Kitchen Arena

（沙登9日讯）大马餐饮科技界迎来历史性里程碑——Ping Edge Sdn Bhd（旗下品牌Kitchen Arena）、大马伍伦贡大学（UOW Malaysia）及GeneTech Sdn Bhd（X-Bot机器人制造商），于今日（9月9日）上午在Kitchen Arena总部暨World of Oven（世连峰）正式签署三方合作备忘录（Tripartite MOU），携手构建大马首个以厨房机器人技术为核心的产学研创新生态圈，并以“Battle of the Bots”为旗舰计划，将机器人烹饪技术正式引入大马大学教育及商业厨房实际应用。 马来西亚外贸发展局（MATRADE）副总裁（出口加速部）YBhg. Tuan S. Jai Shankar，以及马来西亚技术发展机构（MTDC）投资业务部执行副总裁YBhg. Mr. Mohd Jerry Tan Bin Mohd Safi，亲临主礼，印证了本次战略合作在国家科技产业与出口推广层面的高度重要性。 三大核心议题：劳工危机、厨房自动化、产学合作 这场签约仪式并非单纯的商业合作——它的背后，是大马餐饮业正在面临的三重结构性挑战： 劳工危机：大马餐饮业拥有超过13.6万家餐饮机构，聘用逾100万名从业者，但随着外劳政策收紧及Z世代对厨房工作的回避，技术厨工长期短缺已成行业最迫切的瓶颈。 市场增长：2026年大马餐饮市场规模约为167亿美元（约760亿令吉），预计以每年13.05%的复合年增长率扩张，至2031年将接近307亿美元，增速位居东南亚前列。 技术缺口：全球烹饪机器人市场2026年市值约48亿美元，预计2030年增至78.6亿美元；整体食品自动化市场规模更高达375亿美元，是大马厨房科技企业正在竞逐的全球蓝海。 三方合作内容：各展所长，共建生态 Kitchen Arena（Ping Edge Sdn Bhd）是大马规模最大的商用厨房设备供应商，同时是X-Bot烹饪机器人的大马授权经销商。作为本次计划的驱动核心，Kitchen Arena将负责整合行业网络、推动X-Bot在商业厨房的实际部署及市场推广。 GeneTech Sdn Bhd是X-Bot烹饪机器人的本地研发制造商，是大马机器人制造业走向国际舞台的代表性企业。此次与国际大学的正式合作，令X-Bot获得国际学术背书，并将在今年11月的Taste & Trade 360（TT360，吉隆坡城中城会展中心）担任“Battle of the Bots”机器人烹饪竞赛的核心参赛设备，预计吸引逾12,000名业界访客。 大马伍伦贡大学（UOW Malaysia）凭借其酒店、旅游与烹饪艺术学院的深厚学术根基，将成为大马第一所设有厨房机器人实验室（Live-Testing Kitchen Laboratory）的大学，在校园内正式引入X-Bot机器人烹饪技术，用于教学、研究及学生创业孵化，并为三方合作提供学术研究及课程整合的智识支撑。 MOU核心内容：六大合作方向 合作方向 内容 厨房机器人实验室 在UOW Malaysia校园内共同建立X-Bot活体测试厨房实验室 教师培训计划 学术与行业知识转移，推行Train-the-Trainer培训项目 学生创业孵化 为学生提供真实F&B概念运营及先进厨房科技应用的实战平台 X-Bot技术供应 GeneTech向UOW供应X-Bot烹饪机器人，用于实验室及学术课程 学术研究合作 UOW作为机器人性能评估及课程整合的学术研究伙伴 Battle of the Bots 三方联合参与2026年11月TT360的机器人烹饪大赛 MOU有效期为两年，可经双方书面协议续签。 各方代表发言摘要 Kitchen Arena首席执行官郑伟瀚（Choong Wai Hon）在致辞中指出，大马餐饮业正处于转型的关键节点： “没有任何单一企业能独力解决行业面临的复杂挑战。将大马最大的厨房设备供应商、国际大学与本土机器人制造商聚合在一起，才能创造任何一方单独无法实现的价值。今天的签约，正式确立了这一生态。” GeneTech总监Brian Ding Kuoi Jean表示，X-Bot获得UOW的正式采用，是大马本土研发制造走上国际舞台的重要里程碑： “我们希望证明，马来西亚不只是组装基地，而是能够自主研发、制造并输出具有全球竞争力的厨房机器人科技。” 大马伍伦贡大学副校长黄炳良教授（Prof. Dr. Hiew Pang Leang）强调，与行业合作是大学培育未来人才的必要路径： “这不只是一间实验室，而是一个活生生的学习生态——我们的学生将在真实的厨房科技环境中学习、研究和创业。” “Battle of the Bots”：2026年11月TT360的最大科技看点 “Battle of the Bots”是本次三方合作最重要的旗舰活动——一场以X-Bot机器人为竞技核心的烹饪大赛，预计在2026年11月于Taste & Trade 360（TT360，吉隆坡城中城）举行。TT360是大马年度最重要的餐饮业界展览之一，预计吸引来自东南亚各地的逾12,000名业界访客，届时Battle of the Bots将成为整个展览中最具科技吸引力的核心环节。 SERI KEMBANGAN, Sept 9： In a landmark step for Malaysia's food technology landscape, Ping Edge Sdn Bhd (Kitchen Arena), University of Wollongong Malaysia (UOW Malaysia) and GeneTech Sdn Bhd, the manufacturer of the X-Bot robotic cooking machine, today formalised a Tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at Kitchen Arena HQ — World of Oven, Seri Kembangan, establishing Malaysia's first industry-university ecosystem centred on robotic kitchen technology and culinary innovation. The signing ceremony was graced by YBhg. Tuan S. Jai Shankar, Deputy Chief Executive Officer (Export Acceleration) of the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE), and YBhg. Mr. Mohd Jerry Tan Bin Mohd Safi, Executive Vice President, Investment — Business Division of the Malaysian Technology Development Corporation (MTDC), underscoring the national significance of this initiative for Malaysia's technology and export development agenda. A Partnership Born from Industry Urgency Malaysia's foodservice industry, valued at approximately USD 16.67 billion (RM 76 billion) in 2026, is projected to nearly double to USD 30.74 billion by 2031, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 13.05% — one of the fastest in Southeast Asia. Yet this growth is overshadowed by a deepening structural challenge. Malaysia has over 136,000 F&B establishments employing more than 1 million people, but the industry faces chronic manpower shortages intensified by tightening foreign worker regulations and a generational shift away from kitchen work among younger Malaysians. Robotic kitchen solutions are no longer a novelty — they are a necessity. The global cooking robot market stands at USD 4.8 billion in 2026, projected to reach USD 7.86 billion by 2030, while the broader food automation market is valued at USD 37.54 billion, expected to climb to USD 63.59 billion by 2032. "No single company can solve these challenges alone," said Mr. Choong Wai Hon, CEO of Ping Edge Sdn Bhd. "But when you bring together Malaysia's largest kitchen equipment provider, a world-class international university and a pioneering