GEORGE TOWN (Oct 2): Malaysia is still far from achieving its target of transforming 3,000 manufacturers into smart factories by 2030, with only 93 having successfully completed the transformation so far.
Deputy Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Sim Tze Tzin said 161 more manufacturers were currently in the process of transformation and were expected to do so by December 2026.
“Under our New Industrial Master Plan 2030, we want to achieve 3,000 smart factories, but unfortunately, our take-up rate is still very low.
“Only 93 have successfully transformed, and 161 on the way by December 2026. So we are still very far away from 3,000,” he told reporters after the launch of the Malaysia Smart Manufacturing Awards (MSMA) 2027 here on Friday.
He said the government was focusing on helping manufacturers that lacked the financial capacity and capabilities to adopt smart manufacturing technologies.
“Some companies can manage on their own. However, the government wants to help those struggling, which have no financial capacity and capabilities to transform,” he added.
Sim said the MSMA could help inspire more manufacturers to embrace automation and smart manufacturing inclusive of manufacturers across all sectors, including in semiconductors, machining, furniture and automotive, to take steps towards automation.
“We hope through MSMA, we will inspire and motivate more factories to achieve that, so that we can achieve 3,000.
“We also urge all manufacturers, from advanced semiconductor to machining, even furniture or automotive industry, whatever industry that is involved in manufacturing, to take a bold step to adopt automation,” he added.
The NIMP 2030 identifies the transformation of 3,000 smart factories as Mission-Based Project 2.1 under its mission to drive technology and digitalisation in the manufacturing sector.
Meanwhile, Sim said MSMA 2027 is to recognise those manufacturers who have taken a bold step towards smart manufacturing, whether it is process or automation.
“This is where the country should move forward; we need more factories to do smart manufacturing, automation; automate their process; even their audit recording and their processes must be automated as well," he added.
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