IPLAST 4.0 - Key Persons
Anston graduated with an Honours degree from Singapore's Nanyang Technological University in 1999. Over the course of the next two decades, he founded moulding factories in Europe and gained invaluable experience and insight into the plastics industries in Europe and Asia. He is also highly proficient in areas such as industrial process optimisation, production automation and turnkey factory design. From 2001 to 2011, Anston led his company to become the second largest global plastic goods supplier to Sweden's foremost furniture and home furnishing company. Alongside the manufacturing business, he concurrently spearheaded the set up of a consulting arm to provide turnkey solutions to plastics companies in East Europe and Russia. In 2014, with the emerging German Industry 4.0 concept, and building on his experience in Industry 3.0, Anston co-founded the German Training Centre for Injection Moulding (Asia), German Innovation Centre for Industry 4.0 (Asia) and the iPlast 4.0 people-centric smart manufacturing platform. He also created the Injection Moulding 4.0 development roadmap to implement smart manufacturing for numerous companies and is consequently now recognised as a pioneer in the field. Cementing this pioneer status, Anston is frequently invited to influential international conferences to speak on enabling Industry 4.0. Today, Anston leads a global team of professionals and experts that has successfully enabled many Asian plastic moulders to embark on automated and digitalised manufacturing. In 2019, he was appointed to Guangdong Province's Industrial Internet Expert Committee, tasked to guide and support China's largest province by GDP in its Industrial Internet development. The Asia Productivity Organisation, representing 20 economies, has also appointed Anston to be its Industry 4.0 consultant for digitalisation projects. CLOSE
Bernd graduated in Darmstadt, Germany in 1965 with a Dipl. Ing. Engineering. His entire career has been in the plastic industry, taking leading positions in fields like plastic resin manufacturing, automotive moulding, plastic packaging and production automation. It is no surprise that Bernd has diverse expertise in areas such as rotation moulding, slush moulding, injection moulding, thermoforming, thermoset material manufacturing, PU foaming and mould making. For over 25 years, Bernd has been a member of VDI, the Association of German Engineers, and holds patents and utility models in injection moulding and plastics processing. He is well known in the lecture circuit, and has co-written many trade publications. CLOSE
Job Titles:
- Licensed Trainer and Accreditor
CS Tee has been involved in the Lean-Supply Chain Industry for Order Management, Production Innovation, Inventory Management and Logistics Management for more than 25 years. He has worked in various senior management positions in multi-national corporations both in Malaysia and overseas involving electronics final assembly (OEM & EMS), adhesive paper roll, IC burn-in process, metal stamping and plastics injection.
Graduated with a Bachelor Degree from the University of Malaya, CS Tee is also a certified Lean-Six Sigma Black Belt, ISO 9001 Quality Management System and ISO 14000 Environmental Management System Auditor.
His working experiences include Manufacturing, Industrial Engineering, Production Planning & Control, Shipping & Logistics, Warehousing, Automation, Production Innovation / Lean, QMS & EMS audit and Supply Chain Management.
Job Titles:
- Principal Office / South China
Job Titles:
- Member of the Association of German Engineers
Dieter has been a member of The Association of German Engineers (VDI) since 1971 and owns many patents in injection moulding and plastics processing.
Job Titles:
- Licensed Trainer & Accreditor
Dr. Ng Kean Eng obtained his PhD in Production and Information Systems Engineering at Muroran Institute of Technology (Japan) under Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho) Scholarship. His remarkable research during his PhD studies won him three (3) awards from the renowned engineering societies - Japan Society of Design Engineering and also Machine Tool Engineering Foundation.
Dr. Ng was a recipient of Rotary International Yoneyama Scholarship and Malaysian Government Scholarship (under the Department of Public Services, JPA) for his Master and Bachelor Degrees respectively. A Certified Leader Auditor and highly experienced Supplier Quality Manager in Valeo Japan, who remarkably contributed in improving quality of the company's product.
Dr. Ng also contributed developing enormous OEM factories in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, China and other ASEAN countries. Currently, he is moving forward to develop the Road Map for Industry 4.0 quality management to support the local industry needs.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founding Member and CEO
Dr. Philipp Ramin studied Business Management at the University of Regensburg and at the American University, Washington D.C. He holds a Bachelor's and a Master's Degree specialising in Technology and Innovations Management.
Dr. Philipp gained valuable experience planning and implementing process improvement projects at Mercedes-Benz and BMW. He became further involved in projects for the automotive industry during his affiliation with the consulting firm, Institute for Innovation and Management.
Dr. Ramin is active in German political circles. He was a political advisor to the German Parliament. Since 2008 he has been a city councillor at the German city of Neutraubling and subsequently, one of the majority speakers.
Since 2008 he has gained special expertise on digital business models through his involvement in technology projects. Dr. Philipp was also active in research projects at the Chair of Innovation and Technology Management at the University of Regensburg, where he also lectured.
