APO, iPlast sign MOU on digitisation in industry

The Asian Productivity Organisation (APO) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with iPlast 4.0 Pte. Ltd. (iPlast) to strengthen its technical support to member countries through demonstration projects on digitisation in industries.
The MoU was signed by APO secretary-general Dr Santhi Kanoktanaporn and iPlast Principal Anston Tan on February 25. Under the MoU, the APO will collaborate with iPlast in enabling manufacturers to be more productive by establishing pilot projects on digitisation in the manufacturing sectors of APO member countries.
Sharing the reasons for concluding the agreement, secretary-general Dr Santhi said that the APO was committed to catalysing industrial upgrading in member countries, especially in response to the Fourth Industrial Revolution. “The APO has been supporting its member countries to build awareness and construct strategies for Industry 4.0 by sharing knowledge, experiences, good practices, and tools," he said, adding that this collaboration will reinforce APO's capability to provide technical assistance to the member countries to turn the shared knowledge into practical actions and results. "This partnership will facilitate the piloting of projects on digitisation in factories and demonstrate the benefits brought by IT and Internet of Things technologies."
“With this collaboration, we look forward to sharing our Industry 4.0 ecosystem and expertise in smart manufacturing with APO member economies, working with each to formulate and launch enabling frameworks according to local needs,” said iPlast Principal Anston Tan.
The APO conducts demonstration projects in member countries to develop model organisations that showcase good practices of productivity improvement with the support of technical experts and national productivity organisations and the commitment of the recipients. Through capacity building, recording of improvement processes, and dissemination of the results, such demonstration projects share success stories that others can learn from so that they can undertake similar improvements.

APO, CIRDAP sign MoU to support agriculture and rural development projects

The Asian Productivity Organisation (APO) and Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific (CIRDAP) signed an agreement to facilitate bilateral cooperation and support collaborative research and capacity-building initiatives in the Asia-Pacific region. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) will facilitate productive relationships and exchanges in fields of common interest, including agriculture and rural development projects.
The agreement – which was signed after a bilateral meeting during the 59th Workshop Meeting of Heads of National Productivity Organisations in Yogyakarta – will enable the APO to support member countries in executing capacity-building programmes through CIRDAP as an implementation partner. The MoU follows joint initiatives by the two organisations under a similar agreement signed in 2016.
"We see value in working together and the common goal gives a strong reason for joining hands with CIRDAP," APO secretary-general Dr Santhi Kanoktanaporn said, sharing details of the agreement. "The MoU will help us optimise the resources for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through the agriculture transformation, future food, and rural development programmes that the APO is focusing on for more sustainable socioeconomic development across our 20 member countries," he added.
Highlighting the importance of the agreement, CIRDAP director general Tevita G Boseiwaqa Taginavulau commented that the two organisations had been collaborating over the past three years, particularly through international training programmes to help countries in the Asia-Pacific region meet their SDG1 objective of ending poverty in all its forms everywhere and SDG2 to eradicate hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture.
“We are proud to say that we have achieved common objectives through collaboration with the APO,” he said, adding that the partnership with the APO reaffirmed CIRDAP’s commitment to achieving SDG1 and SDG2. “We have certainly been governed by the spirit of SDG17 to strengthen the areas of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development."
The agreement was officially signed by APO secretary-general Dr Santhi and CIRDAP director general Tevita.
The APO is a regional intergovernmental organisation established in May 1961 committed to improving productivity in the Asia-Pacific region. It contributes to the sustainable socioeconomic development of the region through policy advisory services, acting as a think tank, and undertaking smart initiatives in the industry, agriculture, service, and public sectors. The APO is shaping the future of the region by assisting member economies in formulating national strategies for enhanced productivity and through a range of institutional capacity-building efforts, including research and centers of excellence in member countries.
Likewise, CIRDAP is a regional intergovernmental organisation established in July 1979 with the mandate to promote regional cooperation on agrarian reform, rural development, and poverty eradication. The Dhaka, Bangladesh-based center focuses on providing technical support and promoting innovative best practices for sustainable integrated rural development.