Approximately 21 Malaysian SME Industry players, who were in Cambodia on a four-day business exploratory visit called on the WorldBridge SME Cluster project last Friday to have a better understanding of the SME Cluster and Startup Hub which are centric on Industry 4.0 and ESG.
The WorldBridge SME Cluster project was conceptualised around Industry 4.0 thematics as well as a manufacturing cluster area that allows factory tenants to save up to 35 to 70 percent in operating costs by tapping into a pooled resource from logistics to digital platforms and specific vocational training programmes for factory tenants of the entire cluster.
On top of that, Platform Impact a firm which focuses on impact investments and start-ups helped wrap the venture with an ESG approach consisting of an ethical supply chain, manufacturing using green energy, assisting local tenant SMEs to access funding from impact investors and related aspects.
The Malaysian Delegation consisted primarily of businesses involved in food processing and frozen food sectors and found the site visit extremely helpful and had obtained a better understanding of what was available for them should they decide to venture into manufacturing in Cambodia to be used as a hub to export to more than 600 million Asean population.
The Cluster occupies about 23 hectares of land and is a modular concept bringing flexibility to expand for any given factory tenant if need be.
Currently, five factory modules have been built including main utility modules for the cluster core infrastructure requirements such as logistics, power and fire fighting.
Subsequent factory modules are to be built at a later stage. WorldBridge Industrial Development, a subsidiary of WorldBridge Group, is currently talking to a few potential tenants both local and overseas to sign up later part of this year to establish their start-up operations at the WorldBridge SME Cluster site.
Worldbridge i4.0 SME Clusters and their ACT5 Ecosystems are an innovative solution which meets these challenges and sets the stage for the next generation of manufacturing in Cambodia.
Using an SME friendly i4.0 Ecosystem of facilities, services and operating platforms, WorldBridge SME Clusters enable the barriers between Global Value Chains, FDI and Cambodia’s talented base of SMEs and Entrepreneurs to be removed and high-value opportunities created.
Tan Siau Chu, Managing Director of a Frozen Food firm said that the visit was enlightening as he was looking at what was available in the event he looked at expanding his business to Cambodia to be used as a hub to export to other Asean countries and beyond.
“We are looking at cold rooms and related facilities which are crucial to our business and I am satisfied with what I have seen at the WorldBridge SME Clusters and would like to express my appreciation as with that of the other delegates for the excellent briefing by the management of the project,” said Tan.
This article was first published in Khmer Times. All contents and images are copyright to their respective owners and sources.
