SELANGOR, 23 MARCH 2022 – Sensata Technologies, held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new Green Certified building in Malaysia, increasing manufacturing floor space by 40,000 square feet, bringing the total manufacturing space to nearly 275,000 square feet.

Sensata Techologies is a publicly-traded company (NYSE:ST) and a leading manufacturer of sensors, electrical protection components and sensor-rich solutions with operations globally. Sensata Technologies Malaysia first started operations in Kuala Lumpur as part of Texas Instruments (TI) Malaysia in 1974. Texas Instrument’s Sensors & Controls (S&C) Division separated from TI in 2006, and the S&C operations became part of the stand-alone Sensata Technologies business.  Since 2006, the Company has been manufacturing world-class products in Malaysia for a number of customers and has steadily grown in terms of securing more product portfolios, establishing an on-site mechanisation team and venturing into automated manufacturing.  

Datuk Arham Abdul Rahman, Chief Executive Officer of the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) welcomed Sensata Technologies’ expansion in Malaysia, saying, “Sensata Technologies is no stranger in the global electrical and electronic (E&E) industry; and the company’s objectives complement MIDA’s continued efforts in encouraging economic transformation in developing talents for the increasingly digital industrial landscape. Sensata Technologies’ decision to set-up its operations is a testimony of its continued confidence in Malaysia’s business ecosystem as the project looks to further expand its customer and commercial base. This complements the Government’s effort to spur socio-economic development to the local vicinities; and indeed is a “win-win” situation for both the company and our country in line with our National Investment Aspirations (NIA).”

Sensata Technologies has invested approximately RM790 million in Malaysia and will invest an additional RM510 million within the next five (5) years to expand its technology offering and manufacturing capacity. This added floor space will provide the necessary room to grow the Sense Element Assembly (SEA) which is a key component for sensors used in the industry, Electric Vehicle (EV) growth and state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, which require class 10K cleanroom facility and robotics.

“In addition to technological advancements, we will also be creating value for people in the community by creating more than 500 new job opportunities. We will also be more integrated in our supply chain by collaborating with local Small Medium Industry (SME) on state of the art sensors assembly as we know that there are many SMEs in our region who have the technology we need at much more reasonable cost,” said Vijay Jayaratnam, General Manager, Sensata Technologies Malaysia.

Malaysia successfully recorded a breakthrough in approved investments for 2021, amounting to RM306.5 billion in the manufacturing, services and primary sectors. The manufacturing sector continued to be the mainstay of Malaysia’s economy, with approved investments of RM195.1 billion in 2021, compared with RM91.3 billion in 2020, a significant increase of 113.7 per cent. E&E remained a leading industry, receiving 94 projects worth RM148 billion.

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The artistic design of Sensata Technologies Malaysia with the New Building 4 from the main entrance.

About MIDA
MIDA is the government’s principal investment promotion and development agency under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) to oversee and drive investments into the manufacturing and services sectors in Malaysia. Headquartered in Kuala Lumpur Sentral, MIDA has 12 regional and 20 overseas offices. MIDA continues to be the strategic partner to businesses in seizing the opportunities arising from the technology revolution of this era. For more information, please visit www.mida.gov.my and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube channel.

About Sensata Technologies
Sensata Technologies is a global industrial technology company striving to create a cleaner, more efficient, electrified and connected world. Through its broad portfolio of sensors, electrical protection components and sensor-rich solutions which create valuable business insights, Sensata helps its customers address increasingly complex engineering and operating performance requirements. With more than 21,000 employees and global operations in 13 countries, Sensata serves customers in the automotive, heavy vehicle & off-road, industrial, and aerospace markets. Learn more at www.sensata.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

For further enquiries, please contact:

MIDA:
Domestic Investment Division
Sukri Abu Bakar (Mr.)
+603 2267 3685
[email protected]

E&E Division
Noor Suziyanti Saad (Ms.)
+603 2267 3575
[email protected]

Sensata Technologies:
Media Contact
Leila Beardsmore
(805) 452-2165
[email protected]

Corporate Media Contact:
Alexia Taxiarchos
(508) 236-1761 [email protected]

Sensata Technologies Expands Manufacturing Presence in Malaysia With a New Green Certified Building

Selangor, 15 March 2022 – Xin Hwa Holdings Berhad (“Xin Hwa”), a domestic integrated logistics service provider organised an official launch of its E-Fulfilment Centre in Shah Alam, Selangor today. The occasion was officiated by YBhg. Datuk Arham Abdul Rahman, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MIDA, Mr. Ng Aik Chuan, Managing Director of Xin Hwa together with Mr. Kok Poh Fui, Executive Director of Xin Hwa. Xin Hwa is a publicly traded company that was listed on the Main Market of Bursa Malaysia in 2015. They offer a complete range of services including land transportation; warehousing and distribution; freight forwarding and customs brokerage; manufacturing and fabrication of trailers; and containers haulage services.

This centre strategically located along the ELITE Highway, comprises of a 7-storey office and a 3-storey warehouse with a total built-up of 300,000 square feet. It is a purpose-built building specially designed to facilitate e-commerce logistics and to support the booming e-commerce market, which entails high volume and smaller-sized packages in general. This facility is part of Xin Hwa’s warehouse capacity expansion strategy which aims to capitalise on rising demand for warehousing space as a result of supply chain interruptions and the growth of online trading activities. More importantly, this establishment will create more high-value job opportunities for Malaysians while also providing the country an ideal platform to facilitate the rapid growth of e-commerce.

Congratulating Xin Hwa, Datuk Arham Abdul Rahman, CEO of MIDA said “We continue to facilitate Malaysian logistics companies in their forays into the e-commerce business, mainly through the e-Fulfillment segment. On the other hand, to cultivate the development of Malaysia’s logistics industry, we introduced specialised facilities such as the Integrated Logistics Services (ILS) and the International Integrated Logistics Services (IILS) incentives. The IILS had been fulfilling its aim of enabling integrated logistics companies to obtain a freight forwarding license and to go global. In 2021, 20 ILS projects with a total investment of RM1.7 billion were approved, creating over 2000 job opportunities.”

Datuk Arham also added “MIDA is confident that the ongoing engagement between the public and private sectors will accelerate the development of Malaysia’s logistics and e-commerce ecosystems. Our goal is to create more business and job opportunities to increase the overall wealth and prosperity of the country.”     

The launch of the Shah Alam E-Fulfilment Centre is timely for the Malaysian Logistics industry due to the prevailing warehousing space shortage stemming from consumers’ shift to online shopping, which is exacerbated by supply chain disruptions. With Malaysia being positioned to be a well-established regional distribution centre (RDC), the E-Fulfilment centre can further enhance the capabilities of the e-commerce logistics hub for the Asia Pacific market and would undoubtedly be able to play a role in accelerating the efficiency of Malaysia’s transportation and storage system and supporting the Government’s objective.

Xin Hwa offers both bonded and non-bonded warehousing options through its eight (8) warehouses, five (5) of which are in Johor and the each of the remaining three (3) in Klang, Kuantan and Shah Alam respectively. Currently, the company has an adequate storage capacity of about 1.2 million square feet.

Meanwhile, Managing Director of Xin Hwa Holdings Berhad Mr. Ng Aik Chuan said “We would like to extend our deepest appreciation to the Malaysian Government and MIDA for their efforts in providing comprehensive support to the development of the logistics industry. This in turn enables us to execute our investment projects effectively and be part of the solution in enhancing Malaysia’s value proposition in the global logistics network. Moving forward, we aim to ride on the strong recovery in the logistics industry as the country progresses towards endemicity and reopen the international borders. In this regard, we have already planned for further investment to continue expanding our logistics and warehousing capacity and look forward to working together with MIDA to realise these plans.”

