Scovell: SME gains from manufacturing industry

SMALL to medium enterprises stand to gain from providing services needed by the manufacturing industry, PNG Manufacturers Council chief executive officer Chey Scovell says.
“The manufacturing industry and other industries create an opportunity for small to medium enterprises to cater for the various services throughout their production phase,” Scovell (pictured) said.
“Local manufacturers are the main customers of SMEs.
“You think of a service required by local manufacturers, there is almost a hundred or more of them. Indeed many, if not the majority of our SME success stories, are tied to the business they receive from local manufacturers.
“Our members have created many millionaires and successful businesses.”
He said the growth of large PNG companies were on the back of industries such as the extractive industry.
“The same is to be said of the extractive sector. Now giant companies like the IPI Group, Mapai Transport or TWL are making successful inroads into the general business sector,” he said.
“They have been able to do this by supporting value-added industries.
“I believe there is room for the Government and the new SME Corporation to sit with value-added industries and find implementable solutions to support the growth of resilient, profitable and sustainable SMEs.”