, and the R&D 100 Awards. To foster the development of the I&T talent pool, HKPC offered over 1,000 training activities last year, with participants exceeding 50,000, enabling industry professionals to grasp new technological developments, inject new ideas, and spark new inspirations.

Furthermore, HKPC continues to deepen cooperation with local, mainland, and international research institutions and universities, introducing top-notch I&T resources, including collaborations with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tsinghua University, Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatisation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology in Germany. HKPC is also actively exploring collaborations with international technology companies, such as the partnership with HP to establish the "HKPC-HP 3D Printing Technology Centre" in Hong Kong, promoting the development of high-value strategic industrial chains and accelerating the development of microfactory and new industrialisation in Hong Kong.

Hon Sunny Tan added that HKPC hopes through the new FM Hall, the public and enterprises can better understand what new productive forces are and assist Hong Kong in integrating into the national development landscape. In the future, HKPC will continue to fully support enterprises with advanced technology, future talent training, and Government funding schemes.

Leveraging AI to Aid the Development of New Industrialisation

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a crucial engine for accelerating the cultivation and development of new productive forces and achieving new industrialisation. Based on the "Future Manufacturing Hall", HKPC launched the "AI Applications Hall" to demonstrate how AI technology can assist smart manufacturing, enhance the industrial value chain, and increase production efficiency. The hall includes industrial applications of AI technology in different sectors, allowing SMEs and startups to showcase their cutting-edge AI innovative products. This will help strengthen exchanges and cooperation among industry, academic, and research sectors, promote the application of more AI research outcomes, and fully demonstrate the innovative vitality of Hong Kong and the GBA in the AI field.

Signing Cooperation Agreements with the Yangtze River Delta Region to Jointly Promote "New Productive Forces"

On the day of the opening ceremony, HKPC signed cooperation agreements with the International Advanced Technology Application Promotion Center (Pudong) and the Yangtze River Delta National Technology Innovation Center and held the unveiling ceremony of the "Hong Kong-Yangtze River Delta Joint Innovation Centre". This marks a new stage of cooperation in technological innovation between the Yangtze River Delta region and Hong Kong. The "Hong Kong-Yangtze River Delta Joint Innovation Center" will conduct joint research and development through cooperation, introduce advanced technological achievements from home and abroad, engage in applied research, product development, technology transfer, academic exchange, and talent cultivation, providing technical solutions to the industry and playing a leading role.

Additionally, HKPC and the International Advanced Technology Application Promotion Center (Pudong) will carry out cross-regional, cross-field, and interdisciplinary collaborative innovation and open cooperation, focusing on areas such as integrated circuits, AI, smart cities, intelligent manufacturing, green technology, digital technology, cyber security, biomedicine, and aerospace. They will jointly explore collaborative innovation mechanisms between Shanghai and Hong Kong, actively promote the transformation and industrialisation of major scientific and technological achievements, assist enterprises in original technological innovation, accelerate the development of new productive forces, and achieve high-quality industrial development.

- Ends -

For Press Inquiries:
For press releases, high-resolution images, and more information, please visit:https://bit.ly/HKPC1177PP

From left: Mr. Mohamed D. BUTT, MH, Executive Director of HKPC, Professor Dong SUN, JP, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry of the HKSAR, and Hon Sunny TAN, Chairman of HKPC, officiated the opening ceremony of Hong Kong's largest brand new “Future Manufacturing Hall”.

Hon Sunny TAN, Chairman of Hong Kong Productivity Council, stated in his speech that he hopes Hong Kong can build more “microfactory”, and encouraged enterprises to utilise government funding to set up smart production lines in order to enhance productivity.

Professor Dong SUN, JP, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry of the HKSAR, delivered a speech at the opening ceremony.

In the presence of Hon Sunny TAN, Chairman of HKPC, Prof. Dong SUN, JP, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry of the HKSAR, Prof. Qing LIU, Director of NICE, President of Shanghai Yangtze Delta Innovation Institute, a MoU was signed by Mr Edmond LAI, Chief Digital Officer and CEO of Mainland Business of HKPC and Prof Alex GU Yuandong, Management Committee Member of NICE, and Vice President of Shanghai Yangtze Delta Innovation Institute, followed by an unveiling ceremony.

Professor Dong SUN, JP, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry of the HKSAR, along with other guests, toured the “Future Manufacturing” Hall and “AI Applications” Hall.

The hall displayed successful case studies of world-leading smart production lines, with the microfactory in the textile industry drawing the most attention.