In 2015, Dr. Ramin set up the Innovationszentrum für Industrie 4.0 together with partners from Germany, Singapore and Sweden. The company has offices in Germany, Sweden, Singapore and Malaysia. Dr. Philipp has conducted workshops, seminars, expert roundtables and provided consultancy on industry 4.0 in Austria, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, China, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, Japan, Sweden, Denmark and the Baltics. He is the inventor of the training program "Digitalisation and Industry 4.0 Driver Licence®". He has also initiated the first worldwide open web portal on industry 4.0.
Job Titles:
- Licensed Trainer and Consultant
Gary Krompaszky received his diploma in Mechanical Engineering in Australia. Along his career, he participated various related training like CAD/CAM, project management and has trade certificate in Toolmaking. With 40 years' experience in tooling manufacturing industry and managing factories in Australia, Eastern Europe and China, his does not only ensure the smooth corporate operation, but also build the expertise in bridging the gap among design, development and manufacturability for injection moulded parts.
In Gary's career he successfully assisted many major clients to achieve quality and cost optimisation, as he has accumulated extensive domain knowledge and know-how which are needed all types of moulds, such as 2/3K moulding, gas-assisted injection, in-mould assembly, multi-cavity moulding etc. Besides, his experiences in applying new materials and moulding techniques also got his deeply involved in all-kind of challenging product development projects, guiding the teams to effectively arrange mould trials, production commissioning and optimising the processes.
Above and beyond, Gary has developed his marketing insights from decades of running international business. His extensive management expertise in the manufacturing environment also led him to a Head position of moulding department for 256 injection-moulding machines. He is good at providing all-inclusive solutions to meet the requirements of customers and markets.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Vice Principal
- Partner, Business Development
Ivan Wu received his Master of Business Systems Management from Wollongong University in Australia, and obtained the Microsoft Certified Development Engineer MCSD in VB, Tsinghua University President Management (EMBA) certificate.
He has over 25 years of experience managing training institutes and production facilities in China, acquiring skill and expertise in operations management. During this time he has also invested in the education business and has held the position of Board Chairman of several English and music training schools located in Guangzhou, Zhaoqing, Nanning, Shenzhen and Zhejiang since 2007.
In 2016, as testament to his experience and expertise, he was appointed as a lecturer in the Entrepreneurship Concentrate - Spin off - Operation - Start up (EC-SOS) programs at the National United University in Taiwan, which promotes a simulation learning platform of the actual business for the students.
Job Titles:
- Consultant
- Accountant With the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants
James Lau is a Malaysian-qualified Accountant with The Chartered Association of Certified Accountants (UK). James has vast experiences in diverse areas, such as Finance and Accounting, Tax Planning, Operations. He has worked for more than 43 years in different industries, holding various senior management positions with multi-national companies. Some of these industries include textile and garments, food and beverage, injection moulding and tooling, supply chain, oil and gas, professional accounting and consulting, housing and construction. Majority of the posting were located overseas such as United Kingdom, Jamaica, Sri Lanka, China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Slovenia, Latvia, Mexico, Russia, Mauritius, Madagascar, Tanzania and Singapore.
James has been attached to companies such as Dresser Industries UK, Leach & Co - Chartered Accountants (UK), Kerry Group HK (Coca-Cola), Esquel Textile & Garments Group HK, Prima Group Singapore, ACMA Group Singapore, Winds Group HK, VS Group ( Malaysia ) and Denko Group - Winsheng Plastics (Malaysia).
Job Titles:
- Business Development / South East Asia
Job Titles:
- Partner, VP ( Smart Manufacturing )
K.C. Shih graduated from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Chung Yuan Christian University in Taiwan. He was Manager of Foxconn lean production management, and obtained Six Sigma Black Belt and Compaq six standard deviation qualification.
His professional career of more than 25 years is closely linked to the lean supply chain industry, covering waste elimination, profits creation and management improvement. He has worked in high level management positions in multi-national corporations across various industries, including injection moulding. Some of his previous employers include Foxconn, Compaq, UNIMICRON, and Tsung Shih Co., Ltd. He is also a Toyota Production Systems (TPS) expert.
Shih's practical experience includes team building, establishing organisations, deploying manpower, lean production planning, and implementing management and production systems. His projects successfully increased customer satisfaction, increased On-Time Delivery (OTD) by 15%, reduced inventory costs by 72% and manufacturing costs by 42%.
Job Titles:
- AVP ( Smart Manufacturing )
Ong Kian Chuan, received his diploma in Electrical Engineering, Production management certification from Sony University and Associate OTR (Operational Technology Roadmapping) Facilitator from A-Star.
