IN a move to expand its reach in the education sector, Top Glove Corporation Bhd (Top Glove) inked a three-year partnership with the Alumni Association of National Taiwan University Malaysia (AANTUM) last Saturday.

The move is said to be part of the glove maker’s drive to attract more talents, to achieve its goal of becoming a Fortune 500 company by 2030.

AANTUM is the alumni of the prestigious National Taiwan University (NTU). It has over 2,000 active alumni members nationwide, with 600 Malaysian students are currently studying at the university.

“This will enable us to tap into NTU’s expertise in ground breaking research and development (R&D), specifically related to the healthcare manufacturing industry, while providing graduates from the university with employment,” it said in a statement.

Recently, Top Glove’s executive chairman Tan Sri Lim Wee Chai acquired a minority share with local education group, Minda Global Bhd.

“This is a private investment, separate from the Top Glove Group. I have always been passionate about education as it is instrumental in enabling people, organisations and nations to advance.” Bloomberg reported Lim as saying.

He now holds less than 5% of the Cyberjaya-based private education company, which runs institutions such as University of Cyberjaya, Asia Metropolitan University and Asia Metropolitan International School.

Dynamic talents needed for evolving landscape

On the new deal, Top Glove’s managing director Datuk Lee Kim Meow said that his company inked the memorandum of understanding (MoU) with AANTUM considering the need to stay abreast with global trend in the health manufacturing sector.

“With disruptive technologies such as advanced robotics, the Internet of Things (IoT) and automation expected to dramatically reshape the business landscape from what it is today, we are confident that our collaboration with NTU will enable us to thrive in a complex and evolving future.

“As we continue to scale in global recognition on key aspects of business sustainability which include R&D, patents and innovation, we also hope to provide jobs and lifelong education to our local talents.

“This will enable them to be equipped with the right skills as the country transitions to become a high-income economy in the next five years,” he stated.

NTU is considered as a top university in Taiwan and is placed among the top 100 universities in the world, by the prestigious QS World University Rankings and Times Higher Education Rankings World University Rankings.

Top Glove is looking to collaborate with other leading universities and alumni associations around the world, especially in Asia, to support its expansion plan, which would see the company increasing capacity by an additional 100 billion pieces of gloves from FY2021 to FY2025. – April 19, 2021