Smeda to set up Foundry Service Centre

Lahore: The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (Smeda) in partnership with the Pakistan Foundry Association (PFA) and the University of Engineering and Technology will set up Foundry Service Center at a cost of Rs 201.91 million.

Smeda Chief Executive Officer Shahid Rashid stated this while chairing first technical session of the second day proceedings of the International Foundry Congress organised by PFA. Akmal Surbuland, Professor Qasim Hussain Zaidi, Munir Ahmed, Vinay, Fahad Iqbal and Ramnathan also addressed the session.

The center will emerge as the first institution providing support to the 800 foundries around Lahore in modernising product development and casting process as well as managing training and compliance with international quality standards, he added and assured PFA to continue Smeda support in developing foundry sector in Pakistan. He said the Smeda is making concrete efforts in collaboration with Pakistan Foundry Association (PFA) to bring the foundry sector at par with international standards.

He said that Smeda had invited through Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) a group of Japanese experts in different sectors including foundry sector for technology up-gradation of SMEs. Dr Robert, another international expert on Foundry industry has also been invited from Germany.

He said adding that these experts would stay in Pakistan for a period of two years for providing free of cost consultancy services in collaboration with Smeda to up-grade foundry units in Pakistan. Earlier, a number of the international and national experts gave presentations on effect of heat treatment on microstructure of ADI, foundry chemical, defect of steel casting and semi solid metal process.