i.

INTRODUCTION

When we see the changes that are taking place, we can see we are on the verge of the
Industrial Revolution 4.0. There has been a lot of debate about whether it is a fourth revolution
or an extension of the third revolution, but most agree by now that we have entered a new one;
that it is the digital revolution bridging the human with the cyber world.

Before actually going more into industrial revolution 4.0, let’s see what industrial
revolution is and the advancement it brings. According to the book “The Industrial Revolution”
by Charles Austin Beard, by Industrial revolution means that great transformation which has
been brought about during the past one hundred and fifty years, by discoveries and invention
which have altered fundamentally all the methods of production and distribution of the means
of life, and consequently revolutionized all the economic functions of society.

Although the Industrial Revolution occurred approximately 200 years ago, it is a period in
time that left a profound impact on how people lived and the way businesses operated.
Arguably, factory systems developed during the Industrial Revolution are responsible for the
creation of capitalism and the modern cities of today. Production efficiency improved during
the Industrial Revolution with inventions such as the steam engine, which dramatically reduced
the time it took to manufacture products. More efficient production subsequently reduced
prices for products, primarily due to lower labor costs. Cheaper steel prices encouraged the
development of infrastructure such as railroads and bridges during the American Industrial
Revolution.

There are three major industrial revolutions that have taken place through history as
follows:

 The First Industrial Revolution used water and steam power to mechanize
production or known as the mechanical revolution, regards around production of
equipment powered and driven by water and steam. We had the first mechanical
looms introduced in 1784.
 The Second used electric power to create mass production or known as electrical
revolution, occurred in 1870. Mass production was enabled by division of labour
and the use of electrical energy. The first assembly line, the Ford line, was probably
the most famous example, but perhaps less well-known are the Cincinnati
slaughterhouse lines. These first revolutions were only scalable by adding bodies –
 they relied on humans to achieve more. They were scale-efficient by doing things
right.
 The Third used electronics and information technology to automate production,
occurred in 1969, with the advent of micro-controllers and IT automating
manufacturing, and when the internet was launched. The internet came from the
military, from ARPANET, and was designed to keep military communications
going when the phone system was down. This was then further developed by two
computer scientists, the Belgian, Robert Cailliau, and a Brit, Tim Berners-Lee, into
what we know today as the World Wide Web. This revolution was scalable: add
more computers, IT systems and technology, and improve scalability.

Now a Fourth Industrial Revolution is building on the Third, the digital revolution that has
been occurring since the middle of the last century, characterized by a fusion of technologies
that is blurring the lines between the physical, digital, and biological spheres.

ii. THE FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

 The Fourth Industrial Revolution is an overarching industrial transformation that covers
every aspect of industries and economic activities including every aspect of living. It is a
total transformation of all sectors into new system and/or way of life that will change the
way we do businesses. Current technological advances at times also considered as
‘disruptive technologies’ due to the convergence of the physical, digital and biological
worlds. These new technologies will impact all disciplines, economies and industries, and
even challenge our ideas about what it means to be human.

iii. JOURNAL REVIEW

“A REVIEW ON THE CONCEPT OF FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
AND THE GOVERNMENT’S INITIATIVES TO PROMOTE IT AMONG
YOUTHS IN MALAYSIA”
by Delaila Binti Abdullah, Mohd Yusof Abdullah & Mohd Azul Mohamad Salleh
Special Articles (December, 2017): 006 ISSN: 1823-884x

Malaysia is already welcoming this revolution via number of initiatives set out by
agencies like the Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation or MDEC. However, are
Malaysians ready to accept the Fourth Industrial Revolution with the right mind set? This
article discusses the concept of fourth industrial revolution and relate it to several initiatives
by the government to promote it among the young generation.

Based on the article chosen, it is certain that the government has taken few measures as
initiative to promoting Industry 4.0 to Malaysians by agencies like the Malaysian Digital
Economy Corporation or MDEC. In May 2017, the Cabinet tasked MITI, MOSTI and
MOHE to lead this initiative. A High Level Task Force (HLTF) led by MITI with members
from relevant Ministries and Agencies has been established since March 2017 to spearhead
development of whole of Government strategy for Industry 4.0 with strong stakeholders’
feedback including from the industry.

The Industry 4.0 HLTF has five (5) Technical Working Groups (TWGs):

 Digital Infrastructure and Eco-system led by KKMM;

 Funding and Incentives led by MOF;

  Talent and Human Capital led by MOHR and MOHE;

 Technology and Standards led by MOSTI; and

 SMEs led by SME Corp.