He built his early career in Sony, one of the leading manufacturers of electronic products for the consumer and professional markets. From the various working experiences in this multinational conglomerate corporation, he accumulated rich domain knowledge from production management, engineering, quality assurance, procurement, to business strategy. Besides, he was a management representation for ISO9001 and led innovation activities to successfully achieved cost reduction and quality enhancement goals. In his recent career, he provided consultant services for building operational excellence and business competence through product development projects.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder, VP ( Business Growth )
Peter Malm studied economics and entrepreneurship at Växjö University and wrote his master's thesis in 1997. He held the position of Chief Operations Manager in the Malmo branch of Swedish furniture giant IKEA for five years. He was also appointed to the IKEA trading arm with operational purchasing responsibilities for plastic products produced in Sweden, Denmark and the Baltic countries.
In 2005 Peter started together with Nordic Business Institute a purchasing training in Malmö, Växjö, Varberg and Sundsvall. It was the first vocational training in Sweden focusing on purchasing in which he provide long-term consultancy. With collaboration with a wide range of SME & MNC companies in Sweden like Volvo, TretraPak, SonyEricsson, etc., the training and practical was done in these companies with an industrial approach.
In 2010-2013 Peter was responsible for ATEC of Sweden AB in Växjö, which provide plastic products and consulting services, where he act as one of their consultants.
Since 2014 Peter has been helping business development of Swedish and Asian companies in Sweden, Norway and Germany. He is currently co-owner and business developer for German Training Center (GTC) and German Innovation Center (GIC) for industry 4.0.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder, VP ( Software )
In 1999, Leng Yee co-founded an Internet start-up providing an online marketplace for the global plastics industry, taking his first step into the field of plastics. Subsequently, he ventured into large-scale plastics manufacturing and, in 2008, was appointed General Director of one of the largest plastic products suppliers to Swedish furniture giant, IKEA. At the company, Leng Yee successfully introduced automation and information technology to every aspect of the business from back office to production floor, resulting in significant business growth and greatly improved efficiencies.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board
- Partner, Licensed Trainer and Accreditor
Robert graduated from Taiwan's Far East University as a Master of Mechanical Engineering. Robert has over 30 years of experience in the plastics industry, taking on senior roles in several East Asian companies. This vast experience ranged from management functions to mould making operations and moulding production.
Throughout his career, Robert has been involved in education for the plastics industry. He was mentor and trainer for his staff in the early years. In 2002, he accepted an appointment by Taiwan's National Development Council to conduct plastics injection courses in the Dominican Republic.
Since 2010, besides serving as Board Chairman for a moulding company, Robert has also been conducting plastics injection courses at several universities in Taiwan, including his alma mater, Far East University.
Stanley Huang received his Advanced Master Business Administration from National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan. He has obtained his Six Sigma Black Belt Certification and masters statistical analysis software including Minitab and JMP.
Stanley began his career in the field of liquid-crystal display (LCD) TV panel industry, working for China Star Optoelectronics Technology (CSOT). During this time, he was assigned to assist in new factory setup related equipment evaluation and planning, as well as introduction of new process, process yield improvement, special machine and project management. Through his experience, he has built up in-depth knowledge of Six Sigma to lead various cross-factory improvement projects.
Stanley is experienced in passive component development including transistor. He served as the head of the Capacitor Research Development department in APAQ Technology, responsible for new products and applying Six Sigma and Lean for enhancements of product yield.
Job Titles:
- Licensed Trainer Accreditor
Thomas Dietl graduated in Straubing, Germany and received the Skilled Workers certificate in Mould Making. He is a specialist in plastic processing, injection moulding and factory set-up. Over the course of his career, he has contributed to various development projects and holds several patents related to medical component design and the corresponding manufacturing processes.
Thomas started his career with an Automotive supplier. Over 35 years working in the plastic industry, he has been involved in numerous new product developments, mould trials, production commissioning and process optimisation.
He has worked in Southeast Asia for more than 25 years, where he introduced state-of-the-art European technologies, for example, designing customised injection moulding machines for meeting specific requirements like high volume, large parts, multi-component injection, in-mould decoration and gas-assisted injection moulding. He played a key role in communicating and collaborating with different suppliers in the eco-system, such as specialised mould makers, automation suppliers, material handling companies, which led to optimal performance for the companies he worked for.
For the past nine years, he was instrumental in assisting the set up of a Swedish-owned company based in Taiwan. Today, the company is operating a high-tech facility with over 185 injection moulding machines with fully automated handing systems. To effectively manage planning and to optimise performance, he also implemented a MES system to support data-driven decision-making. This company has successfully become one of the global leaders producing plastic components for the medical industry.
Job Titles:
- Licensed Trainer and Accreditor
Vladimir worked with high-tech equipment and advanced technologies in the field of heavy industry after he graduated from the Riga Industrial College and Institute of Civil Aviation.
He has over 20 years of experience in the plastics industry, including a posting as Chief Technical Specialist responsible for setting up greenfield moulding facilities in Latvia, Lithuania and Sweden. He was also Technical Director of a heavy-equipment company responsible for more than 400 moulding machines in Europe and Russia.
Besides the plastics field, Vladimir is also well-versed in automation design through his work at Hahn Automation as a Mechanical Designer, where he creates assembly automations for suppliers to Germany's automotive giants.