KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Technology Development Corporation (MTDC) has urged companies to utilise local technology and expertise in preparation for the challenges that come with the advent of Industry 4.0 (i4.0).
Chief Executive Officer of MTDC, Dato’ Norhalim Yunus said that Malaysia has expertise in various fields, which are still untapped.
He said that the setting up of Myedtech Community is enabling local skills and technology to be obtained at a lower cost.
“This enables small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to move up from Industry 2.0 and Industry 3.0,” he said at a press conference after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between MTDC and Myedtech Community recently.
“Myedtech, which stands for Malaysia Education Technology, is an avenue for the academic sector to collaborate with the industry. It complements the academic sector by producing i4.0-ready graduates and develop potential technopreneurs in the i4.0 space.”
Under the MoU, both MTDC and Myedtech Community will establish a dedicated centre for i4.0, complete with Maker labs and co-working space.
This centre will house at least 21 member companies under the Myedtech Community, and will facilitate collaborative networks with other business professionals, researchers, academicians and industry experts.
The primary use of the centre is to serve the start-up companies in Malaysia and to encourage creation of i4.0 entrepreneurs.
The center will be equipped with the required tools and equipment to allow proof-of-concept and prototype solutions to be produced at minimal costs.
Large corporations are also welcomed to join this collaboration as part of their effort to identify local talents that can reduce the former’s dependency on foreign i4.0 solution providers.
The onsite training made available at the Maker labs allows transfer of knowledge to SMEs, universities and MTDC recipient companies.
PSI Global Sdn Bhd – a member company of the Myedtech Community through its brand name ‘Krenovator’ will be the provider of learning solutions and services at the centre.
The MTDC Technopreneur Training Academy (TENTRA) will partner with Krenovator to provide this training platform.
Dr Syahril Idris, Chief Technology Officer of PSI Global, said: “We look forward to collaborate with MTDC as part of our commitment towards industry 4.0.
“Our community collectively has been involved in over 150 projects with multinational companies, government agencies, NGOs, startups and SMEs.
“We have also conducted training for more than 3000 university students and industry players in the past year.”
To this end, MTDC remains committed to support events related to creating awareness and community building among local i4.0 solution providers as well as linking the industry with the academia sectors to create new technopreneurs.
