Curtin engineering students learn more about Schneider Electric through industrial talks and virtual site visit

Miri – 8 June 2021 – As part of their ongoing studies online during the COVID-19 pandemic, mechanical engineering students of Curtin University Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia) recently attended two online industrial talks by engineering managers from Schneider Electric (Malaysia), a global specialist in energy management and automation with operations in more than 100 countries. Together with students and academic staff from other engineering disciplines, they also participated in a virtual site visit to Schneider Electric’s Singapore Innovation Hub.

The first industrial talk on ‘Machine and Factory Automation’ was delivered by Ng Wei Jie, Segment Lead for Water and Consumer Packaged Goods at Schneider Electric (Malaysia).

In his role as segment lead, Ng’s mission is to animate the segments, as well as own selected accounts as key account manager, for the total Schneider Electric portfolio. He is responsible for bringing innovative and future-proof solutions to help customers in their digital transformation journeys.

Holder of a bachelor’s degree in electrical and electronic engineering majoring in robotics from Universiti Tun Hussein Onn, Ng has more than 10 years’ experience in the field of industry automation. Prior to his current role, he held various positions in industry automation teams as an application engineer, application team lead and OEM sales manager. Thus, his career has spanned from providing technical expertise in machine and factory solutions to commercial implementation.

In his talk, Ng outlined the evolution of automation in Industry 4.0, from single machine automation to the design and development of full-scale smart factories. Using the example of an instant drink powder packaging machine, he explained the technical considerations of the production realisation process, as well as how various stakeholders are engaged to ensure the success of product delivery.

Ng also shared his career path with Schneider Electric, which was very inspiring and encouraging to the students.

The second talk on ‘Green Building Power Management’ was given by John Chin, Schneider Electric’s Offer and Operational Marketing Manager for Services Business.

Chin is an electrical and electronic graduate of Universiti Putra Malaysia majoring in power distribution who has been actively involved in designing low voltage distribution systems and green building solutions over the past 14 years.

In his current role, he is responsible in managing engineering offers and solutions, customer engagement, internal competencies and expertise upscaling, as well as digital spearheading. Chin’s expertise also includes troubleshooting for on-site installation and technical design queries, short circuit and power demand calculation, and protection scheme designs for robust and reliable distribution systems. Consequently, he works closely with end-users, consultants, contractors and panel builders.

Chin’s talk to the students focused on buildings of the future and the enablers of successful design and implementation of green building systems. He explained that buildings of the future must be sustainable, resilient, hyper-efficient and people-centric, and how these could be achieved through various strategies. He also shared the case study of how the 25-year-old Kallang Pulse building was converted into a green building.

The virtual visit to Schneider Electric’s Singapore Innovation Hub was perhaps the main highlight of the day. The award-winning building is one of the best dynamic examples of a smart, efficient and sustainable building, being powered completely by renewable energy during the day. It is the first large-scale innovation hub in Asia, showcasing over 5,000 connected products and receiving over 4,000 visitors yearly. It not only serves as an executive briefing centre destination, but also offers a co-innovation platform for small and medium enterprises (SME) and start-ups, as well as serves as the headquarters for Schneider Electric East Asia and Japan.

Ir. Dr. Lim Chye Ing, senior lecturer in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Curtin Malaysia’s Faculty of Engineering and Science, who is also chair of the Faculty’s Industrial and External Relations Committee, remarked that the students and academics gained a lot of valuable insights from the talks and site visit.

“We are honoured to learn more about automation and energy management from these two very knowledgeable and experienced industry experts from Schneider Electric, and also have the opportunity to visit the company’s Innovation Hub in Singapore. Schneider Electric is one of our strongest industry partners and is very supportive of engineering programmes,” she said.

Meanwhile, Dean of the Faculty, Professor Tuong-Thuy Vu, said the continued support of the Faculty of Engineering and Science’s many industry partners is crucial to the effective student learning at Curtin Malaysia.

“Industry exposure and engagement feature largely in the curriculum of our engineering programmes, as does work-integrated learning and internship opportunities. Good networking with industry players also helps when it comes to job placements for our graduates, and many of our engineering graduates end up working with reputable companies, both nationally and internationally,” he said.

Curtin Malaysia offers Curtin University’s four-year Bachelor of Engineering (Hons.) in Mechanical Engineering, a course that is highly directed towards developing fundamental knowledge and a generic skills-base necessary for a wide range of career opportunities in the engineering industry, management, and research and development.

The course has a well-maintained balance between theoretical skills and practical experience with up-to-date facilities for demonstrating concepts and their applications, and instruction is by highly-qualified teaching staff with both international academic experience and industry exposure. For more information on the course, visit courses.curtin.edu.my.

Wei Jie Ng, Schneider Electric Segment Lead for Water & Consumer Packaged Goods.

John Chin, Schneider Electric Offer & Operational Marketing Manager.

Schneider Electric’s Singapore Innovation Hub.

Schneider Electric a leader in collaboration with business and technology partners.