Malaysia’s e-commerce industry is one of the fastest expanding in Southeast Asia, making it a highly appealing market to enter.  In 2021, MIDA recorded a total of 20 ILS projects with approved investments of RM1.7 billion, creating over 2000 job opportunities. 

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About MIDA

MIDA is the government’s principal investment promotion and development agency under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) to oversee and drive investments into the manufacturing and services sectors in Malaysia. Headquartered in Kuala Lumpur Sentral, MIDA has 12 regional and 20 overseas offices. MIDA continues to be the strategic partner to businesses in seizing the opportunities arising from the technology revolution of this era. For more information, please visit www.mida.gov.my and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube channel.

About Xin Hwa 

Xin Hwa Holdings Berhad is listed on the Main Market of Bursa Malaysia Securities Bhd. The Group is an integrated logistics service provider, offering a complete range of services including land transportation; warehousing and distribution; freight forwarding and customs brokerage; manufacturing and fabrication of trailers; container haulage services. Land transportation is the Group’s core expertise with strong capability in handling cargo transportation, project cargo involving oversized and over-weight structures across Peninsular Malaysia as well as cross-border between Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore. Xin Hwa’s warehousing and distribution services complements its land transportation services.

For more information, please contact:

MIDA
Ms. Habibah Enok
Director, Oil and Gas, Maritime and Logistics Services Division, MIDA
Telephone: 03-2267 3539
Email: [email protected]

Xin Hwa Holdings Berhad
Mr. Brian Chin
Investor Relations
Telephone: 012-355 3683
Email: [email protected]

Xin Hwa, a Domestic Integrated Logistics Service Provider Invested Approximately Rm100 Million to Establish an E-Fulfilment Centre in Shah Alam

Kota Bharu, 12 March 2022 – ROHM-Wako Electronics (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. (RWEM), a major Japanese electronics maker, announced that it is expanding its electronic components facility in Kelantan with a total investment of RM910 million. This investment is expected to create high-skilled jobs for over 340 Malaysians. It is the single biggest investment ever made by the company which uniquely positions Malaysia as a key hub for the semiconductor and automotive global value chains.

YB. Dato’ Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali, Senior Minister and Minister of International Trade and Industry (MITI), in response to the announcement said, “It is noteworthy that the establishment of the manufacturing facility in Malaysia is a strategic decision by Rohm-Wako Electronics to build long-term presence in the ASEAN region. Indeed, this vital expansion signifies the company’s confidence in the capability of our local talent of highly skilled engineers and technicians. The investment performance of ROHM-Wako Electronics in Malaysia is most encouraging, with this new manufacturing facility generating employment opportunities for local talent, contributing to the economic upliftment of the community as well as boosting commercial development in the state. This expansion project is in line with the National Investment Aspirations (NIA) to make Malaysia a strategic investment hub.”

Echoing the Senior Minister, Datuk Arham Abdul Rahman, the Chief Executive Director (CEO) of the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) remarked: “MIDA looks forward to welcoming other potential partners to leverage Malaysia’s capability as a supply chain hub to serve the industrial needs of the global market. The company’s expansion is poised to strengthen the country’s position in the global value chains. It is also expected to promote high-skilled jobs and ensure that Malaysia’s industries remain resilient and competitive.”

“The expansion is vital for our company’s continuous business and innovation growth, and with the Malaysian plant having skilled and reliable workforce, we are confident that we have made the right decision to continue investing in this country.” said RWEM President, Mr. Hideki Hashimoto.

The new building, which will be constructed within the RWEM premise, will serve the purpose of responding to the strong demand for semiconductors and promoting multi-site production system of analog Large-Scale Integrations (LSIs) and transistors in line with the Business Continuity Management (BCM). The construction of the new building will ultimately increase the overall production capacity by approximately 1.5 times.

The construction of the new facility, which is expected to have a 3-story building with a total floor area of 29,580 square meters, is envisaged to begin in Q1 2022 and be completed in August 2023. The new building will be equipped with various energy-saving technologies to reduce the environmental impact, expected to reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 15%. This will eventually strengthen the BCM system by adopting various disaster-proof measures with up-to-date technologies.

The expansion will provide capacity for additional component of Wide Line Transistor and Gate Driver Integrated Circuit, mainly used for electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid cars. These components will also apply to the company’s existing production of discrete semiconductors such as diodes, light emitting diodes and laser diodes used in a wide arrange of electronic consumer products such as audio and video, TVs, laptops as well as mobile phones. This is in line with Malaysia’s National Automotive Policy (NAP) 2020 which focuses on the development of new technologies in future mobility areas.

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About MIDA
MIDA is the government’s principal investment promotion and development agency under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) to oversee and drive investments into the manufacturing and services sectors in Malaysia. Headquartered in Kuala Lumpur Sentral, MIDA has 12 regional and 20 overseas offices. MIDA continues to be the strategic partner to businesses in seizing the opportunities arising from the technology revolution of this era. For more information, please visit www.mida.gov.my and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube.

About ROHM CO. LTD.
ROHM Co., Ltd. engages in the design and manufacture of integrated circuits and other electronic components. It operates through the following segments: LSI Integrated Circuits, Discrete Semiconductor Devices, Module and Others. The LSI Integrated Circuits segment includes analog ICs, logic ICs, memory ICs, ASICs, and foundry business operations. The Discrete Semiconductor Devices segment covers diodes, transistors, light-emitting diodes, and laser diodes. The Module segment produces power modules that include print head and optical modules. The Others segment deals with resistors, tantalum capacitors, power modules, and lighting products. It also develops large scale integrated (LSI) scanner engines designed specifically for cordless hand-held scanners. The company was founded by Kenichiro Sato in December 1954 and is headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. For more information, please visit http://www.rohm.co.jp

For more information, please contact:

MIDA
Azlina Hamdan (Ms.)
Director, E&E Division, MIDA
+603-2267 3791| [email protected]

ROHM -Wako Electronics (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd.
1. Tan Shee Nee (Ms.)
2. Kang In Wei (Ms.)
+6017979 5303 | [email protected]

ROHM-Wako to Increase Production Capacity In RM910 Million New Kelantan Facility

      

Pulau Pinang, 9 March 2022 – Applied Engineering Technology (M) Sdn. Bhd.   (AETM) organised a grand opening ceremony for its manufacturing plant in Batu Kawan Industrial Park, Pulau Pinang today. The ceremony was officiated by Deputy Chief Minister 1 of Penang, YB. Dato’ Ir. Haji Ahmad Zakiyuddin bin Abdul Rahman and attended by Government officials including Madam Lim Bee Vian, Deputy CEO of Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) (Investment Development) and Dato’ Loo Lee Lian, CEO of InvestPenang.

Established in May 2021, AETM is a joint venture company between US-based Applied Engineering (AE) and its Malaysian counterpart, QES Manufacturing Sdn. Bhd. (QES). Together, they will provide high-tech electromechanical contract manufacturing services, from prototyping to high volume production. Notably, AETM is AE’s first offshore operation outside of the United States.

Congratulating AETM, Dato’ Ahmad Zakiyuddin Abdul Rahman, Deputy Chief Minister 1 of Penang said “Penang’s dynamic industry cluster allows companies that set foot here to enjoy overarching benefits, which include supply chain resiliency and operational advantage. Importantly, the talent pool is equipped with strong engineering expertise that enables companies here to perform high value-added activities and increase participation in the global value chain.” 

“The significance of Penang in the regional and global scale is well attested, Penang accounted for over 5 per cent of the global semiconductor sales and serves as one of the most thriving regional hubs for equipment manufacturing, as well as medical technology industries. Leveraging Penang state as a springboard, I am confident that Applied Engineering Technology could seize tremendous opportunities arising from the technology advancement and global megatrends.”  

