THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF SIEMENS DIGITALIZATION EXPEDITION
KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY CHIEF MINISTER OF PENANG
AT THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF SIEMENS DIGITALIZATION EXPEDITION
30th NOVEMBER 2018
BALLROOM 1, LOWER GROUND LEVEL
SETIA S.P.I.C.E CONVENTION CENTRE, PENANG
Mr Indranil Lahiri
President & CEO of Siemens Malaysia Sdn. Bhd.
Puan Jariyah Hashim
Director, Business System, Northern Corridor Implementation Authority (NCIA)
Distinguished and honorable guests
Member of the media
Ladies and gentlemen
A very good afternoon to everyone. It is a great honor for me to be here today upon the invitation of Siemens Malaysia to officiate this very significant event themed as The Digitalization Expedition. Thank you for having me – and I am pleased to have the opportunity later to witness some of the advanced technologies and solutions that Siemens is already renowned for, to help businesses and organizations in Penang make the all-important digital transition.
This Siemens Digitalization Expedition, as I was made to understand, is a series of roadshows organized at different selected states in Malaysia to bring the concept and reality of digitalization and Industry 4.0 to the understanding and grasp of customers, government agencies, and all relevant stakeholders.
I’m happy and grateful to know that the Northern Region, in particular Penang is one of the selected states for this roadshow, where the companies and communities located here are the beneficiaries of this very timely topic. This is the time when Penang is heralding the transformative shift towards a digital economy through our various initiatives, and where technologies are already driving impacts across the different sectors and industries, be it in manufacturing, services, E&E, or even agriculture. With companies continue to move up the value-chain and evolving into more high-tech manufacturing and production activities, we are already experiencing the rise of digitalization and Industry 4.0 that have the capacity to generate desired outcomes like greater productivity and efficiency, increased flexibility, and lower cost.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Our productivity has to increase if we are to improve our competitiveness on the local and global front. The country’s workforce is made up of 20% of foreign labor, and Malaysia can continue to improve on our productivity level. The manufacturing sector contributes about 23% of the country’s GDP pie with an average growth rate of about 5%. If we are to become a major manufacturing hub and powerhouse, the projected growth needs to expand to between 8% and 10% annually, and this can only be achieved with the swift uptake and deployment of Industry 4.0 where integrated processing and automation, cloud systems, digital services and connectivity of hardware and software help create new leaps.
Earlier this August, I have announced the Penang2030 action plan with the goal of achieving a family-focused, green and smart state. One of the four initiatives under this plan is about ‘upgrading the economy to raise household incomes’, whereby local manufacturing factories are the target group of upgrade to ride the wave of this digital age. It would also involve cultivating an ecosystem that nurtures creative industries, which is why the Penang state government is looking to also grow universities and offer other forms of incentives to build up the workforce talent and resource.
On this note, the Prime Minister of Malaysia YAB Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has launched the National Industry 4wrd Policy in October that is the blueprint call for the manufacturing sector to move into Industry 4.0 and achieve enhanced competitiveness going forward. The expertise and credentials of Siemens with its multitude of solutions and competencies, reference projects and state-of-the-art technologies would be the perfect platform for companies and businesses to receive exposure and gain upskilling opportunities.
Additionally, the other initiative on ‘investing in the built environment to improve resilience’ would involve strengthening mobility, connectivity, digital infrastructure and integrating municipal services with smart technology in order to balance development. Sustainable growth and development is possible with digitalization, which creates value and efficiency not just for customers but the community at large, while increasing investment flow into the state through forward-looking technologies that uplift the industry.
This year, Malaysia has regained its place among the top 20 economies in the world with its latest 15th ranking in the World Bank Doing Business 2019 Report. We need to continually build and leverage on this improved status by reforming our ease of doing business framework, regulatory policies, and infrastructure network so that we remain a thriving hub for the high value-added sector involving technology and innovation-based activities. From mobility solutions to building technologies, and digital grid services to smart manufacturing, I’m pleased to note that Siemens has this complete portfolio as we look towards realizing Penang’s 2030 vision.
I would like to encourage everyone present here today to take the opportunity to check out the booths showcasing the various solutions and services that can meet your organizational needs. I was informed that there are counters for one-to-one advisory slots, coupled with assessment and analysis sessions on your digital maturity and the pain points that you can seek to directly address with the Siemens experts here. Hopefully after this, you will be inspired to adopt some of these technologies and contribute to making the state the most progressive in the country. Your digital journey is as much as it is ours too.
With this, I am pleased to officially launch the Siemens Digitalization Expedition for Northern Region and Penang!
Thank you.