The TWGs are to identify challenges, analyse existing gaps and propose action to be
taken accordingly. Recommendations will be included in the overall National Policy on
Industry 4.0. MITI and its agencies in collaboration with relevant Ministries and Agencies
are also undertaking various outreach programmes to increase public, industry, academia,
training institute’s awareness on Industrial Revolution 4.0. Two major outreach
programmes were done nationally on 2 May 2017 and 15 June 2017. More outreach
programmes are in the planning stage including at the state and regional levels. The
Government is also seeking feedback directly from stakeholders through various forms
including one-to-one engagement sessions as well as online feedback through Malaysian
International Trade and Industry’s website.

Benefits of industries moving in to Industry 4.0 are:

 Increase in flexibility;

 Increased productivity, efficiency, quality and reduced time to market;

 More R&D&D activities; and

 Development of new skills and talent globally.

Despite all the effort done into promoting the industrial revolution 4.0, there are still
few issues arises since our lives are being built around the Internet of Things, connectivity,
artificial intelligence and breakthrough technologies that raise the concern of our readiness
to accept the rapid changes as it will surely affect the society in ways that we cannot fully
describe as yet except to anticipate. The lack of infrastructure and facility compared with
advanced economies deterred the initiative of making Industrial Revolution 4.0 known. The
initiatives may not be very visible among the public in general as the touch base is rather
confined to the technocrats. Where the Industrial Revolution 4.0 is concerned, reaching the
farmers and fishermen at the far end of the social divides will prove to be a challenge if the
infrastructure is not provided. The technobabble engaged by key opinion leaders to describe
features, benefits or the needs for the establishment of advanced technology in the country
may seem to go on quite a bumpy ride since the innovation is more converged at the state
capitals. The Fourth Industrial Revolution in Malaysia is not governed by any ministry at
the moment, leaving the matter hanging precariously to be taken care of by industry players.

Major challenges faced by industries in moving towards Industrial Revolution 4.0

adoption include:

 Lack of awareness on the concept of Industrial Revolution 4.0 and its benefits;

 No clear comprehensive policy and coordination on Industrial Revolution 4.0

in

Malaysia;

 Infrastructure gaps particularly the digital infrastructure as well as ecosystem

gaps;

 Lack of targeted incentives to incentivize more companies to move to Industrial

Revolution 4.0;

 Mismatch skillsets and lack of right talent/human capital; and

 Lack of standards resulting in difficulty of integrating different systems and

reliability issue.
iv. CONCLUSION
In conclusion, These technologies have great potential to continue to connect billions
more people to the web, drastically improve the efficiency of business and organizations
and help regenerate the natural environment through better asset management, potentially
even undoing all the damage previous industrial revolutions have caused. Through
Malaysian prospect, Industrial Revolution 4.0 benefits Malaysians especially youths for
their future and the government is paying attention to them in the form of providing a
platform for them to share their opinions or pitch for ideas. Neither technology nor the
disruption that comes with it is an exogenous force over which humans have no control.
All of us are responsible for guiding its evolution, in the decisions we make on a daily basis
as citizens, consumers, and investors. We should thus grasp the opportunity and power we
have to shape the Fourth Industrial Revolution and direct it toward a future that reflects our
common objectives and values.

v. RECOMMENDATION

In making sure the importance of Industrial Revolution 4.0 reached the people of
Malaysia, there are few recommendation that could help as below:

 Awareness program should be carried out especially among youths in order to

give them a better understanding of the whole concept of Industrial Revolution
4.0.
 Include Industrial Revolution 4.0 in their studies by relating it to their course
study.
 vi. REFERENCES

Read more: Industrial Revolution https://www.investopedia.com/terms/i/industrial-

revolution.asp#ixzz5DswzfJ2i

https://www.thedualarity.com/industrial-revolution-4-0-2/

https://www.nixsolutions.com/blog/industrial-revolution-4-0-threshold-new-age/

https://www.weforum.org/about/the-fourth-industrial-revolution-by-klaus-schwab

Beard, Charles Austin. The Industrial Revolution. Routledge, 2013, 2013.

Mark Skilton, Felix Hovsepian. The 4th Industrial Revolution: Responding to the Impact of Artificial
Intelligence on Business. Springer, 2017, n.d.

Ross, Stewart. The Industrial Revolution. Evans Brothers, 2008, n.d.

Schwab, Klaus. The Fourth Industrial Revolution. Penguin UK, 2017, 2017.