Meanwhile, Madam Lim Bee Vian, Deputy CEO (Investment Development), MIDA stated, “This grand opening ceremony is a very significant milestone after the joint venture partnership was established in 2021. It is a parallel testament to global investors’ confidence in Malaysia as a preferred investment destination, as well as the capability and readiness of local companies to support high profile business ventures and activities.” She expressed confidence that having Applied Engineering Technology’s (AETM) technology and expertise here in Malaysia will enhance the value of talent and skilled human capital development in the country, which is in line with our National Industry 4.0 aspirations. Local job seekers, particularly those with an engineering background will benefit greatly from the transfer of technology by working hands-on with the experts at AETM.

“Local suppliers would also benefit from increased business, particularly in the areas of automation equipment design. This in turn can assist local suppliers in meeting international standards and integrate themselves into the global value chain.” Madam Lim added.

The Batu Kawan manufacturing plant, which has a factory floor space of approximately 20,000 square feet, is expected to begin servicing customers in April 2022. Currently, AETM has successfully obtained MIDA’s manufacturing licence as well as business licence from the local authority. AETM has also received a Manufacturing Warehouse Licence (LMW) from the Royal Malaysian Customs Department in February 2022.

Speaking at the event, the President of Applied Engineering Inc. Jack Yao added, “We truly appreciate the partnership with QES. We will work in the best way possible to ensure the success of this joint venture. Batu Kawan is a great place for manufacturing companies, and we are glad to be able to cement a mark in this area. The markets served under this endeavour include semiconductor/display capital equipment, medical technology, industrial automation, aerospace, and emerging technology. We are confident that the ASEAN market will benefit from this partnership.”

Meanwhile, the Managing Director and President of QES Group Berhad Chew Ne Weng said, “Today marks a momentous step forward in our joint venture with AETM. We thank the Deputy Chief Minister 1 of Penang for taking time out of his busy schedule to officiate our event. We look forward to kickstarting our joint venture’s manufacturing operation in Batu Kawan, Pulau Pinang.

Aside from our manufacturing facility, we have invested heavily in talent building. From November 2021 to January 2022, we have sent key staff members and technicians to AE San Jose for knowledge transfer, to have an in-depth understanding on the technical know-how. In addition, we intend to station technical experts from AE San Jose in Penang for additional training. For the first two years, our focus is to support our customers in terms of equipment assembly and integration, focusing on semiconductor, medical and other industry segments. Starting from the third year onwards, we plan to develop equipment design capability for our customers, based on their needs.”

The project segments are primarily for electromechanical contract manufacturing services, and AETM is working to meet the specific manufacturing needs of their clients. The company’s focus will be on semiconductor equipment manufacturing, medical technology, medical devices, defence, and aerospace not only for the Malaysian market but also for the ASEAN and China markets.   

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About MIDA

MIDA is the government’s principal investment promotion and development agency under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) to oversee and drive investments into the manufacturing and services sectors in Malaysia. Headquartered in Kuala Lumpur Sentral, MIDA has 12 regional and 20 overseas offices. MIDA continues to be the strategic partner to businesses in seizing the opportunities arising from the technology revolution of this era. For more information, please visit www.mida.gov.my and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube channel.

About InvestPenang

InvestPenang is the Penang State Government’s principal agency for promotion of investment. Its objectives are to develop and sustain Penang’s economy by enhancing and continuously supporting business activities in the State through foreign and local investments, including spawning viable new growth centres. To realize its objectives, InvestPenang also runs initiatives like the SMART Penang Centre (aiding SMEs), Penang CAT Centre (for talent attraction and retention) and i4.0 seed fund (a catalyst for the start-up ecosystem). For more information, please visit https://investpenang.gov.my/. 

Do follow us on InvestPenang’s social media channels: Facebook ; LinkedIn

About Applied Engineering Inc.

Electronic Interface Company DBA as Applied Engineering Inc. is a California corporation with its business headquarters at 6341 San Ignacio Ave. Suite 10, San Jose, CA, 95119. AE is a 100 per cent employee-owned company located in San Jose and has been in business since 1979. AE specialises in electro-mechanical contract manufacturing services from prototype to high volume production for semiconductor, life science, defence, aerospace, and emerging technology segment.  AE is known in the industry as a contract manufacturer. For more information about Applied Engineering please visit https://www.appliedengineering.com

About QES Group Berhad

QES Group Berhad (“QES” or the “Group”) was listed on the ACE Market of Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad in 2018. Through its subsidiaries, it is principally involved in the manufacturing, distribution and provision of engineering services for inspection, test, measuring, analytical and automated handling equipment. The Group serves customers from a broad range of industries including the semiconductor, electrical & electronics, automotive and metal, higher education institutions, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, environment and renewable energy industry. QES is listed under the Industrial Products and Services Sector (Name & Code: QES & 0196). For more information about QES Group Bhd, please visit https://www.qesnet.com/ .

For more information, please contact:              

MIDA
Ms. Zakiah Sajidan
Director, Machinery & Metal Technology Division, MIDA
Telephone: 03-2267 3628
Email: [email protected]

InvestPenang
Ms. Yeoh Bit Kun
Head, Communication and Business Intelligence
Telephone: 04-646 8833
Email: [email protected]

Applied Engineering Inc
Ms. Liana Marrero
Sales Operation Manager
Telephone: +1 408 605 8028
E-mail: [email protected]

QES Group Berhad
Ms. Alicia Chan
Sr. Personal Assistant to the Group Managing Director
Telephone: 03-5882 6668
Email: [email protected]

AETM’s Confidence In Malaysia Results In The Setting Up Of A 20,000 Square Feet Manufacturing Facility In Pulau Pinang

Attracted Record-Breaking Approved Investments Worth RM306.5 billion in 2021

• MIDA attracted RM306.5 billion of approved investments in the manufacturing, services and primary sectors.
• Astounding increase of 83.1 per cent in 2021 compared to performance in 2020.
• FDI’s stellar performance accounted for nearly 68.1 per cent of approved investments, valued at RM208.6 billion compared to RM64.2 billion in 2020 which is an increase of 224.9 per cent, while DDI totalled RM97.9 billion.
• Malaysia’s manufacturing sector secured projects worth RM195.1 billion in 2021, compared to the RM91.3 billion it gained in 2020, a major increase of 113.7 per cent.
• The electrical and electronics (E&E) industry received the most approved investments worth RM148 billion.
• Malaysia has secured 75 capital intensive projects valued at RM100 million and above, spurring the growth of new advanced manufacturing technologies and produce a highly-skilled workforce.
• The services sector attracted RM94.1 billion from 3,803 approved projects.
• The mining industry witnessed approved investments worth RM17.1 billion, representing 98.7 percent of the overall total investments in the primary sector driven by higher prices for crude oil and natural gas.

Kuala Lumpur, 8 March 2022 – Malaysia gained new economic growth with RM306.5 billion worth of approved investments in the manufacturing, services and primary sectors in 2021. The country remained an attractive investment destination for global and regional business expansion as total Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Domestic Direct Investment (DDI) numbers exceeded expectations with stellar performance in 2021, increasing to 83.1 per cent from the achievement attained 2020.

“Our robust business ecosystem has enabled us to secure strategic investments and forge new trade relationships placing us on a positive trajectory to propel our economy to greater heights as well as expedite efforts towards inclusive socio-economic growth.” said YB. Dato’ Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali, Senior Minister and Minister of International Trade and Industry (MITI) at the MIDA’s Annual Media Conference (AMC) 2022.

“The easing of pandemic containment measures has allowed for the resumption of economic activities coupled with high vaccination rates among diverse industries and professionals. Further efforts were put in place to ensure that the business ecosystem remains responsive to global trends with policies and initiatives for business facilitation, talent upskilling and reskilling, digitalisation and automation. In a nutshell, these measures have successfully placed our economy on a firm and resilient footing towards the path of vibrant growth and sustainable recovery,” he added.

