Malaysia to play key role in Hitachi regional business

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will play a pivotal role in helping Singapore-based Hitachi Asia Ltd achieve its target of increasing overseas revenue contribution to over 55 per cent to the Hitachi group.

Hitachi Asia (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd managing director, Chew Huat Seng, said this target was set under Hitachi Asia’s 2018 midterm management plan, focusing on Internet of Things (IoT) solutions.

Hitachi Asia Ltd is a subsidiary of Japan’s Hitachi, Ltd and is the regional headquarter for seven countries across Southeast Asia, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

“There are numerous solutions under IoT that Hitachi would be able to enhance everyday activities of Malaysians, from security, transportation, healthcare to little practicalities at home, that result in overall efficient comfort and convenience for users,” he told Bernama recently.

“The Southeast Asian region has been identified as a fast growing area of IoT adoption and smart city projects,” he said, adding that countries including Malaysia had introduced their own blueprint for IoT and its proliferation was expected to pick up pace especially in key sectors such as public infrastructure and services, manufacturing, automotive, transportation, and agriculture.

Chew said these array of specialty solutions could be shared and utilised to enable Malaysia to obtain a smooth transition towards Industry 4.0, which propagates the use of automation in manufacturing.

However, the readiness and acceptance in shifting systems could be challenging, he said, adding that some companies needed to only utilise existing systems to their full potential.

“We are confident Hitachi can contribute knowledge, experience and expertise towards the aspirations of Malaysia, particularly in smart manufacturing and financial technology,” said Chew. — Bernama