SOFTWARE company Siemens Digital Industries Software (SDISW) has undergone an expansion to incorporate a South East Asian Technical Competency Hub at its factory in Bayan Lepas.
SDISW South East Asia vice-president and managing director Alex Teo said 1,400sq m hub would serve as a platform for Siemens to help companies and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) begin their digitalisation journey to meet the needs of the ‘new’ economy.
“We will continue to work closely with the Government to nurture talents and technical capabilities.”
He said that the company has 70 highly-skilled staff.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the facility would house the latest smart manufacturing innovations.
“I was told that the company had chosen to expand their Penang plant due to the availability of talents.
“Our talents are equipped with both technical and language skills. Therefore, SDISW has chosen to deepen its roots in Penang, similarly to other companies.
“Penang is one of the key manufacturing hubs in the region where it houses about 350 multi-national companies (MNCs) with a strong base of more than 3,000 manufacturing-related SMEs.
“In the first quarter of 2019, Penang has attracted RM8.5 billion of manufacturing Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and is expected to create 10,000 new jobs in the state.
“I hope that the local SMEs will proactively move in tandem with the MNCs in adopting Industry 4.0 elements in their operations,” Chow said in his speech during the grand opening ceremony of the South East Asian Technical Competency Hub in Bayan Lepas today.
Also present was state Domestic and International Trade, Consumer Affairs and Entrepreneur Development Committee chairman Datuk Abdul Halim Hussain.
Story by K. Thaarshenii
Pix by Noor Siti Nabilah Noorazis
Video by Ahmad Adil Muhamad