Assistance for aspiring SMEs
KUALA LUMPUR: Aspiring small and medium enterprises in
Malaysia will be supported via the Creative Product Development Programme, a
collaborative effort between the Malaysian Investment Development Authority
(Mida) and industry players PhisonTech
Electronics (M) Sdn Bhd, Pensonic Holdings
Bhd, Fusionwave
Fusionwave Creative Consultancy Sdn Bhd and EMTEC Inc.
The programme aims to tackle longstanding local industry
issues such as designers' lack of understanding of market trends and
capabilities; insufficient financial resources and expertise; an unreliable
supply chain and limited market access.
Upon the submission of a business proposal and a panel
screen, admission into the programme would entail support such as understanding
market trends, manufacturing, promotion and branding, as well as product
distribution.
“Designs,
particularly industrial products, are significant when it comes to brand image.
It is no surprise that companies that master the art of aesthetics are on top
of their game,” Mida chief executive officer Datuk Noharuddin Nordin said when announcing the programme at Mida headquarters
yesterday.
Mida has introduced tax incentives to endorse the design
services industry.
For instance,
registered enterprises that have recruited qualified Malaysian designers to
provide industrial design services meant for mass production are now eligible
for income tax exemption on 70% of their services for five years.
“To say that
our aim is to export our products to Taiwan would be stretching it because
frankly, I'm rather disappointed with our progress. We are lagging behind and
that's why we need to do this to develop not just engineers but the entire
supply chain,” PhisonTech Electronics Corp founder
Datuk K.S. Pua said.
“We are
thankful for Mida's strong support in overcoming local handicaps. Integration
is the only way to help our local industry progress.”
Research company IC Insights estimated the global digital
entertainment and lifestyle market in 2013 to be worth US$170bil (RM510bil),
and this is important because product and industrial design contributed to 30%
of the total development costs of digital products.
Noharuddin said there were over 35,000 creative entities
in Malaysia that were engaged in a broad range of design-related fields such as
multimedia, fashion and industrial design.
He urged these
fragmented communities to team up with industrial design engineers.
Source : The
Star
Date : 12 March
2013
Afternoon
Highlight (12/03//13/39/737)
No comments:
Post a Comment