MTDC sets up ‘Centre of 9 Pillars’ to help Sabah companies adapt to IR 4.0 technology
KOTA KINABALU, March 21 (Bernama) — Malaysian Technology Development Corporation (MTDC) plans to set up a ‘Centre of 9 Pillars’ (Co9P) in Sabah to help local companies adapt to the Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR 4.0) technology.
MTDC chief executive ocer Datuk Norhalim Yunus said the effort to establish a Co9P hub in Kota Kinabalu was expected to be implemented by the end of the second quarter of this year in a hybrid manner and would be a network to Co9P in other states such as Sarawak, Kuala Lumpur and Johor.
“We want to develop a network that allows all Co9Ps to work together and when there is a Co9P here (Kota Kinabalu), entrepreneurs in Sabah can work together either online or, if necessary, can come to other Co9Ps depending on the technology they need.
“To create Co9P does not require large buildings and areas, the important thing is we need entrepreneurs who are interested in working together… that is most important because it will be run by the company itself based on their own capital,” he told reporters in conjunction with the launch of the Road2Growth programme here today.
The Road2Growth programme starting today until September will be conducted in six cities nationwide and the next programme will be held in Kuching, Sarawak with an emphasis on IR 4.0 and digitalisation including helping micro, small and medium enterprises explore business technology development through collaboration with MTDC ecosystem member technology company.
Norhalim said currently MTDC was working with Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) and hoped the collaboration would be continued to create Co9P at the university apart from having cooperation with Kota Kinabalu Polytechnic and several technology groups in the state.
In the meantime, Norhalim said the involvement of small and medium industry (SMI) entrepreneurs in IR 4.0 is still far off and MTDC’s role is to introduce technology that can boost their income but at the same time help from various business angles.
“Therefore, in today’s programme there is a class on business capital that gives tips so that the technology used has a nancial return to the company,” he said. He has also introduced a company that has now successfully established cooperation with Japan, namely Syarikat Akar Indah Engineering Sdn Bhd, which is a member of the MTDC ecosystem company.
Akar Indah Engineering branch manager Nurul Hidayah Rahmat said the company had collaborated with experts in Japan a few years ago to share skills and technology from Japan.
The company also has strategic partners with other companies to develop technology to help SMEs by training local entrepreneurs to use IR 4.0 technology and is now focusing on introducing ‘retrotting machine’ technology to SMEs in Sabah.
She said through the technology, the existing machines will be modied and improved according to the more advanced IR 4.0 features, including monitors via smartphones and computers.
“This helps SMEs to optimise their businesses, using human resources and technology at the same time to achieve better income,” she said.
— BERNAMA
