The new economic environment offers formidable challenges and opportunities to the industries and business community. However what is required is that this region be provided with a level-playing field with facilities and support similar to the ones being provided to industries in other countries, particularly in the developed countries.

Unless appropriate improvements in technology, management, marketing are timely integrated, industries and business activities will not be able to sustain the competition. Many have already been forced to down their shutters.

Strong need was thus felt to diversify and modernize the activities of chamber. UCCI realized an urgent need to modernize and upgrade the technology particularly of the small industries sector in this region. Today technology has become the cutting edge for success in the open market.

And thus was conceived the idea of creating a technology centre at the UCCI. At this point of time UCCI found an opportunity to interact with Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and found in Its policies its own objectives of support and development to small scale and tiny scale industries. Soon the informal interaction took shape of a Cooperation project that provided momentum for establishing the long conceived Technology Centre creation. Commissioning of this Technology Centre heralded new era of UCCI, the era that would help industries and business of this region in particular and nation as a whole to plug in its place in the world market.

Technology Centre was formally inaugurated by Mr. Erwin Baentell, First Secretary, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.

Present facilities available at the Technology Centre includes :

• Fully Air Conditioned P.P. Singhal Hall equipped with modern Audio -Visual facilities - ideal for National and International Conferences, Seminars and Workshops

• A well equipped Trade Information Centre having latest computers with peripherals, scanner, photocopier, video camera, TV, LCD etc.

• Fully equipped Business Centre with STD/ISD/PCO, fax

• A very Spacious Exhibition Hall suitable for display of products and equipments for local industries

• A well equipped Library with books, periodicals, CD-ROM's and Videos cassetes on Minor Minerals, Tourism, Business Trends, Computer Applications etc.

• Internet, E-mail, E-Commerce for Marketing of products through Website, TV & Video Conferencing linking entrepreneurs with markets world over
  

Its functions would be:

• To collect, collate and keep systematically all information about prominent industrial sectors - National and International market, Important sales outlets, opportunities, threats related laws, rules, regulations and so on.

• To organize Information on EDP machines for systematic collection and prompt dissemination. Computers shall be connected with Internet, fax and e-mail to facilitate quick communication. The important information retrieved from Internet shall be down loaded and stored on electronic media. Printouts shall be arranged under well Indexed Information cabinets of the TIC for the use of clients.

• To publicize in related sub sectors about the facilities available at the TIC so that cluster, units, entrepreneurs and individual artisans may make use of the centre.

• To survey concerned clusters and sub sector enterprises for assessment of their need for support in:

- Product Development

- Design Development

- Raw Material availability at fair price

- Product testing and quality control

- Credit facilities

- Training of artisans

- Technology upgrade

- Marketing of Products all over the world

- Waste and Rejection management

• To undertake specific trade research which could have an overall Impact on the development of the region

• To operate a fully equipped library at the Technology Centre, where all literature, magazines, legal material, trade specific laws, export, import policies, classified documents and so on could be available to traders and manufactures

• To operate a display centre for member units of main industrial and service sectors. Together with this to establish and operate a quality control cell with standardized norms of Input, processing and finished products

• To Identify and enlist master craftsmen in various segments

• To organize and/or supervise training and technology development programs for capacity building and empowerment of artisans and production units

• To establish liaison with government, semi Government and non-government Institutions like R & D centres, promotional bodies and representative associations for the benefit of the Industry as a whole

• To organize exhibitions, collective sales, buyer seller meets and other sales promotion program

• To keep the industry informed about possible participation in sales promotion and / or technology Innovation programs organized by government or non-government bodies In India and abroad

• To keep close touch with export consortium and assist it with information about potential international markets and import inquiries

• To organized trade fairs and other ethnic or trend setting activities independently or in collaboration with other institution in the field

• To fix-up rates for various services programs and material assistance for members of Technology Centre and non member clients

• To keep complete record of activities and beneficiaries of various schemes/projects funded by International Agencies

• To establish support and initiative cooperation projects with International Agencies ready to work on developmental projects of this region

• To establish contacts and Interact with academic Institutions and research organization

Technology Centre has already started establishing contacts with several entrepreneurs with the help of their Trade Associations and has started Identifying their technical and training needs. It has also started interaction with Academic & Research institutes, Foreign Organisations to start long term projects. With this humble start, the Technology Centre will be shot in the arm of UCCI for the benefit of industries and public of south Rajasthan so as to make its presence proudly felt amongst other well known chambers of commerce and industry all over world.