Cambodia and Japan officially launched the Cambodia-Japan Digitalised Manufacturing Centre (CJDM), on May 24. The facility aims to develop human resources for the Kingdom’s industrial sector, through modern machinery which produces spare parts for other machines.
“CJDM, located on the campus of the Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP), is equipped with three $3 million machines which were provided by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation,” RUPP rector Chet Chealy told The Post.
“In short, these machines are used to produce spare parts for other machines. We will use them to teach our students and train the employees of several private companies,” he said.
He explained that due to Covid-19, the university staff had been trained via a combination of online and face-to face classes. I addition, several staff members had been sent for further instruction in Germany and Japan.
“The importance is that we should not rely on human labour, but need to transition to the use of technology. Several Japanese companies like Minebea and Denso have invested in the Kingdom, and these machines will help to keep these companies operating smoothly,” he added.
Mey Kalyan, chairman of the CJDM, said Cambodia has experienced remarkable economic growth, and was one of the world’s fastest-growing economies. He described this progress as a testament to the determination, hard work, and resilience of the Cambodian people.
“However the journey towards development is long and requires more efforts to lift the living standards of the people. In particular, developing human capital in engineering and manufacturing, in the era of Industry 4.0, is crucial to upgrading Cambodia’s economic structure and creating sustainable growth,” he added.
“That’s where the CJDMC comes in. It was established to address the challenges, allowing the private sector, government, and academia to work hand in hand to achieve the common goal of developing Cambodia’s manufacturing industry. This approach extends beyond Cambodia to include Japan and ASEAN countries, and CJDM is poised to become an important hub for research and business among the people of Asia,” he concluded.
Japanese ambassador Atsushi Ueno said that to support the establishment of the CJDM, the government of Japan had provided grant assistance to the government of Cambodia for the procurement of state-of-the-art machine tools manufactured by DMG Mori and has supported DMG Mori’s development of educational programmes and training of instructors.
“The CJDM was established in December last year with the aim of serving as a base for developing advanced human resources for the industrial sector in Cambodia and serving as an ASEAN region R&D hub in the future,” he added.
Presiding over the ceremony, Hang Chuon Naron, Minister of Education, Youth and Sport, said the machines will play important an important role in building human resources for the Kingdom’s industrial sector.
