Khon Kaen University signs MOU with Department of Industrial Promotion for academic and research collaboration aiming to upgrade Thai SMEs
June 17, 2019 at 11:30 a.m. – Khon Kaen University represented by Assoc. Prof. Charnchai Panthongviriakul MD, acting President of Khon Kaen University and Prof. Dr. Supachai Patumnakul, Acting Vice President for Innovation and Enterprise signed an MOU for academic and research collaboration with Department of Industrial Promotion represented by Mr. Kobchai Sangsitthisawat, Director of the department, and Dr. Worawit Jirathitijaroen, Director of Industrial Promotion Center Region 5. The MOU is made to develop bodies of knowledge, promote innovations for enterprises and upgrade Thai industry toward Industry 4.0. The agreement also aims at developing creative industrial village. A number of officers, personnel, researchers join as witnesses at Sirikunakorn Rm 3, 2nd floor, Sirikunakorn Building.
Prof. Dr. Supachai Patumnakul, Acting Vice President for Innovation and Enterprise explained that Khon Kaen University and Department of Industrial Promotion have continuously carried out development projects together. The first successful project was: increasing the efficiency and products by technologies and smart innovation, tracking and checking machine operations. The next project was development of community enterprises and upgrading of Creative Industrial Village (CIV) of the Northeast, which is still ongoing.
“The collaboration between KKU and Department of Industrial Promotion in academic and innovation is aimed at developing bodies of knowledge and promoting innovations for enterprises in order to upgrade Thai industries towards Industry 4.0 (Industry Transformation) and development of Creative Industry Village (CIV).”
Assoc. Prof. Charnchai Panthongviriakul MD, acting President of Khon Kaen University said that Khon Kaen University is aware of the importance of academic, research, and innovations that will in turn lead to strengths of the industrial sector, enterprises at all levels. The development will lead towards Industry 4.0 that will increase potentiality and competitiveness at the international level.
Mr. Kobchai Sangsitthisawat, Director of Department of Industrial Promotion sees the importance of utilization of academic work, research outcomes and innovations that will help strengthen the industrial sector and enterprises. Industry 4.0 or Industry Transformation is now promoting Creative Industry Village (CIV) to develop and increase industrial potential so that we can compete at the international level. SMEs will be promoted by means of the 3-Stage Rocket Approach, which enables enterprises to use digital knowledge in industry (Digital Literacy for Industry). SMEs will be developed towards Industry 4.0 according to the Industry Transformation 4.0 model. Department of Industrial Promotion therefore joins Khon Kaen University to create the smart monitoring system that checks machine operations in enterprises (Machine Monitoring System) for the fiscal year 2018. The objectives are to develop production process, analysis of information from production machines and from laborers in the enterprise, increase competitive competence of SMEs, and to prepare the readiness of enterprises for efficiently applying technologies and automated system.
This MOU is signed owing to cooperation of different faculties and organizations that serve in academic, research, and innovations for creating work outcomes and have been accepted as useful for the industrial sector and can link to the international supply chain in the future.
