Mr. Chia Boon Huat - OPEN MIND Technologies

Mr. Chia Boon Huat
Managing Director
OPEN MIND Technologies Asia Pacific Pte Ltd

In Asia, the shortage of skilled labour, staff training and retention in many countries and it is most apparent in the precision metalworking industry. It is always an issue when employees move on from a company with their skills, operational know-how, knowledge and experience; it could also mean these skills are passed on to competing companies. OPEN MIND'S philosophy to achieve more than just automating processes - to allow a company's know-how and technical expertise be kept within the company database throughout its years of use. With the expertise stored in hyperMILL, information can be called up for use anytime, even after the programmer has moved on.

OPEN MIND sees China still the fastest growing with the largest consumption of machine tools worldwide. Although the cost of production in China is on the rise, it is still the factory of the world. Many other businesses with thin bottom line are looking to emerging countries like Vietnam, Indonesia, India, etc, where skilled labour is an issue.

For 2012 with the radar blipping on the emerging countries, OPEN MIND will be injecting more resources into the region, Vietnam, Indonesia and India, with the certainty that companies needs will grow. The demand for higher machining quality and product complexity will also follow and this is where OPEN MIND's strength lies - high value added machining CAM system.