MELAKA: Due to the present trying times, a local entrepreneur is extending a helping hand to banana leaf restaurants and traditional kopitiam outlets to join the 4th Industrial Revolution in a bid to help them stay afloat and sustain their businesses.

       Datuk Ignatius Lourdsamy (pic) said introducing IR 4.0 to conventional food services could help the food industry develop resilience in maintaining their operations during difficult times in the future, and not only in the current Covid-19 pandemic.

       “We can help the small businesses to develop a framework so that the same flavours could be enjoyed by their regular customers, but in the comfort of their homes,” he said.

       Lourdsamy said he decided to come forward to assist eateries and restaurateurs to find a new competitive advantage by digitising their business.

       “Based on my observations, many of these outlets are still highly dependent on dine-ins to continue their business during the current phases of the National Recovery Plan.

       “It is high time to innovate and embrace new technologies to survive the impact of the pandemic.

       “For instance, a banana leaf restaurant can attractively place their menus in digital formats and work closely with food delivery providers to serve their customers.

       “On our part, we are willing to provide the expertise on how to adapt and make changes to keep these traditional business flourishing,” he added.

       Lourdsamy said IR 4.0 has a significant impact on small restaurants and eateries during the pandemic.

       “Integrated analysis on customers’ preferences, reducing operational costs as well as manpower are achievable through IR 4.0.”

       Lourdsamy, who is the managing director of Cloudsoft Service, said eatery owners could still offer both digital services and dine-ins once the situation improves.

       However, he said looking at the current landscape, a return to normalcy would take a long time and new developments like Internet of Things (IoT) should be adopted as “the way forward”.

       “IoT is an essential aspect of doing business in a pandemic, especially when people cannot access physical facilities,” he noted.