ABB Electrification has opened its doors to virtual factory tours to expose students and undergraduates to real STEM workplaces, primarily in Malaysia’s rapidly changing manufacturing sector. The virtual tours are intended at allowing students the opportunity to learn and take a closer look at ABB’s assembly process for low and medium voltage switchgear.
The first group of students to participate in the virtual tour comprised approximately 70 undergraduates from Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation’s School of Engineering. As part of the program, students were briefed on ABB’s history, pioneering technologies, and complete business portfolio before viewing ABB’s factory operations from the comfort of their homes.
“The virtual tour allows students to peek into our world and to understand ABB’s state-of-the-art switchgear technology which improves safety, reliability and energy efficiency. We also want to impress upon students our purpose and values as a global company with a long history in Malaysia,” said Ahmed Abdel-Naby, Operations Manager, Distribution Solutions, ABB Malaysia Sdn Bhd.
“At ABB, we hope students make the most out of the virtual tour by understanding exciting career prospects in STEM and technologies which are driving advances across industries, cities, infrastructure, transportation and beyond,” he added.
“The virtual factory tour was an eye-opener for our students. Experienced ABB Electrification personnel provided valuable insights while sharing live video feed from the factory and responding to questions from students in real time,” said Ir Ts Dr Lau Chee Yong, Senior Lecturer, School of Engineering, Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation.
“Such virtual factory tours have helped us reduce the hassle of logistics and transport while ensuring the safety of students. This definitely is going to be a new trend in industry visits moving forward,” he continued.
“Wherever you look, classroom learning has gone online. By working with universities to enrich the learning experience of undergraduates, we hope to excite and inspire the country’s talent pool to contribute towards Malaysia’s innovation ecosystem,” concluded Lalita Sari, Country HR Manager, ABB Malaysia Sdn Bhd.