The Senior Minister also iterated that the recent FDI’s stellar performance accounted for nearly 68.1 per cent of approved investments, valued at RM208.6 billion compared to RM64.2 billion in 2020 which is an increase of 224.9 per cent, while DDI totalled RM97.9 billion. The DDI complemented FDI performance, making up 31.9 per cent of the total investment value. The manufacturing sector led the way for total investments approved in 2021, recording RM195.1 billion, followed by the services sector RM94.1 billion and the primary sector with RM17.3 billion.

The Netherlands (RM78 billion), Singapore (RM47.3 billion), People’s Republic of China (PRC) (RM31.3 billion), Austria (RM18.9 billion) and Japan (RM9.9 billion) accounted for 88.9 per cent of total FDI approved in the manufacturing, services and primary sectors.

Pulau Pinang (RM83.5 billion) recorded the highest investments approved last year, followed by Kedah (RM68.3 billion), Kuala Lumpur (RM37.7 billion), Selangor (RM28.8 billion) and Sarawak (RM25.7 billion). These five states contributed 79.6 per cent of the total approved investments for 2021.

Manufacturing Takes the Lead

Malaysia’s manufacturing sector secured projects worth RM195.1 billion for 2021 compared to the RM91.3 billion it gained in 2020 – a major increase of 113.7 per cent. These achievements will offer 74,575 job opportunities, whereby 28,698 are managerial, technical, supervisory and skilled (MTS) positions.

The electrical and electronics (E&E) industry received the most investment opportunities, with 94 approved projects worth RM148 billion. Besides the E&E industry, Malaysia attracted high levels of approved investments in other industries, including basic metal products (RM19.4 billion), chemicals and chemical products (RM5.8 billion), rubber products (RM5.8 billion) and food manufacturing (RM5.4 billion). 

Malaysia has secured 75 capital intensive projects valued at RM100 million and above and these projects will spur the growth of new advanced manufacturing technologies and produce a highly-skilled workforce.

Pulau Pinang (RM76.2 billion) recorded the highest investments approved last year, followed by Kedah (RM66.2 billion), Pahang (RM10.5 billion), Selangor (RM7.5 billion) and Johor (RM7.0 billion). These five states alone contributed more than 85 per cent of the total approved investments for 2021.

The manufacturing sector continued to be the mainstay of the economy for 2021 generating significant multiplier effects on the nation’s activities and growth. The percentage of quality projects approved increased to 81.3 per cent in 2021. As reflected by the MTS (Managerial, Technical, Supervisory and Skilled) Index, the number of job opportunities in these positions increased to 38.5 per cent in 2021.

The Less Developed Areas (LDAs) incentive was introduced in 2015 to spur regional development and inclusiveness through substantial employment creation and rural development in the country’s transition to a high-income economy. In 2021, we secured a total of RM 80.7 billion (41.4 per cent) worth of approved investment, compared to RM 34.3 billion (37.6 per cent) gained in 2020. The Senior Minister stressed that “As part of the realisation of the Shared Prosperity Vision 2030, it is notable that in 2021, we secured a total of RM 80.7 billion worth of approved investments for less developed areas.”

Notable projects approved last year consist of multinational corporations in the high-impact and high-technology industries that have established their operations in Malaysia. This includes Risen Solar, which will invest RM42.2 billion to bring design development and manufacturing of solar modules and solar cells, followed by Intel Electronics with an investment of RM30 billion to produce wafer fabrication and stacked dies. AT&S, a global leader of high-end printed circuit boards (PCB) and integrated circuit (IC) substrates with an investment of RM8.5 billion, will establish design development and manufacture of its IC Substrates in Kulim Hi-Tech Park. This massive expansion attests to Malaysia’s capabilities to facilitate mega business growth. A subsidiary of a Fortune 500 company, SK Nexilis, has also announced its first overseas production base in KKIP Industrial Complex, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah with an investment of RM4.29 billion.

The investment of RM3.25 billion by Infineon Technologies in Melaka, further strengthen the Malaysia’s position as the global semiconductor hub. Sheng Long Aqua Technology will produce aquaculture feed with investments of RM3.03 billion. Ibiden Electronics’ investment will involve a multilayer PCB expansion worth RM886 million.

Taiyo Yuden has pledged enormous investments to expand its manufacturing capability in multilayer ceramic capacitors production in Sarawak, injecting RM680 million in capital investments. The Kuching facility spanning over 36,500 square meters, is expected to operate by March 2023. It will include using high-tech equipment with state-of-the-art features, supporting high-energy conservation and incorporating solar-powered roofs, in line with Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Goals.

Other notable investments are from Wilmar Greenfarm Vegan Food, a domestic player in the food-tech and resource-based industry, will be investing RM196.39 million for its manufacturing wing is a new project set to increase its production volume of agro and vegan food products for consumers. Greatech Integration’s RM182.52 million expansion project aims to produce factory automation systems and related modules and components in Batu Kawan, Pulau Pinang. At the same time, Delta Industrial has invested RM154.38 million to undertake the design and development, manufacturing and assembly of amphibious aircraft in Subang Jaya.

Malaysia’s Services Sector is Expanding

Malaysia’s diversified services sector continues to embrace digitalisation to move up the value chain and boost operational efficiency when remote-working and automation trends have accelerated due to the COVID-19 pandemic. New services have materialised through the invention of the Internet of Things. Artificial intelligence and the cloud network have redefined the service sector’s importance in Malaysia’s economy.

The Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint (MyDIGITAL) is designed to strengthen the foundation and development of the country’s digital infrastructure. The blueprint aims to attract RM70 billion investments to accelerate digitalisation efforts. The digital economy is expected to contribute 22.6 per cent to the country’s GDP and aims to open 500,000 job opportunities by 2025.

The Digital Investment Office (DIO) was established to facilitate digital investments in Malaysia, in line with the government’s aim to attract RM70 billion investments to accelerate digitalisation efforts by 2025. The setting up of the DIO in collaboration with Malaysia Digital Economy Cooperation (MDEC) is timely and in line with the evolution of the global investment landscape towards digitalisation and Industry 4.0, creating unique and interesting value propositions for digital projects. Leveraging on synergies between the two investment promotion agencies, a total of RM3.4 billion investments have been approved under the DIO, involving data centre and Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) status projects.

In 2021, Malaysia secured 3,803 projects in the services sector worth RM94.1 billion in approved investments. The DDI brought RM69.2 billion in 2021 compared to RM63.5 billion in 2020 in this sector, underscoring the inherent strength of Malaysia’s companies that could be leveraged further for export of services.

The top five contributors of approved investments in this sector were real estate (RM28.8 billion), global establishments (RM19.7 billion), financial services (RM12.0 billion), utilities (RM9.6 billion) and information and communications (RM8.2 billion), experiencing 36.6 per cent in growth, valued at RM78.3 billion of approved investments compared to 2020.

The global establishments sub-sector recorded RM19.7 billion in 2021, higher than RM595.2 million achieved in 2020. A total of 102 principal hubs, regional and representative offices were approved in 2021 and expected to offer 3,838 new positions for highly-technical professionals.

As part of its advances in developing IR4.0 technologies to accelerate Malaysia’s digital transformation, Huawei Technologies (Malaysia) is gearing up for the next frontier in 5G innovation with its new Global Operational Headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

The Twelfth Malaysia Plan has also made green growth a priority, specifically focusing on green technology and energy sustainability as the main factors to advance Malaysia’s green economy. Malaysia is optimistic to become a net-zero carbon country by 2050. Berjaya Alam Murni’s Sustainable Schedule Waster Treatment Centre (SSWTC) will invest RM172.95 million to develop an integrated waste management facility.

