The Engineering Development Board (EDB) is the apex government body under Ministry of Industries, Production & Special Initiatives entrusted to strengthen engineering base in Pakistan. EDB focuses primarily on the development of engineering goods and services sector on modern lines enabling it to become technologically sound and globally integrated.

Detailed functions of the each group are as under:

Tariff Group

Mission: Development of rational tariff regime, business friendly regulatory environment and processes and facilitation to industry i.e. both the local manufacturers and potential investors through recommending the elimination of tariff and procedural bottlenecks and constraints.

Objective: To possibly cut down the cost of doing business, to encourage the competition, supporting the local industry and creating enabling tariff environment for export of engineering goods.

Working Mechanism;

Through maintaining EDB culture of interactive and communicative environment, undertaking a comprehensive budget and trade policy exercise in consultation with the stakeholders i.e. both government and private sector.

 Tariff Group Processes;

• Undertaking annual budget exercise through consultation with sectoral committees, government and stakeholders. Objective remains the tariff rationalization, providing cost efficient inputs to industry for competitive production and exports.

• Addressing the budget anomalies.

• Regular updation of CGO for the locally manufactured goods and the related issues.

• To identify opportunities out of crises situation and provide directions for Policy and Sector Development Groups.

• Issuance of I.O.R certificates with reference to concessionary SRO’s and making the processes transparent, consistent and competitive.

• Implementation of TBS in the auto sector and identifying and removing the bottlenecks for the industry. Inspection of assembly/manufacturing facilities, in the auto sector wherever authorized under the SRO’s.

• Conducting the indigenization committee meetings.

• Coordinating various sectoral committee’s, as constituted by the BOM and I.C.

• MOIP & SI related functions i.e. comments/views on tariff related issues.

• Close liaison with CBR to facilitate industry on customs, sales tax and other tax related matters and proposing easy procedures and formalities.

• Identifying the potential growth sectors on regular basis where tariffs are potential impediments to growth and exports. 

• Up dating database on entire automotive manufacturing sector.

Policy Development Group

Mission: Development of Effective, Efficient, and Agreed Long Term Development Strategies / Policies for Industry to provide enabling environment for domestic production and global integration to make such policies as star for rest of the sectors.

Objective: To play a crucial role in designing and developing overall policy direction to the Engineering Sector through identifying core competencies, macro-economic environment, tariff and non tariff business conditions through close interaction in-house and with different government departments and stakeholders.

 Working Mechanism

 The major source of inputs includes that of Sector Development Group’s sectoral reports and tariff section proposals on various industrial sectors.

Sector development group to provide its up to date studies on various sectors.  

Policy Development Group Processes; 

• An in-depth review and SWOT analysis of identified sectors.

• Comprehensive analysis of identified sectors with focus on issues related to R & D, technology development, capacity enhancement, human resource, etc.

• To identify potential for both domestic and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).

• Identification of un-competitive, rigid and out modeled policy areas for selected sectors.

• Historical analysis, current and future policies of regional and competing countries on tariff and non-tariff issues.

• To consult tariff section on tariff implications in various sectors to analyze the distortions, anomalies, bottlenecks in organic growth and to propose solutions.

• Policy development group to recommend certain policy initiatives through interaction and continuous dialogue with industry. 

• A review of the key financial parameters, of the government to base policy decisions on financial support that it is prepared to give to sectors.

• Recommendations / proposals to the Government for policy initiatives and decisions regarding targeted sectors.

• To identify the need of cluster approach and propose measures to move economy from factor driven to investment driven stage.

• Regular evaluation of policy decisions, performance evaluation, targets and environment set by the government.

• To market policy initiatives, developed through above processes, with departments involved directly or in directly on issues having implication on the industry.

•  To communicate and up date Pakistan’s missions abroad on the policy decisions and inviting their attention where necessary.

• To set / monitor sectoral targets and conduct policy impact analysis.

Sector Development Group

•  Identify local manufacturing capabilities in each sector/ sub-sector.

• Verify manufacturing capabilities/ facilities through field visits.

•  Manufacturer’s profiling, indicating salient features of manufacturing facility, capability, technological level, certification, business & export plan and potential etc.

•  Identify key players / star performers through industrial surveys, internet/magazines/journals research etc., based on well defined criteria e.g. achievement of $ exports during the year etc.

• Identify sectoral needs for technological up-gradation for entering export markets.

• Constitute sectoral committees comprising industry stakeholders and develop templates for sectoral strategy formulation by the respective committees.

•  Benchmark & develop sectoral strategy under the guidance and supervision of the committees for improving competitiveness and set quantifiable targets.

• Organize sector specific, interactive seminars and workshops in coordination with Business Development Group.

• Infrastructure Development and Coordination.

• Technological upgradation through Technical Development Fund.

•  Effective Coordination with Regional Office Karachi and major engineering hubs initially at Faisalabad and Gujranwala for sectoral development. 

• Comments/ views/ recommendations on sector/ sub-sector/ product development matters for consideration of the MOIP&SI.

•  Facilitate vendors on training and testing facilities to improve product quality.

Business Development Group

• Organizing Pakistan’s participation at leading international specialized engineering trade fairs.

• Organizing local exhibitions for potential engineering sub – sectors

• Developing market expansion plan for engineering goods & services sector

• Detailed budgeting and costing of international & local trade fairs under EDB’s program

• Developing and promoting University – Industrial linkages under University – Industrial linkages program of HEC.

• Correspondence and liaison with commercial counselors for the promotion of business networking of local business with foreign engineering companies

• Designing, development, promotion and maintenance of EDB’s official website and web page “BYOB” exclusively for students under the U-I linkages program.

• Post – exhibition assessment and evaluation

• Periodic monitoring of achievements of each event

•  Facilitation of JV agreements and technical collaborations initiated as a result of participation in trade fairs/ exhibitions

• Business match making between Pakistani and foreign companies

• Designing and Developing the official website of EDB

• Arranging print and electronic media campaigns  for the promotion of EDB’s events in general and engineering sector in particular

• Designing and developing marketing strategies for events.

• Disseminating information on potential export markets for Pak engineering goods and services

•  International collaborations for development and promotion of Pakistan’s engineering sectors

• Profiling and trainings of companies to prepare them for international markets

• Export development of potential engineering sub – sectors through formation of steering committees and their facilitation e.g., APEC, COC, PTMA etc.

Strategies

In order to achieve mission as well as goals, EDB has emphasized to:

Improve Production Technologies

• Improved production technologies by tracking latest global technological trends and disseminate it to engineering industry after doing the Gap Analysis of Industries and carrying out analysis to ascertain weaknesses of indigenous industry and their technological needs and adopt best practices, environmental and quality standards etc.

International Exposure

• Sector wise exposure to relevant trade fairs is being studied. EDB has stressed need to give International Exposure to local engineering industry through participation in local and international exhibitions, e.g. Hannover Fair proved high water mark for local engineering industry.

Export Focus

• EDB is focusing on formulating export oriented strategies in different sub-sectors with the objective to discuss unconventional goods for export to unconventional market. That is the reason the EDB logo looks like this.

International Benchmarking

International benchmarking in different engineering sub-sectors for productivity enhancement and technological needs.

Market Studies

Carrying out international market analysis in various engineering sub-sectors covering world demand, trade data analysis, tariffs, Price/brand/competition information etc.