Mr Tan said the diversity of the work was reflected in the company's unusual name.
“We are greedy in a sense and want to establish ourselves as a boutique factory in Hong Kong that provides products, design, services, technology and engineering support,” she said. “There are no words in Chinese that embody our vision, so she named our business PDSTE based on the initials of these elements.”
To meet an evolving consumer market that demands frequent design changes and low-volume production of multiple variations of the same product, the company invests HK$6 million (US$767,740) in a smart production line that increases productivity by 1.5x I made a plan to do it.
Like a growing number of local manufacturers, the company is exploring ways to increase its competitiveness by using technology to streamline labor-intensive production operations, achieve sustainability and stay competitive.
In his policy speech last October, city leader John Lee Kat-chiu announced the launch of a HK$10 billion industrialization initiative to help businesses access more technologically advanced manufacturing methods. did.
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Through the Reindustrialization Funding Scheme, the government will provide subsidies to cover half of the cost of installing smart production lines, with the aim of increasing the number of such facilities from 30 in 2022 to more than 130 by 2027.
PDSTE is one of the companies hoping to get government support for its plans.
“Smart production lines will be a game changer for us,” Mr Tan said. “Multiple electronic components can be assembled on a circuit board simultaneously in a single station, significantly speeding up the manufacturing process.”
Integrating artificial intelligence into the process enabled real-time data tracking and saved time by eliminating the need for staff to perform manual tasks.
Ms Tan said that although it is expensive to run a production line in Hong Kong, the growing startup scene offers companies like hers “the best opportunity to grow”.
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Tan recalled that for his first project, biologists wanted a machine to analyze fish DNA, but a prototype based on his idea didn't work. After months of discussions and research and development efforts, her team created her two machines to do the job.
“We don't know if these machines were ultimately commercialized, but they could serve as a platform for individual innovators and start-up owners who are stuck at the idea stage and don't have the resources for mass production or commercialization. “You can,” she said.
“That's our advantage in Hong Kong. Other factories may charge less for their products, but we offer customized services tailored to our customers' pain points.”
Decent Espresso, a coffee machine manufacturer founded in 2015 that uses PDSTE circuit boards, chose Hong Kong as its base because of its international status and sophisticated logistics industry.
CEO John Bachmann met Tan at a trade show several years ago, when his company was selling only a few coffee machines a month.
With machines known for precision, customizable settings, and advanced brewing techniques, this brand has a reputation for quality and innovation.
“It doesn't just look like a computer that makes coffee, it's a computer that makes coffee,” Bachmann said. “It’s software-based, so it evolves.”
The company has sold more than 10,000 units in more than 40 countries around the world.
“In Hong Kong, we enjoy a high degree of freedom in technology development due to tax incentives and strong government support for high-end products like ours,” said Nicole Chow Zi-wing, the company's operations manager.
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The company's main markets are Europe and the Americas, but it has also expanded into Southeast Asia, where there has been “a rise in coffee culture” over the past three years, she said.
“Our presence in Hong Kong has helped us effectively promote our products in this region,” she said.
Meanwhile, at Tuen Mun Landfill, the city's first and only steel rolling mill also plans to install smart production lines by next year to capture the growing demand for environmental initiatives in the city and Greater Bay Area. There is.
Samanta Pong Sam-Ee, 68-year-old director and third-generation leader of her family's business, Siu Wing Steel, is looking beyond local construction as companies race to make the most of opportunities in the Bay Area. He said there was an urgent need for diversification. Hong Kong, Macau, and nine cities in Guangdong province.
“The new production line will give us the technology and capacity to meet regional standards and expand our market into the Gulf region,” she said.
The Hong Kong Productivity Council is a consultant to steel manufacturers in their transition to smart production lines.
In 2022, Shiu Wing Steel applied for funding from the Innovation and Technology Board, which provides a 40 percent cash rebate on companies' spending on recognized research and development projects.
According to the latest data, as of 2022, the Commission had approved 17,946 projects, with funding amounting to HK$6.23 billion.
Pong said the company plans to build an electric arc furnace next year to produce recycled steel, which has lower carbon emissions compared to traditional blast furnaces.