local robotics manufacturer, you create something none of them could achieve individually. This MOU formalises that ecosystem." Three Partners, One Vision Kitchen Arena (Ping Edge Sdn Bhd) is Malaysia's largest commercial kitchen equipment provider and the authorised dealer for X-Bot cooking robots in Malaysia. As the driving force behind the initiative, Kitchen Arena bridges the gap between technology and the F&B industry, with an extensive network of clients across the foodservice sector. GeneTech Sdn Bhd is a proudly Malaysian company and the designer and manufacturer of the X-Bot robotic cooking machine. This MOU places GeneTech on the national and international stage, with UOW Malaysia's formal adoption of X-Bot technology providing academic validation that reinforces its market credibility. University of Wollongong Malaysia (UOW Malaysia), through its School of Hospitality, Tourism & Culinary Arts, brings world-class academic standards, research capability and access to emerging culinary talent. Under this partnership, UOW will become the first Malaysian university to operate a Live-Testing Kitchen Laboratory featuring robotic cooking technology on campus. MOU Scope: Six Areas of Collaboration The Tripartite MOU on Culinary Innovation and the Development of a Robotic Kitchen Technology Ecosystem — signed by Mr. Choong Wai Hon (CEO, Ping Edge Sdn Bhd), Mr. Brian Ding Kuoi Jean (Director, GeneTech Sdn Bhd) and Prof. Dr. Hiew Pang Leang (Vice-Chancellor, UOW Malaysia) — establishes six key areas of collaboration: a) Joint development of a Live-Testing Kitchen Laboratory at UOW campus b) Academic and industry knowledge transfer through Train-the-Trainer programmes c) Student entrepreneurship incubation and mentorship d) Supply of X-Bot cooking robots by GeneTech for UOW's Live-Testing Kitchen Laboratory and academic programmes e) UOW to serve as academic and research partner for robot performance evaluation and curriculum integration f) Joint collaboration towards the Battle of the Bots robotic cooking competition at Taste & Trade 360 (TT360), KLCC, November 2026 The MOU is valid for two years and is renewable by mutual written agreement. Battle of the Bots: Coming to TT360, KLCC, November 2026 The centrepiece of this partnership is Battle of the Bots — a robotic cooking competition where X-Bot machines take centre stage, set to headline Taste & Trade 360 (TT360) at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre in November 2026. TT360 is one of Malaysia's most prominent annual trade exhibitions for the F&B industry, expected to draw over 12,000 trade visitors over three days from across Southeast Asia. Battle of the Bots will be a showcase of how robotic kitchen technology performs in a real-world competitive environment — serving as both an industry showcase and a talent development platform for the next generation of culinary professionals. Partner Statements Mr. Brian Ding Kuoi Jean, Director, GeneTech Sdn Bhd: "X-Bot is proof that Malaysia can design, manufacture and export world-class kitchen robotics. Having UOW Malaysia formally adopt X-Bot for teaching, research and testing is a validation that goes beyond commercial recognition — it puts Malaysian innovation on the academic map." Prof. Dr. Hiew Pang Leang, Vice-Chancellor, UOW Malaysia: "This partnership is exactly the kind of industry-academia collaboration that prepares our students for the future. Through the Live-Testing Kitchen Laboratory, our students will learn not just to cook, but to work alongside intelligent machines — a skill set that will define the culinary professionals of tomorrow." About the Organisations Ping Edge Sdn Bhd (Kitchen Arena) — Malaysia's largest commercial kitchen equipment provider, with an extensive national network of F&B clients and the authorised dealer for X-Bot robotic cooking machines in Malaysia. GeneTech Sdn Bhd — A Malaysian robotics company and manufacturer of the X-Bot robotic cooking machine, committed to developing homegrown technology with international competitive standards. University of Wollongong Malaysia (UOW Malaysia) — One of Malaysia's most respected international universities, with a dedicated School of Hospitality, Tourism & Culinary Arts and a strong record of industry-linked research and education.