Annual Report 2009 - Asian Productivity Organization

providing cleaning services and equipment located in
Tokyo, which received a Japan Quality Award in 2000
in the SME category.
Market Access for SMEs: Electric and Electronic
Sector
Appropriate access to markets is vital for SMEs to
survive in business. Recently, achieving market access
for SMEs has become more challenging due to the
increasing number of laws and regulations. Failure
to comply may result in loss of customer confidence
as well as loss of potential revenue. SMEs that act as
suppliers to manufacturers may have limited capacity
to comply with the necessary regulations and thus
need special assistance. As rapidly evolving technology
leads to an increasing volume of electrical and
electronic equipment (EEE) in use worldwide, the
environmental impact posed by the production and
subsequent disposal of EEE has become a serious
concern. Hence the environmental performance of
the electrical and electronic sector is targeted for
improvement by many governments.
The APO organized a study meeting on Market Access
for SMEs: Electric and Electronic Sector, 11–14
August 2009, in Singapore. Fifteen participants from
nine member countries attended to discuss problems
SMEs face in accessing markets in the Asia-Pacific
region, the impact on supply chains of complying with
international regulatory requirements, global environmental
technical regulations that affect the electrical
and electronic industry, and green manufacturing
options for regulatory compliance.
Field visit to the Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology
Program coverage: Environmental technical regulations
and their impact on future business trends in
the electrical and electronics industry; Environmental
compliance: Business challenges and opportunities;
New requirements in the RoHS directive; Impact of
RoHS 2 on the medical device industry and the supply
chain: Perspectives from a medical device manu-
facturer; REACH and its impact on the electrical
and electronic industry; Hewlett Packard’s REACH
implementation experience; Environmental technical
regulations in Asia: Korea, Japan, and China; Carbon
footprinting the the electrical and electronics industry;
Green IT and future business trends; What’s next: The
EuP directive and its implementing measures; Using
the IPC 1752 for material declaration; and Information
exchange within the supply chain. A site visit was
made to the Singapore Institute of Manufacturing
Technology.
SME Management Model: Strategies for Sustainable
Growth and Competitiveness
SMEs constitute the most numerous business entities
and are important in accelerating economic growth
and development in the region. In most APO member
countries, they play a vital role in the development of
national economies, not only by providing new sources
of employment and replacing declining traditional
industries but also by providing a source of innovation,
creativity, and international competitiveness. Severe
competition due to the global business environment
and increasing technological complexity have resulted
in shorter product life cycles, forcing SMEs to adopt
innovative ideas for successful transformation and
excellent management practices to achieve sustainable
growth and competitiveness.
The APO and CPC organized a workshop on the
SME Management Model: Strategies for Sustainable
Growth and Competitiveness, 2–6 November, in
Taipei, attended by 22 participants from 13 member
countries. They examined global and regional best
practices of SME management, benchmarked against
the successful strategies used by the Republic of China
for SME development, and identified new strategies
for the sustainable development of SMEs in APO
demonstration projects. The APO deputed three
resource persons, and the CPC invited one.
Program coverage: Best practices implemented by
Taiwan SMEs to sustain development and face global
competitiveness through excellent organizational
management. Site visits were made to: White-Wood-
House Food Co. Ltd, a bakery company and winner of
the SME Excellence Award 2004 and National Quality
Award in 2008; Crystal Applied Technology Inc., a
small manufacturing company located in Hsinchu Science
Park which produces Sapphire and SAW water
used in LED baseboards; and Dahan International
Business Center, Dahan Property Management
Corporation, involved in real estate, office rentals, and
hotels.
APO ANNUAL REPORT 2009 17
INDUSTRY AND SERVICE SECTORS