Kuala Lumpur, March 14 – Recognising the importance of Industry 4.0, MITI and MIDA are aggressively leveraging on the presence of German investors in Malaysia that already have a strong foothold and capabilities in the space of Smart Manufacturing or Industry 4.0 technologies, said Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed, Minister of International Trade and Industry (MITI).
“Germany has pioneered the concept of Industry 4.0 in Europe, and started to set down new standards around it,” added the Minister at the dialogue session with the members of the Malaysian-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MGCC), at the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) headquarters, yesterday.
“German investments in our manufacturing sector are strong in electrical and electronics, petroleum products including petrochemicals, chemicals, and scientific and measuring equipment. The sustained inflows of quality German investments into Malaysia, some incorporating the latest technology and high value added activities, are a reflection of our country’s continued competitiveness for global businesses. We appreciate the trust and confidence that these companies have in our business environment, despite current challenging times in the global economy,” he stated.
Mustapa said that while Germany’s large multinational companies are already well established in the country, there are still more business opportunities available for German companies in various sectors. For example, the use of additive manufacturing is being encouraged particularly for automotive, aerospace, electronic consumer products and medical/dental devices.
Other opportunities are also available for services in manufacturing such as industrial data services, cloud based services and cyber security services.
“We are also encouraging more domestic players to work with German technology providers and experts, as this will contribute to the development of local industries towards a sustainable ecosystem in the country,” added Mustapa.
For 2016 alone, MIDA approved a total of 21 manufacturing projects with German participation worth investments of RM2.65 billion. These investments are expected to generate about 3,250 job opportunities.
“In line with our efforts to spearhead the adoption of smart manufacturing and industry 4.0, MIDA has successfully developed an internship programme, namely the ‘Malaysian Engineers – Made in Germany’. This initiative leverages on the high number of Malaysian students in Germany and aims to enhance the employability of these undergraduates in careers related to advanced technology areas. To date, a total of 18 German companies such as B.Braun, SGL Carbon, BMW, Infineon, Muehlbauer and Schmidt & Clemens have participated in the programme by offering annual internships for Malaysian students at their production facilities throughout Germany,” said Datuk Azman Mahmud, the Chief Executive Officer of MIDA.