KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 12): The Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) and Collaborative Research in Engineering and Science and Technology Centre (CREST) inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with France’s Dassault Systèmes Pte Ltd to prepare small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to adopt Industry 4.0 machinations.

The partnership aims to create a steering committee to discuss the scope, requirements, roles and plans in supporting Malaysia’s SMEs in their journey to Industry 4.0. Furthermore, the partnership will also enhance cloud-based collaborations through the adoption of enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions.

The ERP solutions will leverage on Dassault Systèmes virtual twin technologies via the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. This will be done through its computer-aided design software and product lifecycle management solutions.

“Through the use of Dassault’s solutions, which also runs on Microsoft Azure, SMEs can accelerate their new product introduction process and bring more products to market with the same resources available. Additionally, they are able to accelerate supplier collaboration and ensure faster delivery of their products to customers,” says Jaffri Ibrahim, CEO of CREST.

“The ERP solutions provided by Dassault Systèmes will also assist companies through a single collaborative platform, connecting the entire design to the manufacturing process. Hence, the new system is anticipated to replace multiple independent systems in the companies, including materials requirement planning, real-time planning, asset management, preventative maintenance, and more,” says Datuk Wira Arham Abdul Rahman, CEO of MIDA.

The intent behind the partnership is to develop a programme to enhance the efficiency and operations of SMEs in Malaysia with ERP solutions, to integrate business practices and solutions.

The partnership will further tap on the collective experience of the parties to help local businesses via a three-pronged approach. These include enabling Industry 4.0 readiness, providing access to the global marketplace and adopting true cloud-based collaboration.

“Industry 4.0 is key to Malaysia’s progress and will continue to play an instrumental role in steering the nation towards a post-Covid recovery, and in building a more resilient and sustainable economy. As the country embarks on its digitalisation journey, more effort is needed for our SMEs to ensure that they keep abreast with current trends and technologies, to stay competitive in the future,” said Jaffri.