Another notable project, L.Q. Hotel, a Singapore-based company will be investing RM689 million to establish its presence in Kuala Lumpur. Under the green technology industry is the Solarpack Suria Sungai Petani that will invest RM353.13 million to build a Large-Scale Solar (LSS) Photovoltaic in Kedah. In Selangor, ILM Logistics is set to implement its expansion plans valued RM226.82 million.

Mining Maintains Forefront Role in the Primary Sector

The primary sector registered approved investments of RM17.3 billion in 2021, compared to RM6.1 billion in 2020. The mining sub-sector led the bulk of investments RM17.1 billion (98.7%) of total investments approved in the primary sector driven by higher prices for crude oil and natural gas. The rest of the primary sector investments comprises the plantation and commodities and the agriculture subsectors with investment values of RM211.4 million and RM20.5 million, respectively.

Charting the Path towards Resilient Economic Recovery

In stressing the imperative for economic resilience for sustainable national recovery, Dato’ Seri Azmin said “Malaysia continues to forge ahead, “powering resilience” through robust policies that will further enhance the positive trajectory we are in. The National Investment Aspirations is poised to attract high impact investments in new growth areas which bring about bountiful spill over effects to the economy. On that note, the New Industrial Masterplan 2022-2033 will further propel the local industries to accelerate digitalisation efforts and fully realise the benefits of transition into Industry 4.0.”

Reflecting the NIA in propelling Malaysia’s long-term growth through the flow of sustainable quality investment in new and complex growth areas, MITI and MIDA have lined up targeted trade and investment missions (TIM) and Specific project Missions (SPM) to accelerate investments in high technology, innovation and research-driven industries that will complement the Malaysian industrial ecosystem. In 2021, MITI and MIDA proactively completed four major TIMs to the Republic of Korea and Japan, Saudi Arabia and UAE, Qatar, Austria and Turkey, and Germany, France and the United Kingdom to secure up to RM50.2 billion worth of investments.

A total of 254 projects have been approved and implemented in 2021 with realised investments worth RM160.8 billion, making up more than 80 per cent of the approved investments in the manufacturing sector. Of the total manufacturing projects approved for the last five years, realised investments amounted to RM383.2 billion.

In efforts to help expedite vaccination for the workforce in critical manufacturing sectors, MITI, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, has initiated the COVID-19 Public-Private Partnership (PIKAS) Industrial Immunisation Programme.

Additionally, despite the ongoing international border closures and strict governmental standard operating procedures (SOPs) in place worldwide to contain the spread of COVID-19, MIDA continues to be responsive in providing advice and support to existing and potential investors through 20 overseas and 12 regional offices. The team has been at the forefront to attract investments through innovative and aggressive investment promotion activities. In ensuring ease of movement for business travellers, MIDA has also established a One-Stop-Centre (OSC) to evaluate eligible short-term business travellers’ applications to enter Malaysia for trade and investment purposes while adhering to strict SOPs. Combined with Malaysia’s National Vaccination Programme, the OSC has played an important role in Malaysia’s value proposition and ensuring a frictionless and productive flow of people, ideas and investment.

To increase the ease of doing business for investors in Malaysia, MIDA implemented the PACU@MIDA or the Project Acceleration and Coordination Unit to provide end-to-end facilitation for all projects approved to enable the timely implementation of investments in the country.

Staying ahead with the evolution of the investment landscape in the region towards digitalisation and Industry 4.0, MIDA has revamped its investment promotion and facilitation processes to strengthen and prime the nation’s digital ecosystem for the future, ensuring the country remains competitive on the path of recovery post-COVID.

These initiatives include InvestMalaysia portal – a single gateway portal to access applications that include e-Manufacturing Licence (e-ML), e-Incentive and JPC Online Application, company profiles and promotional events. Such facilities will provide users with approvals for manufacturing licenses, incentives and exemption of customs duties to expedite the execution of projects.

In collaboration with the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), MIDA has established the Digital Investment Office (DIO), a full-fledged digital platform to coordinate and facilitate digital investments in Malaysia. The DIO’s establishments raised awareness on digital investments in the country. They streamlined the coordination among all Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs) in promoting and attracting new investments in this fast-evolving segment. The role of DIO is consistent with the MyDIGITAL Blueprint and the National Investment Aspirations, guided by the essence of the Shared Prosperity Vision (SPV) 2030.

The MIDA Assessment Development Centre (MADC) is a collaboration initiative known as HyTalentProgramme, a synergised effort between three premier local universities that offers up-skilling and reskilling programmes to local graduates and talented individuals to make them career and industry-ready.

Additionally, MITI has appointed MIDA as the Implementation Agency to offer the Industry4WRD Intervention Fund, a financial support facility for Malaysian SMEs in the manufacturing and related services sectors to embrace Industry 4.0. This Fund is eligible for all SMEs which have completed the government-funded Industry4WRD Readiness Assessment (R.A.) programme.

MIDA Boosting Malaysia’s Economic Dynamism

As of December 2021, MIDA has identified 352 high-profile foreign investment projects, including Fortune 500 companies in the manufacturing and services sectors, with a combined potential investment value of RM39.2 billion within the agency’s purview. These include aerospace, electric vehicles, machinery and equipment, I.C. design, advanced electronics, advanced materials, fine chemicals, renewable energy (such as photovoltaic, optics and photonics), display technology, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, medical devices and food security. These projects will create more than 19,000 new job opportunities for the rakyat.

While 2021 presented unique economic challenges, Malaysia remains steadfast in its fundamentals as the pre-eminent preferred investment destination in the region and set to catapult the nation to stage its most robust recovery post-pandemic. As we forge ahead in the new year on the path of economic revitalisation supported by ongoing policy reforms, effective deployment of vaccination programmes and accelerated digitalisation, the government remains committed to prioritising the needs of our people and businesses.

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About MIDA

MIDA is the government’s principal investment promotion and development agency under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) to oversee and drive investments into the manufacturing and services sectors in Malaysia. Headquartered in Kuala Lumpur Sentral, MIDA has 12 regional and 20 overseas offices. MIDA continues to be the strategic partner to businesses in seizing the opportunities arising from the technology revolution of this era. For more information, please visit www.mida.gov.my and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Linkedin and Youtube channel.

For media enquiries please contact:
Ms. Fatmah Ahmad
Director, Corporate Communications Division
DL: +603-2267 2428 | Email: [email protected]

Malaysia’s Economy Continues To Soar To Greater Heights

Kuala Lumpur, 29 March 2021 – The Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA)’s digital transformation initiative or better known as InvestMalaysia Portal, an online application submission portal, is now open to public.

“As Malaysia is adapting to this new normal, MIDA’s role is more crucial than ever to help businesses thrive and create a better future for our country. The launching of InvestMalaysia Portal will help us meet investors’ expectations through optimised process automation and seamless data capturing and analysis,” said YB Dato’ Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali, Senior Minister and Minister of International Trade and Industry (MITI).

“We can expect a more efficient evaluation, an automated approval process and easier information sharing at a single entry point. We will also get live investment updates, real-time visibility of investment projects, undertake more informed decision-making, and real-time reporting. In short, this centralised Data Warehouse will allow us to make faster and more accurate analysis through automated dashboards. This initiative will enable us to enhance KPI monitoring functions in meeting the Client Charter,” added the Senior Minister.

Operational since 26 March 2021, the portal focuses to transform MIDA’s core business functions towards improved efficiency and productivity by embracing an integrated technology system to expedite the application and approval process and further allow companies to speed-up project implementation.

As to date, the digital platform offers 10 modules for online application submission and serves as a single entry point for the stakeholders via investmalaysia.mida.gov.my microsite. Among the modules available include the enhanced Manufacturing Licence (e-ML), Exemption Letter from ML, Enhanced Incentive (e-Incentive), Expatriate Posts and Representative Office/Regional Office (RE/RO), Import Duty/Sales Tax Exemption (JPC) and MIDA Confirmation Letter (SPM) as well as Domestic Sales.

