RECORDER REPORT

SIALKOT: Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) is finalizing necessary arrangements for setting up Product Development Centre (PDC) for Composite casting Rs.498 million for tracking the sports goods industry of Sialkot on modern production lines.

The proposed PDC project will be established within the premises of Sports Industry Development Centre (SIDC). The development work on the project will soon be carried out. The federal government has taken the steps to track sports good industry on modern production lines.

Official sources told Business Recorder on Sunday that the step was being taken to enable the sports goods industry to adopt new manufacturing technologies including composite material and enter into the largest segment of sports goods exports which are presently 55 percent of the sports goods are based on composite materials. The members of the business community engaged with sports industry had urged upon the concerned quarters that to take special steps for the early completion of the PDC project for the larger interest of the industry.

The basic concept of setting up this proposed PDC was to provide services like product testing (physical and chemical), provide skilled workforce to the sector, enhance productivity by providing technical support services to new and existing industrial units, help develop imported machinery locally through reverse engineering and facilitate in increasing exports of composite based sports goods.