Prof. Dr. Abu Talib Othman delivering his welcoming speech.

Prof. Emeritus Dr. Raj Balendra conveying his lecture on “The Performance of the Metal-based Manufacturing Sector in Malaysia”.

UniKL Institute of Product Design and Manufacturing (UniKL IPROM) organised a seminar on Metal-based Industry with invited speaker Prof. Emeritus Dr. Raj Balendra from University of Strathclyde, United Kingdom. The seminar was held on March 31, 2009, at Bestari Lecture Hall, UniKL City Campus.

Prof. Emeritus Dr. Raj Balendra is a Professor in Manufacturing Engineering, University of Strathclyde, United Kingdom. He has a focused career in research, design, and development of material-conversion processes, manufacturing activities, and the evaluation of industrial development policies, particularly in emerging industrial nations. His Research and Development (R&D) has benefited the automotive, aerospace, and consumer goods industries. He has published 170 papers in learned journals and conferences, 40 reports on industrial development, and 60 manufacturing consultancy reports.

The opening remarks was delivered by Prof. Dr. Abu Talib Othman, Deputy President of Technopreneur & Student Affairs, while Prof. Dr. Ahmad Zakaria, Dean, IPROM was the chairman of the three-hour seminar. In his opening speech, Prof. Dr. Abu Talib Othman hoped that the event will unite concerned academicians and industrialists for the outcome of constructive discourse.

The event has drawn participants from various local universities, such as Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTEM), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), and Kolej Kemahiran Tinggi MARA.

The seminar discussed two broad topics on metal-based industry, namely, “The Performance of the Metal-based Manufacturing Sector in Malaysia” and “Future Opportunities for Industry Development.