SHAH ALAM, Selangor, Dec 18 (Bernama) -- Panasonic Appliances Air-conditioning Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. (PAPAMY) and Universiti Malaya (UM) have agreed to establish cooperation by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for Academic-Industrial Collaboration. The MOU signing ceremony was witnessed by Mr. Ahmad Khairuddin Abdul Rahim, Deputy Chief Executive Officer II of the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA).
 
The signing of the MOU establishes a strong framework for strategic collaboration of Masters and PhD research projects, industrial training and job placements as well as research between UM’s professors, researchers and PAPAMY. The immediate scope of focus for this collaboration will be in the area of Industry 4.0 enhancement, particularly in the field of manufacturing and engineering excellence.
 
Mr. Ahmad Khairuddin commended on this partnership, saying “Panasonic’s presence in Malaysia is the prime example of how business and technology evolve as the Company has been continuously making necessary adjustments to reskill its talent and shift towards automation and robotics. While many companies are unwilling to spend for training during this turbulent time, PAPAMY has chosen to initiate an industry-academia collaboration with a reputable local university, UM that looks to elevate our workforce with relevant digital skills, resilience and agility to face the challenges posed by the uncertain economic climate.”
 
The Panasonic Group of Companies in Malaysia was first establishment in 1965. The Company has been continuously investing and contributing to the development of the Malaysian economy. Today, the Group continues to emphasise on human development based on the founder’s philosophy “People before Product”.
 
The Group’s subsidiary, PAPAMY was established in Malaysia in 1972. It continues to pursue targeted investments in its two facilities in Shah Alam, particularly in transforming its facilities into the Smart Factory concept, shifting away from more labour intensive manufacturing practices. Its facilities also include a regional R&D Centre to move up its business to undertake higher value-added and environmentally sustainable activities.

This MOU affirms the strong commitment of Panasonic towards transforming and empowering higher education through developing highly skilled knowledge and talents in line with Malaysia’s aspirations towards Industry 4.0.
 
The Panasonic Group will continue to seek opportunities for further collaborations with top educational institutions and government agencies to establish high-level talent development programmes among Malaysians, complementing its aim of “Global technology, Local talent”.
 
As Malaysia is moving into the Industry 4.0 era that demands an increasing need for a combination of technical know-how, critical thinking, problem-solving capabilities as well as soft skills, our workforce needs to be advanced in fields of Industry 4.0 technology drivers such as Internet of Things (IOT) to meet the industries’ needs. MIDA hopes that this MOU which taps upon the wealth of expertise at PAPAMY and UM will be instrumental in building a talent pool that is industry-ready and dynamic for the future.

Note to Editors
 
About MIDA
MIDA is the government's principal investment promotion and development agency under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) to oversee and drive investments into the manufacturing and services sectors in Malaysia. Headquartered in Kuala Lumpur Sentral, MIDA has 12 regional and 20 overseas offices. MIDA continues to be the strategic partner to businesses in seizing the opportunities arising from the technology revolution of this era. For more information, please visit www.mida.gov.my and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube channel.

About PAPAMY
PAPAMY is the largest air-conditioning manufacturer in APAC region for Panasonic Group supplying to more than 120 countries around the world.

SOURCE: Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA)

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Name: Ms. Azlina Hamdan
Director, Electrical and Electronics Division, MIDA
Tel: 03-2267 3791
Email: azlina@mida.gov.my

Name: Datuk Moktar Bin Mohd Salleh
Human Resource Director, PAPAMY
Phone: 03-58914124

--BERNAMA