FMM Partners Four Universities To Drive Shift From OEM To OBM

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 26 (Bernama) — The Federation of Malaysian Manufacturing (FMM) has signed memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with four universities to encourage local manufacturers to transition from original equipment manufacturers (OEM) to original brand manufacturers (OBM).

FMM president Jacob Lee Chor Kok said it is crucial for Malaysian manufacturers to move up the value chain through the adoption of smart manufacturing and advanced engineering capabilities.

“We signed MoUs with UCSI University, Monash University Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia and Sunway University today as part of efforts to strengthen academic-industry collaboration so that we can compete through technology and innovation, rather than relying solely on low-priced products,” he told reporters after the signing ceremony today.

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Also present was Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong.

Lee said FMM had previously signed MoUs with six other universities and, with the addition of the four institutions, the academia-industry partnership would help build a stronger research, development and innovation (R&D&I) ecosystem in Malaysia.

“We foresee more collaboration with universities. From FMM’s standpoint, we will work together with them to explore ways to integrate industry needs into academic curricula.

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“We also aim to bring university students, including lecturers and professors, into the industries so that our education system becomes more industry-driven,” he said.

-- BERNAMA