TOP GLOVE INITIATES INDUSTRY-ACADEMIA COLLABORATION

Top Glove awards research grant to UTM for submitting winning project

Shah Alam, Tuesday, 20 August 2019 Top Glove Corporation Bhd (Top Glove) today awarded the newly-launched Top Glove Industrial Collaboration Grant (TGICG) to University Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) to perform glove industry-related research, during a ceremony held at its corporate headquarters Top Glove Tower. The event saw a mock cheque presentation to the champion team from UTM which submitted the winning project, as well as the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) between Top Glove and the said team from UTM.

In attendance at the momentous occasion were Tan Sri Dr Lim Wee Chai, Executive Chairman of Top Glove, Dato’ Lee Kim Meow, Managing Director of Top Glove as well as senior management and staff of Top Glove. Also present were Professor Dr Safian bin Sharif, Chairman of Frontier Research Alliance UTM, and guests from UTM and UKM.

A strong advocate of R&D and innovation, Top Glove had earlier in February 2019 launched the TGICG, with a view to enhancing research collaborations with universities, towards obtaining breakthrough ideas for the glove industry. A total of 11 top universities in Malaysia were invited to submit projects for consideration by a panel of judges comprising Top Glove R&D and Engineering personnel, where the winner would receive funding for the project proposed. The stipulated priority areas for research were:

1. innovative use of natural and synthetic based latex to develop novel products
2. development of new technologies to support automation and process enhancement
3. former (glove mould) engineering iv) converging compostable material, recycling and waste management system

3 proposals were short listed and the champion team from UTM led by Professor Ir. Dr Ani binti Idris received a prize money of RM 20,000 and a research grant (as mentioned above). The 1 st and 2nd runner ups received a prize money of RM 10,000 and RM 5,000 respectively. 

Tan Sri Dr Lim Wee Chai, Executive Chairman of Top Glove remarked, “I am very happy that Top Glove has initiated this Industrial Collaboration Grant. Collaborations are important. Much more can be achieved when we work together with people and institutions who share the same positive values with us. We are confident the TGICG will create greater value not only for our business, but the universities as well as the manufacturing industry as a whole.”

“At Top Glove, we are committed to continuous improvement and innovation. We have about 460 researchers within our group of companies and aim to grow this number even further, in view of the importance of R&D. No innovation and no research equals no future”, he added.

Further emphasising Top Glove’s focus on R&D, Mr Wong Chong Ban, Executive Director of R&D and Manufacturing at Top Glove observed, “Today, 6 years after we set up our first R&D Centre, we now have 4 R&D centres and are in the midst of setting up our 5th R&D Centre in Kulim. Also in the pipeline, is our 6th R&D Centre which will be located in Ipoh.”

Professor Dr. Safian bin Sharif, Chairman of Frontier Material Research Alliance, UTM also observed that Top Glove’s initiative in organising such a program which would close gap between industry and the academia was a highly applaudable effort.

To bookend the very significant event, guests were treated to a sit-down lunch at the Top Glove VIP Dining Room, after which they were taken on a tour of Top Glove’s R&D Centre.

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About Top Glove Corporation Bhd

Top Glove Corporation Bhd is listed on the Bursa Malaysia Stock Exchange Main Board and Singapore Exchange Mainboard. It is also one of the component stocks of the MSCI Global Standard Index, FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI Index, FBM Top 100 Index, FBM Emas Index, FBM Hijrah Syariah Index, FBM Emas Syariah Index and FTSE4Good Bursa Malaysia Index. Top Glove is currently the world’s largest manufacturer of gloves with an established corporate culture and good business direction of producing consistently high quality, cost efficient gloves. Top Glove has over 2,000 customers worldwide and exports to more than 195 countries.

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