The Star Malaysia - StarBiz

Govt open to third national car proposals from German carmakers

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KUALA LUMPUR: The government is opening its door to German automakers to participat­e in the third national car project, says the Internatio­nal Trade and Industry Ministry.

Deputy Minister Dr Ong Kian Ming said there were a lot of German car companies which had been very successful in assembling completely knocked-down (CKD) vehicles with a lot of local content.

“If the German (auto) companies are interested to explore opportunit­ies in the third national car project, we are willing and open to their proposals,” he told reporters after the exchange of a memorandum of understand­ing (MoU) on the Malaysia-Germany Strategic Collaborat­ion and the soft launch of the East Coast Economic Region's (ECER) Asia Centre of Excellence for Smart Technologi­es (ACES) here yesterday.

On whether any proposals have been received from these automakers, Ong said an announceme­nt would be made in the future.

German Ambassador to Malaysia Nikolaus Graf Lambsdorff said German car brands were already a familiar sight to Malaysian consumers.

“Four German carmakers wish to expand their business and increase their production in Malaysia. They are very active here, looking not only at the Malaysian market but also at neighbouri­ng countries,” he said.

However, Lambsdorff said to date, there were no official proposals or enquiries of interest from these carmakers to participat­e in the third national car project.

Meanwhile, East Coast Economic Region Developmen­t Council (ECERDC) chief executive officer Datuk Seri Jebasingam Issace John said the RM12mil ACES was scheduled to begin operations in early January next year.

“ACES is a joint-venture initiative between ECERDC and Germany's TUM Internatio­nal GmbH to provide Industry 4.0 certificat­ion, advisory, consulting and training services on smart technologi­es and practices in Malaysia and South-East Asia.

“It will also drive efforts to upskill the local talent pool to be ready for jobs of the future, particular­ly in Industry 4.0-related careers in digital and automation,” he said.

Ong said that the centre, serving as a neutral platform to connect various government agencies, industry players and institutes of higher learning, boded well for the national goal of enabling the needed ecosystem for industries to adopt Industry 4.0.

“At the same time, this initiative will equip the local talent pool in ECER with the resources to upgrade their skills and move up the value chain by learning from Germany's industry-leading expertise and experience,” he added.

ACES also exchanged MoUs with IJM Corporatio­n Bhd, MCKIP Sdn Bhd, Kuantan Port Consortium, Universiti Malaysia Pahang and Siemens Malaysia to support Industry 4.0 initiative­s and the upskilling of local graduates.

 ??  ?? Dr Ong: An announceme­nt would be made
Dr Ong: An announceme­nt would be made

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