On 4 October 2019, AMCHAM organized a networking session to kick-off the newly established Procurement Working Group under the Malaysian American Electronics Industry [MAEI] Committee.
This working group creates an excellent opportunity for procurement teams within the MAEI committee to connect and exchange best practices, trends and challenges within the procurement sector.
We thank Intel for kindly hosting this networking session and providing the goodie bags for the participants.
For more information about AMCHAM – MAEI Procurement Working Group, please kindly contact Elaine Wong, Government Relations Executive at [email protected]
KUALA LUMPUR, October 7, 2019 – Two Malaysian student entrepreneurs were among the top 3 teams at the recent 2019 FedEx Express/JA International Trade Challenge (FedEx/JA ITC) Asia Pacific Finals in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This year, three finalist teams from Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore and Vietnam presented market entry strategy plans for a medical device product in Germany. The three teams – Team Prost, Team Pioneers and Team Rife beat 27 other teams from across the region with their remarkable inventions.
Team Prost comprised of Noelle Pang from Hong Kong and Kenneth Tee from Singapore – were crowned winners earning the No. 1 spot in the Grand Finals. The team introduced the ‘Prost Watch’ to tackle health issues caused by alcohol consumption in Germany and promote safer drinking. The Prost Watch uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to monitor and regulate alcohol consumption, with the goal of improving long-term health by avoiding liver and chronic health diseases.
“We are so excited we won this competition, especially given the amazing business proposals put together by the other talented teams,” said Noelle Pang of Hong Kong and Kenneth Tee of Singapore. “This challenge has been an incredible learning experience. With the skills and tools we learned, we feel ready to take on the business world with confidence and pursue our dreams of becoming leading global entrepreneurs.”
Team Pioneers – made up of Shamita Sheetal from Malaysia and Trang Hoang from Vietnam – came second with their idea of ‘The Cardiator’ which is designed to curb cardiovascular diseases by detecting elevated cardiac enzymes 5 to 6 hours before a potential heart attack.
Team Rife – made up of Nydia Lee from Hong Kong and Shveenita Alyza Kanapathy from Malaysia – came third with their idea of ‘Eartaps’ which is a convenient hearing aid equipped with auto-sensation, automatically changing its settings to adapt to the varying noise level of surroundings in real time, designed for the elderly.
“FedEx is committed to connecting people and businesses around the world,” said Karen Reddington, president, Asia Pacific, FedEx Express. “We are pleased that FedEx is part of the FedEx/JA International Trade Challenge program that cultivates youth entrepreneurship and empowers our business leaders of tomorrow. We hope to inspire young entrepreneurs to think big – to think globally. A brilliant business idea may start small, but with a global network, the possibilities are endless.”
“This is an exciting milestone for our young entrepreneurs from around the Asia Pacific region,” said Vivian Lau, President and CEO of JA Asia Pacific. “FedEx/JA ITC has provided these young entrepreneurs not only with the necessary business knowledge and real-life skills but also the global connectedness to unleash infinite opportunities and pursue life-long dreams.”
The FedEx/JA ITC program is jointly organized by FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) and the world’s largest express transportation company, and JA Asia Pacific, a member of JA Worldwide. To date, the FedEx/JA ITC has inspired and benefitted more than 22,800 young people across the region, allowing them to learn more about entrepreneurship and introduce them to the world of business, economics and international trade through classroom learning and practical teamwork exercises.
Now in its 13th year, the program has grown considerably: just 295 students from three markets took part in the 2007 program. This year, more than 2,716 students from 10 markets took part.
About FedEx Express/JA International Trade Challenge Asia Pacific (FedEx/JA ITC)
Designed to foster business knowledge through practical teamwork exercises and classroom learning, the FedEx/JA ITC program comprises two key activities – the International Trade Workshops and the International Trade Challenge. To take part in the FedEx/JA ITC, students in teams of two have to develop a specific product or service and create an original international market entry strategy for a designated country. Through this process, students gain first-hand experience of what roles world trade, product distribution and sales play in a market environment. In addition to teamwork, participating students learn the basics of risk evaluation in the business world and gain confidence in their analytical ability.
In the morning of 4 October, AMCHAM arranged a briefing session with The Malaysia Expatriate Talent Service Centre (MYXpats) on the topic of facilitation of expatriates in Malaysia, held at National Instruments Office.
Attendees were able to obtain updates on Expatriate Services Division (ESD), Employment Pass (EP), Professional Visit Pass (PVP) and Residence Pass-Talent (RP-T) and other current issues related to facilitating expatriates in Malaysia. Attendees were also able to give feedback on the services by ESD and MYXpats and suggest further improvements for the ESD online system.
Special thanks to Siva Kumeren, Deputy CEO of Talent Corporation Malaysia Berhad for an insightful session, and National Instruments for hosting us.
On 3 October at E&O Hotel Penang, the American Malaysian Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) organized its annual conference – the 2019 edition of the Penang Dialogue. Penang and Malaysia’s northern regions have high potential to benefit from shifts in the global supply chain by leveraging strong existing ecosystems of SMEs in the manufacturing and service industries and by boldly embracing the opportunities offered by disruptive digital technologies.
AMCHAM’s flagship program brought together senior leaders from AMCHAM’s member companies with key stakeholders from the federal and local governments to discuss core themes related to doing business in Penang and Malaysia’s Northern Region. This year’s program included on-the-ground insights from leading U.S. companies about how the U.S.-China trade negotiations have been impacting their Malaysian operations, and thematic discussions around data sharing, collaboration and trust, as well as talent development, and organizational design.
VIP Guest Y.A.B. Tuan Chow Kon Yeow, Chief Minister of Penang, emphasized the major contributions that American companies make to the state’s economic prosperity. During the first half of 2019, U.S. companies contributed 73% of Penang’s total FDI, including notable reinvestments from Jabil, Plexus and Intel and the entrance of new investors Micron Technology and Advanced Energy Industries. “Without a doubt, the reinvestments from the US companies are evidence of Penang’s strong competitive edge in meeting investors’ stringent requirements in the areas of high skilled talents, robust supply chain, infrastructure and government support”.
The Honorable Kamala Shirin Lakhdhir, U.S. Ambassador to Malaysia, emphasized “Penang is a constantly-evolving state that has adapted adroitly to emerging technologies. The United States is proud to have played an important role in Penang’s development, with several U.S. firms helping pioneer Malaysia’s E&E sector since the early 1970s. Today, U.S. businesses make a difference in Malaysia through job creation and tax generation and through generous corporate social responsibility programs. As Malaysia prepares for Industry 4.0 and seeks to further connect manufacturing into the digital economy, U.S. companies are prepared to again partner with Malaysia for the country’s next industrial revolution. We have done it before, and we can do it again!”
Siobhan Das, Executive Director of AMCHAM, commented: “Any contemporary discussion of Penang’s development prospects must inevitably address the ongoing U.S.-China trade tensions, though through today’s program we have sought to highlight how this is only one aspect of a rapidly shifting strategic landscape. Both geopolitical and technological changes require businesses to rethink and realign the ways that they organize their supply chain, deploy investments, leverage technologies and introduce new skills as well and management designs into their workforce.
Bringing our members together to discuss these key themes with decision-makers from the state government helps us to collectively identify the best way forward towards Penang’s and increasingly the Northern Corridor’s next growth chapter”.
