MELAKA, 12 Jan. – The Institute of Noise and Vibration, more widely known as IKG (Institut Kebisingan dan Getaran), held its Strategic Planning & Human Resource Development Workshop in Melaka. The workshop brought together full and associate members (comprising UTM academic staff), research officers, engineers and postgraduate students affiliated with the institute.
The three-day workshop began with a detailed presentation on IKG’s recent Key Performance Indicator (KPI) achievements under the Higher Education Center of Excellence (HiCoE) requirements outlined by the Ministry of Higher Education (KPT). Delivered by Dr. Ezza Syuhada Sazali, Deputy Director of Research University and Impact at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia’s (UTM’s) Research Management Centre (RMC), the report highlighted IKG’s exceptional performance in areas such as income generation and consultancy projects. It also identified opportunities for improvement, particularly in areas like graduating students and securing government-funded research grants.
The second day featured a transformative session led by IKG Founding Director, Professor Dr. Salman Leong, who presented an insightful narrative on UTM’s history and the evolution of its Centers of Excellence (CoEs). While the topic initially seemed unrelated to KPI achievements, Prof. Salman’s approach was indeed, a revelation! His presentation traced UTM’s remarkable journey from its origins as a Technical School in 1904 to its status as one of the region’s premier engineering-focused universities with relevance to the industry. He also underscored IKG’s significance as Malaysia’s leading noise and vibration solutions provider and the IKG’s CoE business model that has sustained its success. The presentations eventually have changed the perspective of the members especially the new ones, to become more appreciative of the previous and current success of the institute while striving to together, work harder and smarter to retain, if not increase, the achievements of IKG in various aspects. In this respect, the motivation sessions relating life sharing sessions of how an average person can be a high achiever in academic and professional pursuits were most well received by team members of IKG with an emphasis of self-development and purpose in our work (and life in general).
The afternoon session was pivotal, with Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zainul Akmar Zakaria, representing UTM’s HiCoE Monitoring Unit, offering a detailed explanation of the KPI Glossary for HiCoE (Service Thrust category). This session fostered active discussions as members sought clarity on specific indicators where the institute’s performance could improve. The conversations revealed that while IKG met most HiCoE requirements, reporting and documentation needed enhancement—a manageable issue for the next reporting cycle with the collective effort of all members.
The workshop concluded with a productive brainstorming session focused on identifying issues and opportunities for IKG. The institute remains committed to maintaining strong relationships with its existing clients and industry partners, many of whom are repeat customers. Additionally, new sectors in Malaysia are increasingly recognizing IKG as a hub for noise, vibration, acoustic and structure integrity expertise. IKG’s international footprint is also growing, with recent projects in Jakarta, potential engagements in Vietnam, and invitations for collaboration and training from experts in Milan, as well as initiatives with a Malaysian construction multinational corporation (that IKG had been working with for almost 30 years in all its Malaysian mega infrastructure projects) in its Australian projects.
For nearly 30 years, since its establishment in 1992, IKG has been Malaysia’s leading service provider in noise and vibration solutions, leaving its mark on the country’s major industries and infrastructure projects. As one of Malaysia’s top two HiCoEs, IKG exemplifies the research and consultation excellence that UTM fosters, ensuring its continued relevance and impact to industry and community in the years to come.
