KUKA GROUP POSITIVE MORE BUSINESSES WILL AUTOMATE, PLANS TO EXPAND OFFICE IN PENANG

PUCHONG, April 8 (Bernama) -- International automation group Kuka Robotics is positive about Malaysia's industrial sector as more businesses seek to raise efficiency and reduce costs by automating operations.

Chief sales officer (CSO) Erich Schober said the group plans to expand with the country’s economic growth.

"We have to be agile, lean, flexible and react to demand. 

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"We are here to understand our customers' needs and help them to be more productive and efficient as we are a product company that delivers not only products but also services," he told Bernama after the launch of its new office here today.

The new 25,000 square feet regional office is dedicated to sales and marketing, repair, testing, spare parts and training. 

Schober said the group is also investing 1 billion euros (RM5.12 = 1 euro) globally in the next five years on cutting-edge technology including infrastructure. It is also getting the right talent to support innovations. 

Meanwhile, Kuka's Asia Pacific excluding China (APeC) chief regional officer Alan Fam said the group aims to expand Kuka's operations in Penang with more sales and customer service centres within the next two years. 

He said the group is targeting the electronics, automotive, agriculture and consumer goods sectors to adopt robotic automation.

It has dealings with the glove industry, national carmaker Proton, Pentamaster Corp which produces semiconductors and Mattel which produces Hot Wheels toy cars in Penang. 

“The market landscape is evolving, and Kuka is also doing that by offering more automated solutions to customers.

"At the end of the day, we want to be the preferred choice in Malaysia's smart automation landscape including the small and medium enterprises (SMEs)," said Fam. 

Established in 1993 through a system partner, Kuka Robot Automation (M) Sdn Bhd (Kuka Malaysia) was incorporated in September 1999 and has since become the regional headquarters for the APeC region. 

It serves system integration partners and digital marketplaces. It distributes its products and services in Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, India, South Korea, Japan and Australia, with supporting services in software development and consultancy.

Malaysia's contribution, combined with Indonesia’s, is 8 million euros (about RM41 million) annually.

The Kuka group, established in 1898, is headquartered in Augsburg, Germany.

It has annual sales of 4 billion euros and over 15,000 employees spanning 100 locations in 50 countries. 

-- BERNAMA