Design of a technology centre: A Vehicle for Industrial Development

Abstract

This paper deals with the design of a Technology Centre to meet the needs of industries and enhance the industrial development activities in Ethiopia. The article addresses problems and constraints of industries in developing countries with regards to raw materials, skills, technology master plan, R&D, maintenance and industrial management. Furthermore the basic techniques and mechanisms of technology transfer are presented. For the Technology Centre under consideration the appropriate technology is selected using the point system method while the product families are chosen using ranking method. Based on the selected technology and the product families, the Centre is designed so as to accommodate facilities for manufacturing, training, consultancy, maintenance and distribution. The Technology Centre is intended to serve the Eastern and S'outhern African countries. The model used in the design of the Centre may be modified and be implemented in another context.