To continuously improve and ensure the systems perform at optimum levels, MIDA has set up a dedicated Customer Service Unit known as CSU. The CSU unit comprises a verification team to receive clients’ applications and a specialised team with the investment-related experience to answer customers’ enquiries related to applications, facilitation and project implementations. The establishment of CSU is anticipated to improve the user confidence in the system and provide a better experience to the companies, internal users as well as external agencies.

The InvestMalaysia Portal is a commendable effort in MIDA’s automation journey to cater to the broad spectrum of audience. Through the implementation of an end-to-end automation application process, MIDA aims to aspire shorter processing time-line, improve client charter commitment for investors and complete the digital transformation goal in supporting the industry’s current and future needs.

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About MIDA

MIDA is the government’s principal investment promotion and development agency under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) to oversee and drive investments into the manufacturing and services sectors in Malaysia. Headquartered in Kuala Lumpur Sentral, MIDA has 12 regional and 20 overseas offices. MIDA continues to be the strategic partner to businesses in seizing the opportunities arising from the technology revolution of this era. For more information, please visit www.mida.gov.my and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube channel.

Media Contacts:
Manjit Kaur Balkar Singh (Ms)
Email: [email protected] | DL: +603-2267 3509

MIDA Embarks on a Digital Transformation Initiative to Re-Engineer its Business Processes and Functions: MIDA’s InvestMalaysia Portal Goes Live

“Welcoming Investors, Keeping You Safe”

Kuala Lumpur, 23 March 2021 – Malaysia is welcoming business travellers to Malaysia while keeping everyone safe by introducing a Business Travellers Centre (BTC) at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). The BTC, launched today by the Senior Minister and Minister of International Trade and Industry YB Dato’ Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali, functions to facilitate the entry of foreign business travellers into Malaysia.

Located at Gate C36, Satellite Terminal, KLIA the BTC is now open for short term foreign business travellers planning to carry out their business tasks in the country. The launching of the BTC today also marks a major milestone of the Government’s unwavering mission to revive the economy and to pave the way for economic rebound in 2021.

According to Dato’ Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali, despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, this year will be a promising year for the Malaysian economy as the Government is committed to easing business operations for both local and foreign businesses alike.

“Malaysia has pro-business and pragmatic policies that support the investment climate in the country. Our supportive business ecosystem is in fact a catalyst to attract investors not only to conduct new business activities, but to also expand and diversify their existing operations here. The BTC is reflective of our responsiveness to the current situation and in finding progressive solutions to ensure we can achieve a balance in protecting lives and livelihoods,” said the Senior Minister.

The BTC is one of the key components of the One Stop Centre (OSC) initiative by the Malaysian Government to ease the movement of Business Travellers – from entry to exit point. The Centre assumes a vital role in ensuring that Malaysia remains an attractive investment destination for foreign businesses.

It provides a seamless support system for short term Business Travellers by providing fast-track services such as below:

i. after disembarkation from the plane to taking the RT-PCR swab test at the dedicated COVID-19 Lab within the BTC, which results can be produced within 3 hours;

ii. after having declared healthy, the business travellers will proceed to the immigration green lane; and

iii. the Government will appoint a liaison officer for the business travellers with a specific business itinerary.

Short Term Business Travellers are business travellers who do not hold any dedicated entry passes and intend to stay in the country for 14 days or less, subject to the approval of the OSC committee and a strict set of Standard Operating Procedures.

To date, the OSC Committee has approved 93 applications for Short Term Business Travellers. The Short Term Business Travellers whose applications were approved are from investing companies with total investments valued at RM15 billion.

Moving forward, the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) – an agency under Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) – has identified RM82 billion worth of investments in potential leads and another RM65.9 billion in the pipeline. In realising these potential investments, services by the OSC such as the BTC are critical. The BTC is a collaborative effort between MITI, MIDA, Ministry of Health (MOH), Department of Immigration Malaysia, Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB), and Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB).

For more information, please contact the OSC Secretariat at [email protected].

OSC Secretariat (Industry Talent Management and Expatriate Division)
Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA)
Level 20, MIDA Sentral
No. 5, Jalan Stesen Sentral 5
Kuala Lumpur Sentral
50470 Kuala Lumpur
Phone: +603-2267 3633/3431

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About MIDA

MIDA is the government’s principal investment promotion and development agency under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) to oversee and drive investments into the manufacturing and services sectors in Malaysia. Headquartered in Kuala Lumpur Sentral, MIDA has 12 regional and 20 overseas offices. MIDA continues to be the strategic partner to businesses in seizing the opportunities arising from the technology revolution of this era. For more information, please visit www.mida.gov.my and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube channel.

Media Contacts:
Manjit Kaur Balkar Singh (Ms)
Email: [email protected] | DL: +603-2267 3509

Malaysia Introduces a Business Travellers Centre (BTC) at KLIA to Ease Entry of World Business Travellers

KUALA LUMPUR, 16 March 2021 – A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was inked between the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) and UMW Corporation Sdn. Bhd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the UMW Group, to further drive high-value quality investments into the country.

The two parties will capitalise on each other’s capabilities and strengths to explore potential key areas of collaboration to attract investments that would create value to the nation’s economy. These include mobility, aerospace, machinery and equipment, manufacturing and engineering, talent training, research and development as well as industrial land development. The MOU will be a stepping stone to accelerate innovative and high-value industry stakeholders, including the UMW Group, to seize opportunities arising from the technology revolution in the new norm.

The MOU was signed by Dato’ Azman Mahmud, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MIDA and Dato’ Ahmad Fuaad Kenali, President and Group CEO of UMW Holdings Berhad, at MIDA Headquarters today.

Dato’ Azman reiterated, “As a vibrant industrialising and services-oriented nation, Malaysia has geared into the next level of development as our economy becomes more diversified to cater to new growth areas. Malaysia’s investment landscape will likely remain challenging in the backdrop of the pandemic, and this timely collaboration with UMW will facilitate our nation’s industrial ecosystem with the much needed infrastructure and new technologies. MIDA trusts that through UMW’s vast industry expertise and network, our local players and technology providers could benefit in the global supply chain network.”

“This partnership will also boost the Government’s on-going efforts to position Malaysia as the pre-eminent preferred investment destination in the region. Support for businesses includes the competitive tax incentives to spur investment activity under the National Economic Recovery Plan (PENJANA) stimulus package; dedicated Project Acceleration and Coordination Unit (PACU) unit to facilitate towards successful implementation of approved projects; as well as the timely One Stop Centre (OSC) initiative to enable business travellers to travel to and continue their work in Malaysia during this pandemic,” added Dato’ Azman.

Dato’ Ahmad Fuaad Kenali expressed, “The UMW Group is embarking on a transformation journey to strengthen our businesses through innovation and technology as key enablers to meet the challenges of the evolving business environment. We are constantly exploring and evaluating relevant opportunities to expand and grow our businesses to meet the anticipated future demand. The collaboration with MIDA will allow both parties to leverage on each other’s strengths to provide capacity building opportunities to attract high-quality investments into Malaysia.”

He further added that a strong collaboration between government agencies and private sectors is paramount in positioning Malaysia as an attractive investment destinatio

In 2020, Malaysia recorded RM164 billion in approved investments through 4,599 projects in the manufacturing, services and primary sectors. These investments are expected to create 114,673 new jobs once implemented. MIDA has also identified high-profile foreign investment projects, including Fortune 500 companies in the manufacturing and services sectors, as negotiations are on-going with companies from various sectors such as automotive, chemical, and advanced electronics to make Malaysia their high-value manufacturing, services and global supply chain hub.

