Learn From High-Tech Firms, Malaysian Manufacturers Urged

KUALA LUMPUR, June 16 (Bernama) -- Malaysian manufacturers have been urged to learn new technologies from big markets like Germany and high-technology companies to help them develop the knowledge and the research and development (R&D) expertise in facing the fourth industrial revolution and future challenges. Minister of International Trade and Industry II Ong Ka Chuan said local manufacturers including small and medium enterprises (SMEs) need to also be alert to technological changes by working closely with global partners to support and build the industry ecosystem. "We (Malaysia) only have a population of 30 million and cannot achieve the world-class technology overnight. "That is why we must cooperate with global players and learn technologies like three dimensions (3D) and 4D to keep the investments coming in," he told reporters after opening Rehau Malaysia's showroom and office here Thursday. Ong said free trade agreements (FTAs) like ASEAN and TPPA are important to ensure competitiveness and growth in all industries by allowing free movements of goods, services and investments. "For example, last year we signed an FTA with Turkey, and as at the first quarter of this year, our trade with them (Turkey) has surged significantly by 123 per cent," Ong said. Earlier in his speech, Ong said the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) in 2015 approved 224 regional and global establishment projects with estimated business spending of over US$1.95 billion (RM8 billion), and created 4,000 job opportunities. Rehau, a German-based company, is a polymer specialist founded in 1948, and an international leader in the construction and automotive industries with operations in over 170 locations worldwide and about 20,000 employees. On the opening of Rehau in Malaysia, Ong said local talents will be employed, reducing the dependency on cheap foreign labour, as the company is bringing their R&D and innovation technologies which require engineers and high-skilled workers. He also expressed hope that the expansion of Rehau's office in Malaysia would lead to the setting up of a Rehau manufacturing plant in the future. --BERNAMA