The global competitive business environment has produced innovative international trade challenges between developing and developed regions. Such challenges are affecting corporate strategic directions and changing manufacturing and business policies all over the World. For developing countries, like Pakistan, these challenges mean really extra efforts are required to survive in the current global competitive environment.
What I feel, in decades to come, the use of more advanced design and manufacturing technologies will certainly emerge to be a key source of competitive strength. Although, the advanced design and manufacturing technologies’ advantages and capabilities are already known, problems regarding the management practice, from the technology planning to its implementation, represent the main obstacles to the effective and efficient use of such technologies especially in countries like Pakistan. Pakistan is rapidly losing its share in the international market which is obviously a critical issue for the Government. Although, technically trained cheap labour was a source of comparative advantage for Pakistan at one point but this factor alone no longer ensures competitiveness in the technologically stagnant manufacturing sector in Pakistan.
In short, TUSDEC feels that Pakistan is facing a problem of acute technological obsolescence. Therefore, there is a great need for a strategy for the industrial technology upgradation in Pakistan. For instance, examples of outstanding industrial achievements of newly emerging economies such as Taiwan and Korea are underpinned by the ability to master technological competencies. These countries acquired foreign technology from developed countries, during the early phase of technology development, and emerged as developers of their own indigenous technological capabilities. However, on the other hand, the present status of Pakistan’s design and manufacturing sector not appears to be encouraging, with mostly obsolete technology being employed in our industrial sectors.
It is therefore, imperative to examine the technology trajectories of both advanced and developing countries which would present an overall scenario as to where Pakistan lies within, and ultimately without wasting further time, we need to adopt result oriented business strategies & technology policies which would eventually steer Pakistan to ‘jump the curve’ and catch up with the developed World.