Kuala Lumpur, May 3 – Change is inevitable and it is here to stay. The wave of the Fourth Industrial Revolution is rapidly changing different aspects of our lives.
In cognisance that technological advances such as Internet of Things (IoT), 3D printing, Augmented Reality, Simulation, Autonomous Robots, Big Data Analytics, Cloud Computing, System Integration and Cybersecurity are here to stay, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) is strongly urging the private sector to get on board the digital transformation through Industry 4.0 adoption.
For MITI, Industry 4.0 is not just a buzzword. Its inaugural Industry 4.0 Workshop held yesterday, aptly themed “Embracing the Future of Manufacturing”, brought together major industry players, academia, research & technology institutions and Government ministries and agencies to design the Malaysian brand of Industry 4.0.
“Industry 4.0 adoption needs to be driven by the industry. MITI believes organic change from within an organisation would be more sustainable in the long run. The role of the Government at this juncture would be geared towards increasing awareness on the benefits of Industry 4.0, provide targeted financial support particularly for the SMEs and create the close collaboration network to push this agenda ahead,” said the Second Minister of International Trade and Industry Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan.
“Malaysia is not far behind the first movers in this aspect. Several initiatives towards Industry 4.0 are already present under the 11th Malaysia Plan (11MP), the National Internet of Things Roadmap, Aerospace Blueprint and the world’s first Digital Free Trade Zone to name a few thus shaping 2017 as the year of the Internet Economy for Malaysia.”
Overwhelming response with more than 500 participants from various industries, academic institutions and Government organisations attending the workshop signals the importance and interest in Malaysia’s Industry 4.0 framework. The aim of this first workshop is to set the scene of where Malaysia is currently in the scheme of Fourth Industrial Revolution, where it envisions itself to be in 2050 and where it can improve down the line.
MITI acknowledges that its efforts in Industry 4.0 would only feed into the overall scheme of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Industry 4.0 has the potential to address issues that have plagued the industry, particularly its foreign labour dependency as smart manufacturing will reduce the need of repetitive and non-cognitive work done by these workers replaced with autonomous robots that can also be equipped with artificial intelligence.
MITI understand that Industry 4.0 is a daunting task more so for SMEs who are not sure where to start. It is also something that cannot be done in silo. Successful collaboration is key in ensuring that Malaysia’s efforts for Industry 4.0 are implemented.
A close door break-out session of the second half of this workshop is crucial in getting buy-ins from all stakeholders involved for leaders to consolidate its efforts in tackling the challenges done through a public-private partnership. MITI will be organising more of such engagements with all stakeholders in the future. Following this session, programmes specifically for civil servants and SMEs are being planned.
Ong emphasised, “The future of Industry 4.0 is exhilarating more so if we are among the first movers in this region. The Government is determined to take this forward. I urge our industry players to recognise that Industry 4.0 is already here and the future is now. There is no one size-fits-all method to move to Industry 4.0 but the first step is to increase industry’s awareness that they need to change the way they do business or be left behind. There are already many new digital disruptions that are challenging the traditional business such as Uber and AirB&B. We need more of those in the B2B space. We can no longer take a wait-and-see approach; it is time to put words into actions.”