Punjab Small Industries Corporation (PSIC) has planned to set up a 'Business Support Center' for electrical fittings (Bakelite and other plastics) Industry in Sargodha at a cost of over Rs 20 million.
The Center would work as a common facility center to provide services to electrical fittings manufacturers about latest processing techniques. It would enable them to produce quality electrical fittings for export and local markets in accordance with specifications/quality control conditions set by importing countries and adopted in Pakistan or introduced by Pakistan Standard Quality Control Authority, sources in PSIC told Business Recorder here on Wednesday.
About background of the project, the sources said electrical fittings and accessories were necessary components of every household, office, commercial and industrial enterprise. Bakelite and other plastic material were used in association with metallic and/or ceramic parts. Sargodha, Karachi and Lahore are the main clusters for this industry.
About 70 per cent of these fittings are being produced in Sargodha by a large number of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The Sargodha Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) had estimated there are about 15 large units, 200 SMEs and over 1000 cottage industrial units engaged in the production of electrical fittings, the sources added.
According to the Economic Survey of Pakistan, there were 19.3 million household units in Pakistan out of which 5.8 million are in urban areas. In case, 20 fittings are required in an urban house and six in rural areas house then at a rate of five per annual replacement, 9.84 million units would be required each year. Against an annual requirement of 570,000 new houses if only 300,000 units are built, there will be requirement of additional 300,000 electrical fittings each year.
Thus the potential market for electric fittings comes to 13.4 million units per annum. This shows that there is progressive market for electric fittings and new ventures can also be established.
Moreover, if the quality of these products is improved to the international standard, there is a vast export market, as this is a labour intensive industry. Presently, there is a huge import of electrical fittings from China, and by improving the quality of our product, import bill could also be slashed, the sources added.
According to them, electrical fittings' manufacturers in Sargodha were facing many problems due to lack of facilities for designing, technical know how, dies manufacturing, testing of raw material and finished goods.
Throwing light on the objective of proposed 'Business Support Center', sources added it would provide dies making and heat treatment facilities, and provide design development facilities. Besides, it would extend testing facilities of raw material and finished goods with respect to electric functional quality for specific use at the given electric specifications in terms of voltage and amperes.
PSIC would also provide on job training to the workers and educate supervisory staff about new materials and better production techniques. Information would be provided about the quality of raw materials to be used in manufacturing metallic connectors and screws.
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