SIALKOT -  Federal Minister for Industries and Production Ghulam Murtaza Khan Jatoi will inaugurate the Sports Industries Development Centre (SIDC) at Daska here today.

Senior officials of SMEDA said that SIDC was a core initiative in the strategy of infusing mechanized inflatable ball technology in the local industry of Sialkot. The centre is aimed to provide technical knowhow, trained labour force, prototype development, mould making services, IPR facilitation and manufacturing of mechanized inflatable balls for SMEs so that the sector embraces the new technology with minimal hiccups and maintains its present share in international trade of inflatable balls.

"The installed capacity on single shift basis is 1000,000 balls per year. However, it may be enhanced in two shifts depending on the need," the officials added. SIDC has been established with a total cost of Rs436 million provided by the federal Government, they said. The SMEDA is the executing agency. A Board of Management led by the private sector is handling the affairs of the project, the officials added.

They said that SIDC would help to develop prototype balls for Sialkot's soccer ball industry, get their staff trained and thereby enable local manufacturers to replace their existing set up of hand stitched ball with mechanized ball. It would also facilitate in sustaining Pakistan's position in International market of inflatable balls in general and soccer ball in particular through provision of manufacturing facilities. It will also help secure their export orders for mechanized inflatable balls, develop quality vulcanization and pasting molds, help develop imported machinery locally through reverse engineering.

The SIDC would also ensure IPR facilitation for Mechanized inflatable ball, besides providing assistance in setting up mechanized ball production lines in individual industrial units.

They added that SIDC would also provide the manufacturing facilities for the Sialkot SMEs to secure their export orders for Mechanised Inflatable Balls (3500 Balls/shift), including Bladders, Thermo balls, Basket balls & Volley ball.

They said that SIDC would develop prototype balls for the industry besides giving necessary training of skilled workers for Sialkot industries in mould / rubber technologies/mechanized thermo laminated balls. It would provide assistance in setting up mechanised thermo laminated ball production lines in private industrial units, they said.

They added that SIDC would act as a common facility where local manufacturers/exporters can bring in their material and use the available machinery to produce high quality product. The concept of common facility had been introduced by SMEDA and was being successfully implemented in other sectors particularly in food processing, they said.

It would also ensure the capacity building/training of the local manpower, they said. They added that the workers and technicians of the Sialkot SMEs will be trained for production of high quality mechanized balls. The project is also in the process of engaging foreign experts for training of the Sialkot's soccer ball industry, they said.