Choi Wonyoung, director-general of the Global Growth Policy Bureau at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, on Dec. 2 delivers a congratulatory speech at the opening ceremony of a smart factory training center at Binus University in the Indonesian city of Bekasi. (Ministry of SMEs and Startups)

By Charles Audouin

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups will share the nation's expertise in smart factory technology with Indonesia and occupational safety with Cambodia.

The ministry on Dec. 2 said it held the opening ceremony for a smart factory training center at Binus University in the Indonesian city of Bekasi in cooperation with Innobiz, a non-profit association for supporting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Korea.  

As the first of its kind in Indonesia, the center has a lecture facility for theoretical education and a practice room for trainees to experience the process of building and running a smart factory, like devising production and shipping plans and automating productivity and quality control. 

The curriculum teaches understanding of technical solutions for smart factories including Korean case studies and planning to set up such plants.

A permanent exhibition space will allow companies that participated in the smart factory project to display their solutions. 

Since last year, Seoul and Jakarta have conducted a joint project in the form of official development assistance to support process improvement, equipment advancement and specialized training of human resources at SME sites in Indonesia.

Trainees on Nov. 29 inspect a machine installed at a newly opened training center for occupational safety and health in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. (Ministry of Employment and Labor)

Earlier on Nov. 29, the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) opened an education and training center for occupational safety and health in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

With a floor area of 1,600 square m, the venue has nine types of facilities and equipment to demonstrate construction safety and 70 types of devices for training in hazardous machinery and equipment in machinery, chemical engineering, electricity and health.

The ministry, KOSHA, and the Cambodian Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training injected a combined KRW 3 billion to build the center.

Starting with the center, the Cambodian government will actively run education on occupational safety and health. 

The Korean ministry also plans to collaborate with the Phnom Penh center to jointly offer occupational safety and health education for Cambodian workers with employment visas before they enter Korea.

caudouin@korea.kr