RUPP leading the nation to its Industry 4.0 future

RUPP leading the nation to its Industry 4.0 future

The Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP) is clearing a direct path to the nation’s eventual embrace of the Fourth Industrial Revolution by offering a new online course entitled Digitalised Manufacturing for Industry 4.0. The initiative was undertaken in cooperation with DMG MORI, the Japanese-German manufacturer of computerised numerical control machine tools, advanced technologies and automation and digitalisation solutions, as well as with the support of the Japanese government. The course will commence next month at the RUPP Campus.

Chet Chealy, rector of the Royal University of Phnom Penh, said this initiative will assist RUPP to become stronger in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and will also contribute to the Kingdom’s economy. The rector added that although the programme is currently a seedling, it will branch out to grow larger and larger.

“The Fourth Industrial Revolution is in implementation around the world and we must move forward to adapt to this global change. We will not forget that the agriculture sector is our nation’s foundation, but we cannot ignore Industry 4.0,” said Chealy.

He added: “Although we cannot know how this will unfold, we have to start from somewhere. We will fix upon what we need and what we lack as we seek support from our partners, both locally and internationally.”

According to the syllabus, the training course will be implemented in two phases. Phase 1 will be conducted as an online course called ‘Digitalised Manufacturing for Industry 4.0’. All lectures will be delivered directly by professionals from DMG MORI Germany who have experience providing such courses around the world. At the end of the course, an exam will be carried out and a certificate will be provided. The recognition of the certificate by DMG MORI is a guarantee of a world-class quality education programme having been provided to our students and industries.

In Phase 2, learning will be conducted with real machines, so students can acquire both an all-round knowledge from theory and concepts and hands-on practical learning. This will set a high bar for the programme’s overall quality because it incorporates the integration of real industrial problems.

RUPP will select around 30 candidates to join the online course. Those interested can register online. They will be contacted for interviews if they are deemed qualified for the course.

Among the prerequisites for selection are having an ambition to be part of creating Cambodia’s future industry, a keen interest in machining, a passion for technology, the ability to read, write and speak English well, basic computer skills, a mechanical background (prioritised), good teamwork abilities and a strong work ethic.

The global rush to embrace the Fourth Industrial Revolution is based on countries around the world strongly believing it will transform their economies. Like earlier industrial revolutions, its impact will disrupt economic and social development by making the previous iteration of change obsolete as it loses what were its competitive advantages.

Cambodia remains far from achieving full readiness for Industry 4.0, but the government is embracing a vision to achieve just that via its 2030 and 2050 goals. This vision will be enabled through policies, development strategies and reforms including the Industrial Development Policy 2015-2025, the Economic Diversification Policy, the STEM Education Strategy and the promotion of research, development and innovation, according to Dr Kalyan Mey, chair of the board of RUPP and RUPP-DMC MORI Initiative founder.

He added that Industry 4.0 is the key to Cambodia achieving its long-term goal of becoming a high middle-income and developed country. Instead of relying on traditional manufacturing processes in which human labour is mainly used, the new wave of digitalised manufacturing will be supported by computers and robots.

He also added that the concept of Industry 4.0, the linking of digitalisation and manufacturing, has been understood in Cambodia for many years, saying, “Industry 4.0 is our dream, but how we can achieve it? This is the difficult task.”

“Our idea is that we want to do something practical that shows results so we can see its impact. We are building a foundation in science and technology and we hope there will more investment in light and heavy industry in Cambodia,” Kalyan noted.

He added that in order to push the country to lower-middle-income status, Cambodia has to improve the skills of its manufacturing sector. The main concern for the programme at the moment is the implementation of Phase 2, because RUPP doesn’t have the resources to build facilities, buy the needed machines and materials and fund the operation yet.

“Our team is working to secure the support we need from all generous partners towards this noble cause,” Kalyan said. He added the success of this project is important for Cambodian society as a whole because it will play a role in triggering the success of the university-industry-government cooperation model toward the realisation of Industry 4.0.

Kalyan added: “For now, the governments of Cambodia, Japan and Germany are considering assisting us. The UNDP [United Nations Development Programme] is also looking to join hands with us too. As for industry and the private sector, high-tech companies operating in the Phnom Penh Special Economic Zone (PPSEZ) such as Minebea and Denso are in contact with us and we will expand to other high-tech companies in the Kingdom as well.

“On the university side, we provide opportunities to all Cambodian students in our cluster, which includes RUPP, the Institute of Technology of Cambodia (ITC) and the National Polytechnic Institute of Cambodia (NPIC). We will expand to more universities if the demand justifies the cluster’s expansion.

“We expect that our graduates will be working at our high-tech collaborative companies over the short-term. In future, they will also play a key role in supporting other industries in the country in the shift towards the new revolution of smart digital manufacturing, which will upgrade the Kingdom’s manufacturing sector and eventually lift the nation’s economic structure as a whole.”

RUPP’s new Industry 4.0 programme was championed by Dr Kalyan Mey, chair of the board of RUPP and RUPP-DMC MORI Initiative founder, Dr Pheakdey Nguonphan, dean of the Faculty of Engineering of RUPP, Harald Neun, chief operating officer of DMG MORI Asia and Jun Arii, DMG MORI Asia general manager ASEAN Business Development.

DMG MORI is a leader in the manufacture of computerised numerical control machine tools, advanced technologies and automation and digitalisation solutions. With more than 160 years of experience in optimisation for perfection, DMG MORI has extended its know-how and skills to next generations through its subsidiary, DMG MORI Academy, which cooperates with 4,000 educational institutions worldwide. Khmer Times