Successing Industry 4.0, Ministry of Industry Cooperates with South Korean Research Council

INDUSTRY.co.id - Seoul, the Indonesian Ministry of Industry and the National Research Council for Economic, Humanitarian and Social Sciences or the National Research Council for Economic, Humanities and Social Sciences (NRC) of South Korea have agreed to collaborate in the effort to implement the industrial revolution 4.0.

"This partnership is a sign that Indonesia and Korea have very close diplomatic relations and want to continue in order to jointly develop economic growth," Industry Minister Airlangga Hartarto said in Seoul on Monday (10/9) local time.

The agreement between the two parties was marked by the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Indonesian Minister of Industry Airlangga Hartarto and NRC Chairman Kyoung Ryung Seong. This moment was witnessed directly by Indonesian President Joko Widodo and South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

The Minister of Industry explained, the purpose of the MoU on the 4.0 industrial cooperation activities was to carry out joint research activities, exchange for education, network formation between experts and professionals in each country, and open cooperation project opportunities.

"So, we will build a systematic and mutually beneficial cooperation framework to support the development of industry 4.0 implementation. This memorandum is valid for five years after it is signed," he said.

Airlangga also emphasized that the Indonesian Government had launched the Roadmap Making Indonesia 4.0 as a national agenda and preparedness strategy to enter the fourth generation industrial revolution era. One of the priority programs is to build an innovation ecosystem.

"Innovation can be generated from research activities and technology utilization. With innovation, the competitiveness of national industries will be more competitive in the global arena," he explained.

Therefore, the Ministry of Industry continues to encourage the development of industrial innovation centers in the country, optimization of regulations and facilities for fiscal incentives, as well as establishing collaborations with various parties.

The previous collaboration between the Ministry of Industry and South Korea included cooperation with the Korea Industrial Technology Institute in 2006 and the South Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on industrial cooperation in 2017.

Airlangga believes that this year's collaboration can increase the capacity of the national manufacturing industry, especially for the five sectors that will become pioneers in the implementation of Making Indonesia 4.0.

The five sectors are the food and beverage industry, the textile and clothing industry, the automotive industry, the electronics industry and the chemical industry.

Indonesian President Jokowi at the 2018 Indonesia-Korea Business and Investment Forum conveyed that South Korean industry players who want to invest in Indonesia are expected to bring the latest technology, especially those related to the industrial revolution 4.0.

"Indonesia will move quickly in embracing the 4.0 industrial revolution technology," he said.