ADGSOM1 & ADGMIN1  
       
  LAUNCH OF THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION OF RUKUN NEGARA  
       
  KL SUMMIT 2019  
       
  HAWANA 2018  
       
  AES 2016  
       

 
 
 

March 29, 2024 -Friday

 
  SUPPLY CHAIN CONFERENCE FOR SOUTHERN REGION "MNCS & SMES - DEVELOPMENT & OPPORTUNITIES" OPENING REMARKS BY YBHG. DATUK N. RAJENDRAN DEPUTY CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER II OF MIDA 17 AUGUST 2017 THISTLE HOTEL, JOHOR BAHRU

Thursday 17/08/2017



Acknowledgements
 
Yang Berbahagia Prof  Datuk Ismail Ibrahim
Chief Executive of Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA)
 
Members of the Media
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
 
A very good morning. Welcome to the Supply Chain Conference for the Southern Region. I am delighted by the turn-out today. I was informed that there are more than 400 participants taking part in this conference. We are indeed very fortunate to have Yang Berbahagia Prof Datuk Ismail Ibrahim to represent Chief Minister of Johor in gracing this event.
 
I would also like to take this opportunity to commend Johor Corporation and IRDA, for their tireless efforts in complementing MIDA in promoting sustainable business growth in Johor. The investor-friendly approach adopted by the State Government and agencies have successfully transformed Johor to be among the most attractive investment destinations in Malaysia having a broader spectrum of industrial sectors among the states in this region.
 
Johor is among the top recipients of investments in the manufacturing sector. As at 2016, a total of 4,464 projects with investments valued at RM145.2 billion have been implemented in the state. More than 500,000 locals have benefitted from these projects through employment.
 
The state continued to sustain its position, in 2016, as Johor emerged as the largest recipient of approved manufacturing projects last year with 165 projects worth RM26.4 billion. These projects are poised to generate more than 8,500 job opportunities for Malaysians.
 
As such, MIDA is pleased to host our regional supply chain conference for this year, in this state. This supply chain series was kick started with the national level conference held last year in December at the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI). Following the successful outcome of the event, MIDA brought this supply chain conference to the various regions in Malaysia, focusing on the respective state’s economic strengths. For this year, we started with Pahang, then Penang and will move to Sarawak after Johor.
 
Today’s conference will feature a panel discussion that will be moderated by Mr. Prakash Nagarajan, Vice President, Business Eco-system of Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA) with key speakers from the Johor Petroleum Development Corporation Berhad (JPDC), Hershey Malaysia, Lotte Chemical Titan and Muar Furniture Association. On top of that, we have also lined up business matching sessions later this afternoon with the involvement of more than 20 MNCs such as Pokka, BASF, Altech Chemicals, Ciba Vision, JVC and Biocon.
 
We trust that this platform will further promote sustainable business linkages towards stimulating the growth of supply chains between the MNCs and SMEs in Malaysia. We also hope that this initiative will open the right doors for you to form mutually beneficial strategic partnerships.
 
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Being Malaysia’s principal investment promotion agency, with an excellent track record of 50 years in bringing more than 5,000 multinational companies (MNCs) into the country, MIDA is well positioned to make meaningful connections between these MNCs and SMEs.
 
Various mega projects such as Forest City, High Speed Rail, Pengerang Integrated Petroleum Complex and the Malacca Gateway are opening up much opportunity for SMEs to be integrated into the supply chain of these projects.
 
We want to create opportunities for SMEs to access the global market. We are encouraging more MNCs, particularly those undertaking large manufacturing projects, to further utilise local products and services.
 
Ladies and Gentlemen,
 
Given the on-going technological development in the country today, SMEs are required to raise efficiency levels, strengthen inter-firm linkages and respond timely to market changes to remain competitive. The time to strike is now!
 
As many of you are aware, Industry 4.0 is the hottest buzzword around. Our local companies, particularly those in the labour intensive industries such as the furniture industry, can reap much benefit by embracing the new technologies, including smart manufacturing, robotics and the internet of things (IoT). The migration to the next level could significantly reduce dependency on foreign labour and increase production volume.
 
In recognising the challenges of transitioning towards this phase, the Government is aggressively undertaking various efforts to assist industry players in the adoption of smart manufacturing in Malaysia. This includes drafting a National Policy on Industry 4.0 that will be tabled to the Cabinet in the fourth quarter of 2017, establishing a National Industry 4.0 Taskforce to spearhead the government’s policy and strategy in this area, and conducting an industrial study focusing on Future of Manufacturing ‘Industry 3+2 sectors’ that is led by MIDA.
 
Under the Budget 2015, the Automation Capital Allowance was introduced to encourage automation adoption in the manufacturing sector. The initiative provides automation capital allowance of 200% for high labour intensive industries like rubber products, plastics, wood, furniture and textiles. For this scheme, MIDA approved 32 applications in 2016.
 
In line with the Ministry of Finance’s announcement to introduce specific incentives in relation to Industry 4.0 for this year’s Budget, MIDA is currently identifying suitable incentives to assist companies in their technological transformation journey.
 
Ladies and Gentlemen,
 
We would like to encourage the industry players present today to leverage on this event and explore opportunities to not only participate in these companies’ supply chain, but to also emulate their best practices, particularly in embracing Industry 4.0 technologies.
 
Do take advantage of the Business Matching Sessions held later in the afternoon to gather more insights and explore various areas of collaborations.
 
MIDA together with MITI and agencies will continue to work closely with the state government and authorities to create a more conducive business environment to stimulate vibrant entrepreneurial activities, including the expansion and diversification of existing firms and the creation of new firms in potential areas of growth. Please feel free to approach any of our officers should you have any further enquiries.
 
On that note, I wish you all a productive session ahead.
 
Thank you.

Source : Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA)

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Name : Jhaiyasree Walaidam 
Corporate Communications Division  
Tel : 603 2267 6765 
Fax : Fax: 603 2260 1641
Email : jhaiyasree@mida.gov.my 

--BERNAMA

 

 
 
 

Copyright © 2024 MREM . All rights reserved.