-End-

About MIDA

MIDA is the government’s principal investment promotion and development agency under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) to oversee and drive investments into the manufacturing and services sectors in Malaysia. Headquartered in Kuala Lumpur Sentral, MIDA has 12 regional and 20 overseas offices. MIDA continues to be the strategic partner to businesses in seizing the opportunities arising from the technology revolution of this era. For more information, please visit www.mida.gov.my and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube channel.

About UMW

The UMW Group is an international conglomerate that develops industries, manages partnerships and facilitates growth. It is involved in three core business segments – Automotive, Equipment and Manufacturing & Engineering. The Group operates in 8 countries and has over 6,700 employees.

Moving forward, UMW strives to play a leading role in shaping the future of its industries. The Company will do this by inspiring vibrant ideas, nurturing potential, pioneering partnerships and delivering excellence in everything it does; the rewards of which will contribute to the progress and well-being of all its stakeholders.

For media enquiries, please contact:

Manjit Kaur Balkar Singh (Ms)
Phone : +603 2267 3509
Email : [email protected]

S Vikneshwaran (Mr)
Phone : +6019 850 5799
Email : [email protected]

MIDA and UMW Enter Into Strategic Partnership to Support Quality Investments in Malaysia

The Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) through its dedicated unit, the Domestic Investment Coordination Platform (DICP), in facilitating local SMEs to develop further, has enabled a Malaysian financial technology (Fintech) start-up, Neurogine Sdn. Bhd. to seal an acquisition deal with Hadigy Limited, an investment holding company based in the UK.

The signing of the Shareholders’ Agreement would allow Hadigy Limited to acquire a 30 per cent stake or 1.929 million ordinary shares of Neurogine Sdn. Bhd., a Malaysian home-grown fintech start-up specialising in digitalisation of mobile banking, mobile payment and digital asset solutions.

The signing ceremony between Mr. Owen Chen Chee Onn, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Neurogine Sdn. Bhd. and Mr. Hari Iyer, Executive Director of Hadigy Limited was held virtually between Kuala Lumpur and London, witnessed by the CEO of MIDA, Dato’ Azman Mahmud at MIDA HQ.

“Among the major challenges for SMEs and start-ups to scale up include limited access to funding. MIDA has taken a proactive approach through DICP in supporting local companies, SMEs and start-ups in addressing the funding gap. The presence of foreign funders such as Hadigy Limited in this space would certainly help in accelerating the adoption of technology and stimulate the growth of fintech services in Malaysia,” said Dato’ Azman Mahmud.

Dato’ Azman Mahmud shared that in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, the local technology segments of e-commerce, fintech and medical technology would be able to entice foreign equity or venture capital investments. These sectors, which provide remote solutions by minimising and eliminating physical contacts, have emerged stronger, driven by the renewed demands from industry users in observing the SOPs of COVID-19 as recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

MIDA reckons fintech is poised as a growth driver in Malaysia in 2021 and beyond; and the country is ready to take advantage of fintech innovation. The strong support and initiatives by the Government for digital economy, supported by the growing middle class with 90.1 per cent of households having access to the Internet and 98.2 per cent access to mobile phones* are indications of the flourishing digital economy.
(*Source: DSOM report on ICT use and access by individuals and households-2019)

In line with the national investment aspiration to increase economic complexity and build Malaysian conglomerates, the Government, through MIDA and its DICP unit is committed in connecting Malaysian start-ups with international venture capital firms. The unit will further facilitate a sustainable growth path and a vibrant ecosystem for high-profile start-ups to thrive and flourish.

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About MIDA
MIDA is the Government’s principal investment promotion and development agency under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) to oversee and drive investments into the manufacturing and services sectors in Malaysia. Headquartered in Kuala Lumpur Sentral, MIDA has 12 regional and 20 overseas offices. MIDA continues to be the strategic partner to businesses in seizing the opportunities arising from the technology revolution of this era. For more information, please visit www.mida.gov.my and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Linkedin and Youtube channel.

Media contact:
Manjit Kaur Balkar Singh (Ms)
Email: [email protected] | Tel.: +603 2267 3509

MIDA Bridges Malaysian Fintech Start-up and UK Investment Firm

“Welcoming Investors, Keeping You Safe”

Kuala Lumpur, 3 March 2021 – The Malaysian government is very ‘pro-business’ and welcomes the entry of business travellers to carry out business operations amid the pandemic. In this regard, Malaysia’s Safe Travel portal which contains information and advisory services to facilitate business travellers’ entry into Malaysia is fully operational effective 3 March 2021. Both Short and Long Term Business Travellers may apply for entry permission through the dedicated portal at URL: https://safetravel.mida.gov.my. Short Term Business Travellers are required to submit the online application 14 days in advance of planned travel.

The portal is a critical component of the One Stop Centre (OSC) initiative that has been set up by the Malaysian Government effective 2 October 2020 to ease the movement of Business Travellers by expediting their entry to do business in Malaysia. The Centre assumes a vital role in ensuring that Malaysia remains steady on economic recovery and growth; while balancing public health and livelihoods, and strengthen Malaysia’s position as a competitive and preferred investment destination in Asia.

The One Stop Centre is represented by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA), Ministry of Health (MOH) and Immigration Department of Malaysia (IMI) to ensure the legitimacy and health status of business travellers before they enter into Malaysia. This initiative is also a joint collaboration between MIDA, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Wisma Putra), Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB), Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB) and Talent Corporation Malaysia Berhad (TalentCorp).

Short Term Business Travellers

Short Term Business Travellers are business travellers who are not holding any passes, and intend to stay in the country for 14 days or less. They may be considered for exemption from mandatory quarantine subject to the approval of the OSC Committee and adherence to strict Standard Operating Procedures. Short Term Business Travellers are categorised as follows:

1. Potential investors seeking to do business in Malaysia
2. Existing investors, namely business owners, board members, executives and associates of companies in Malaysia (without Employment Pass)
3. Business customers for product qualification and validation before commercial production

Technical experts for ad-hoc emergency cases to serve single or multiple customers across Malaysia

Business Travellers from the above four (4) categories may also apply for Social Visit Pass under Long Term Business Travellers, should they plan to stay for more than 14 days in the country.

Long Term Business Travellers

Long Term Business Travellers are business travellers who hold valid passes and intend to stay in the country for more than 14 days. They will be subject to mandatory quarantine as per the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) guideline, Malaysia. The Long Term Business Travellers are categorised as follows:

1. New/Existing expatriates stranded abroad, namely active holders of Employment Pass (EP) and Resident Pass-Talent (RP-T).
2. New/Existing foreign technical experts stranded abroad with Professional Visit Pass (PVP) to serve multiple customers across Malaysia.
3. Frequent foreign business travellers (Exit & Return), including Regional Establishments (RE), Regional Operations (RO) and Principal Hubs (PH) representatives.
4. Permanent Resident (PR) Pass Holders.
5. Malaysia My 2nd Home (MM2H) Social Visit Pass Holders.
6. Frequent Malaysian business travellers (Exit & Return).
7. Social Visit Pass Holders.

Business Travellers must obtain relevant visas (if applicable) from the respective Malaysian Embassy or High Commission/ Consulate General Offices abroad before their departure to Malaysia.

For more information, please contact the OSC Secretariat at [email protected].

OSC Secretariat (Industry Talent Management and Expatriate Division)
Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA)
Level 20, MIDA Sentral
No. 5, Jalan Stesen Sentral 5
Kuala Lumpur Sentral
50470 Kuala Lumpur
Phone: +603-2267 3633/3431

*****

About MIDA

MIDA is the government’s principal investment promotion and development agency under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) to oversee and drive investments into the manufacturing and services sectors in Malaysia. Headquartered in Kuala Lumpur Sentral, MIDA has 12 regional and 20 overseas offices. MIDA continues to be the strategic partner to businesses in seizing the opportunities arising from the technology revolution of this era. For more information, please visit www.mida.gov.my and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube channel.

