Zeiss expands with metrology competence centre in Malaysia

On 28 January 2014, ZEISS opened an Industrial Metrology Competence Centre in collaboration with the German-Malaysian Institute at the GMI campus in Kajang, Malaysia. The competence centre offers real time demonstration of engineering parts on Zeiss coordinate measuring machines, as well as a technical centre offering measurement services, programming solutions, application training courses and other customer-oriented events. The Competence Centre is now home to two Zeiss coordinate measuring machines – the CONTURA G2 and the ACCURA II.

The grand opening event was honoured by Manfred Bender, vice president of Sales, Europe & Asia Pacific, Zeiss Industrial Metrology Group; Ven Raman, managing director of Zeiss Group South East Asia; and Shaun Lim, regional division manager of Zeiss Southeast Asia, Industrial Metrology Group. The company expresses their gratitude and appreciation to customers, business partners and GMI representatives who were at the ceremony, and looks forward to better serve the Malaysian market with this latest facility addition. This expansion reaffirms the growth of Zeiss in Malaysia.

International Metalworking News for Asia (IMNA) attended the grand opening and was able to talk to Manfred Bender, Ven Raman and Ngan Cheng Hwa, deputy managing director (Education & Training). They shared the dynamics of opening a competence centre in Malaysia and its ongoing growth strategy to serve existing and new customers from a wider platform.

IMNA: Why did Zeiss decide to collaborate with Malaysian German Institute?

Ven Raman: GMI has opened a door for us and we felt the connection. Both parties share the same views and that is important in any business investment. We have been working with GMI for many years now and it’s a perfect timing coupled with their strong corporation level strategy. Zeiss is confident that GMI is a partner they can work well with in long term.

They both believe in the same philosophy from an industry standpoint of building the competence here. Together they share the same aspiration, enough to say that there is chemistry between them. GMI’s mission is to be one of the premier technical vocational learning institutions in Malaysia. For this to happen, a centre such as this one must be established. The need for exposure from the industry will help enhance and improve the curriculum so that students and members will be able to get all the relevant information concerning industrial metrology.

IMNA: Is there an abundance of highly-skilled workers in Malaysia?

Ngan Cheng Hwa: Statistically speaking, in 2007 we only have 25% of the highly skilled workforce in Malaysia. Then in 2012, there was only 28%. (A mere 3% increase). The Malaysian government has now set a target in 2015 to increase this figure to 33% and by 2020, Malaysia must have at least 50% of highly skilled manpower in the workforce. There is still a long way to go to achieve this goal. Also one of the reasons the partnership between GMI was set up is to assist the industry to generate more highly skilled manpower. GMI aim to generate highly skilled workforce to handle advanced machines.

Ven Ramen: On the other hand, Malaysia is no longer seen as a low-cost manufacturing site, unlike before when you can set up a factory here and acquire cheap labour. Malaysia can no longer compete with Indonesia and Vietnam in terms low labour costs. The country strive to a much higher level, and thus is the need for development programs to hone the skillsets of the people who are looking at working in this industry.

IMNA: Is your new location beneficial to the company’s business in Asia?

Ngan Cheng Hwa: On of our goals is to enable students and even employees of Zeiss in neighbouring countries, such as Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia etc. to have a choice and access to a learning/training facility with high international standards. Malaysia is strategic with regards to location, as well infrastructures that are quite advance. In terms of language skills, GMI’s medium of teaching is in English. Therefore, the basis to establish the competence centre here in Malaysia is there. It is now up to the partnership to use this as leverage.

IMNA: What is the main function of this new competence centre?

Manfred Bender: It’s more of a win-win situation. From our viewpoint, a chance to expose and familiarize the students in the industrial metrology using Zeiss equipment. GMI considers Zeiss as the leading company in this area of technology. They believe that the students will be trained by the best using cutting-edge technologies, which is consistent with GMI’s tagline: “Training for advance technology”. For the latest updates and advancement, Zeiss would be able to introduce such information through GMI directly or indirectly, while a GMI staff could also take advantage from it. In the same note, the industry could benefit through short courses conducted by GMI to introduce these updates and advancements to the members in the industry. i.e. “metrology day”. One of the many attractiveness of any investment is developing manpower. For Zeiss, although it’s a commercial entity, they also add a lot of value towards nation building with a view to take equal responsibility in the advancement of that country.