KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) and Collaborative Research in Engineering and Science and Technology Centre (CREST) have partnered with Dassault Systèmes Singapore Pte Ltd to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in their transformation journey to Industry 4.0.
MIDA and CREST inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Dassault Systèmes Singapore to create a steering committee to discuss the scope, requirements, roles and plans for supporting Malaysia's SMEs in enhancing cloud-based collaboration through adopting world-class Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions.
MIDA chief executive officer (CEO) Datuk Wira Arham Abdul Rahman said this timely initiative aims to elevate local SMEs and equip them with the latest technology to enhance their business efficiency through adopting the latest ERP solutions.
"We take great pride in MIDA's involvement in this initiative to empower Malaysian firms and SMEs to fortify their technical capabilities and embrace modern technology, thus enabling them to progress and flourish.
"This day marks the momentous occasion of the government's drive to propel industry players, especially domestic players and SMEs, to embrace the new technology and realise its potential by taking on the technological solutions of ERP," he said in a statement today.
The ERP solutions will leverage Dassault Systèmes' virtual twin technologies via its 3DEXPERIENCE platform, specifically in its computer-aided design software and product lifecycle management (PLM) solutions, which are used in various industries, including manufacturing, engineering and life sciences.
CREST CEO Jaffri Ibrahim said the MoU aims to provide a platform for Malaysian businesses to thrive in a post-pandemic competitive business environment.
"We constantly seek opportunities to collaborate with the Malaysian government, industry leaders and academia to advance scientific knowledge in the country.
"In turn, we aim to strengthen homegrown innovation and research while we help local businesses navigate their challenges and opportunities in the new normal.
Dassault Systèmes managing director Asia Pacific South Josephine Ong said the company have worked with many successful businesses across the globe to build connected ecosystems that allow them to tap into data to create actionable insights and be competitive and efficient in the digital economy.
"With enhanced connectivity, Malaysian SMEs can benefit from data-driven decision-making, build closer relationships with customers and partners, and continuously improve their operations and processes as they compete in the global business arena," she said.
As the manufacturing sector is undergoing a significant transformation with a push to adopt and adapt value-added processes and digitalisation, this partnership will tap into the collective expertise of the parties to help local businesses via a three-pronged approach, namely enabling Industry 4.0 readiness, providing access to the global marketplace and adopting true cloud-based collaboration.
The intent is to develop a programme to enhance the efficiency and operations of SMEs in Malaysia with modern ERP solutions aimed at integrating business processes and applications.