Having understood the difference between being concentrated and conventional, the automated components provider SMC Pneumatics (Hong Kong) Ltd. (SMC) has always kept the entire industry development in view. While many people think that the industrial development is declining, SMC has recorded a double-digit growth every year since its establishment in 1985, except the year of 2008 when the financial crisis kicked in. In recent years, its business turnover of Guangzhou and Hong Kong combined has even recorded a growth of 20%. Today, SMC has a market share of 71% in Hong Kong and over 30% in the global scene. By 2019, the corporate even envisions a global market share of 50%. No wonder Benny Ling, the Administrative Manager of SMC, says, “the industrial development is not declining; it is evolving”.

Breaking Free from “Fast-food Culture”

Benny Ling mentions that many corporates are influenced by the “fast-food culture”, which emphasises immediate profits at the expense of comprehensive development that offers flexibility to cater to market and industry changes in the long run. Benny Ling points out, “many corporates resort to downsizing to execute automation and reduce cost, but as long as corporates can add value and train up their personnel, staff can be an important long-term asset. Regarding logistics, as all products are meant to be transported around the world, if corporates can make good use of the advantages of Hong Kong and the mainland, such as simplifying customs clearance, they will surely benefit from better collaboration and succeed together towards the direction of Industry 4.0.” Benny Ling also says, “some corporates manage to breaking free from the ‘fast-food culture’ and curate the brand of ‘Made in Hong Kong’ by moving the production line from the mainland to Hong Kong to strengthen their core manufacturing techniques. Many industrial villages are used as warehouses, but most of them are equipped with complete manufacturing facilities; that means it only takes a couple of staff to oversee the production without extra investment for corporates to produce in Hong Kong with the existing plants, even revive the reputation of ‘Made in Hong Kong’ products”.

Exclusive Advantages that Motivate Industrial Development in Hong Kong

With operating experiences and insights accumulated over the years, Benny Ling thinks that the industrial development in Hong Kong should be much more than its status quo; he believes that Hong Kong holds a few exclusive advantages that favour advancement of several industries. Benny Ling says, “Hong Kong is protected by the rights of intellectual property, which shuts out counterfeit products and enhance industrial legitimation. With product safety being a source of confidence, I think that healthcare, food, and pharmaceutics industries will be potentially flourishing. Also, the duty-free nature is another innate privilege for business operators to effectively control cost.”