Media Contact:
Manjit Kaur Balkar Singh (Ms)
Email: [email protected] | DL: +603-2267 3509

Malaysia’s Safe Travel Portal For Business Travellers Goes Live

Kuala Lumpur, 2 March 2021 — YAB Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Prime Minister of Malaysia, received a courtesy call from Nine Dragons Paper (Holdings) Limited led by its Chairlady, Madam Cheung Yan, at his office in Putrajaya today. The meeting was also attended by YB Dato’ Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali, Senior Minister and Minister of International Trade and Industry (MITI); YBhg. Dato’ Azman Mahmud, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) and Mr. Zhang Cheng Fei, Deputy CEO of Nine Dragons Paper.

In welcoming the Group’s latest overseas venture into Malaysia, YAB Tan Sri Muhyiddin acknowledged that, “As of December 2020, a total of 572 manufacturing projects with China interest with investments of RM78.61 billion have been approved by MIDA. Nine Dragons Paper (Holdings) Limited and its subsidiaries are among the major paper and paperboard producers in Asia, engaging in the manufacturing of containerboard products, including linerboard, high performance corrugating medium, coated duplex board and carton box.”

“The Company is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange’s main board and currently ranked first in the China Fortune 500 list under the sector of paper, printing and packaging companies. The Group owns facilities in China, Vietnam and the United States with an annual production capacity of more than 18.4 million tonnes and valued at more than 60 billion Renminbi (RMB). The Group also boasts of a total workforce of approximately 19,000 people. We are confident that Nine Dragons Paper being a China Fortune 500 company will be an endorsement for Malaysia as a preferred investment destination.” added YAB Prime Minister.

The Group’s investments in Malaysia consists of two (2) manufacturing facilities, namely ND Paper (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. in Bentong, Pahang involving the acquisition of an existing pulp and paper mill with total investment value of RM1.2 billion; and ND Paper Malaysia (Selangor) Sdn. Bhd. in Banting, Selangor with investment value of RM4.2 billion that will focus on test liner, kraft liner, corrugated medium paper, paper and pulp. These projects will create a total of 2,180 job opportunities of which, nearly 90 per cent will be Malaysians. The project in Banting, Selangor is expected to be in operation by 2022.

Both factories will be fully automated and equipped with Industry 4.0 technology such as system integration, Internet of Things (IoT), big data analytic and cloud computing from Europe and China.

Chairlady Cheung Yan remarked, “The investment environment in Malaysia is attractive. The country’s strategic location and infrastructure; established local supply chains that are well-integrated into the global value chain as well as the strength of its skilled talentpool offer an undeniable competitive advantage to our business. Moreover, Malaysia’s business-friendly policies such as its latest initiative of the One Stop Centre (OSC) for Business Travellers managed by MIDA to ease travel for businesses further strengthened our confidence in investing here. I am very grateful to make this investment decision based on these fundamentals. We believe governments and enterprises need to mutually support and collaborate with each other. We are ready to be part of Malaysia’s diverse industry.”

YAB PM reiterated that the Malaysian Government’s policy is always pro-business and very supportive and ready to offer attractive incentives to investors. To ensure Malaysia remains steady on the path of economic recovery and growth, the Government, through MIDA set up the OSC effective 2 October 2020. This initiative eases the movement of Short Term and Long Term Business Travellers by expediting their entry to do business in Malaysia through a dedicated committee represented by Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), MIDA, Ministry of Health (MOH) and Immigration Department of Malaysia (IMI). This committee meets daily to ensure the legitimacy and health status of business travellers before they enter into Malaysia. Decisions are made within three working days for each applicant upon receiving complete information.

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About MIDA

MIDA is the government’s principal investment promotion and development agency under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) to oversee and drive investments into the manufacturing and services sectors in Malaysia. Headquartered in Kuala Lumpur Sentral, MIDA has 12 regional and 20 overseas offices. MIDA continues to be the strategic partner to businesses in seizing the opportunities arising from the technology revolution of this era. For more information, please visit www.mida.gov.my and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube channel.

About Nine Dragons Paper

Founded in 1995, Nine Dragons Paper has now become one of the leading paper manufacturing groups in the world after more than 20 years’ efforts in business development and efficient management, as well as continuous support from all of its business associates. The Group primarily produce linerboard, high performance corrugating medium and coated duplex board. It also produces printing and writing paper, specialty paper, pulp, high performance corrugated cardboard and high performance carton boxes. Nine Dragons Paper (Holdings) Limited was listed on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2006.

Media Contacts:

MIDA
Manjit Kaur Balkar Singh (Ms)
Email: [email protected] | DL: +603-2267 3509

Nine Dragons Paper
Isabel Kow (Ms)
Email: [email protected] | DL: +6012 313 0590

Malaysia Welcomes the Largest Paperboard Producer in Asia – Nine Dragons Paper to Invest RM5.4 Billion in Malaysia

Manufacturing Sector Takes the Lead with an Increase of 10.3 per cent in Approved Investments

Kuala Lumpur, 2 March 2021 – The global economic environment in 2020 was very challenging, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which had its contagion effects on major economies throughout the world. Despite the challenges, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) through the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) is committed to ensuring that Malaysia continues to be positioned as an investor-friendly location for long term growth of both foreign and domestic businesses.

“Malaysia recorded a total of RM164 billion in approved investments through 4,599 projects in the manufacturing, services and primary sectors in 2020. These investments are expected to create 114,673 new jobs in various sectors of the economy once implemented,” announced YB Dato’ Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali, Senior Minister and Minister of MITI.

In contrast, a total of 5,287 projects with investments of RM211.4 billion were approved in 2019. This decline was weighed by the services and primary sectors which were directly impacted by declines in global demands due to the pandemic and the Movement Control Order (MCO) implementation.

In 2020, domestic direct investments (DDI) accounted for the bulk of the total approved investments with a contribution of 60.9 per cent (RM99.8 billion), while foreign direct investments (FDI) made up the remaining RM64.2 billion (39.1%).

The manufacturing sector led the way for total investments approved in 2020, recording RM91.3 billion, followed by the services sector RM66.7 billion and the primary sector with RM6.0 billion.

The People’s Republic of China (RM18.1 billion), Singapore (RM10.0 billion) and the Netherlands (RM7.0 billion) were the top three (3) FDI sources from overall economic sectors in Malaysia, accounting for more than half (54.8%) of the total approved FDI for the year. Selangor (RM38.7 billion) recorded the highest investments approved last year, followed by Sabah (RM21.0 billion), Sarawak (RM19.6 billion), Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur (RM17.1 billion) and Pulau Pinang (RM16.0 billion). These five states alone contributed more than 60 per cent of the total approved investments for 2020.

Manufacturing Takes the Lead

The manufacturing sector has the most significant multiplier effect on the nation’s activities and growth; it will continue to be the mainstay of the economy. This includes forward and backward linkages, the development of cluster industries, the transfer of new technologies, and skills development, to name a few.

Malaysia’s manufacturing sector recorded approved investments of RM91.3 billion for 2020, an increase of 10.3 per cent from 2019. The number of manufacturing projects approved also increased by 6.2 per cent from 988 projects in 2019 to 1,049 projects in 2020.

When implemented, these approved manufacturing projects will create new jobs for more than 80,000 people. Of these, 35.8 per cent are in the managerial, technical and supervisory (MTS) positions, including engineers, plant maintenance supervisors, tools and die makers, machinists, IT personnel, quality controllers, electricians and welders.

FDI accounted for 62 per cent (RM56.6 billion) of total approved investments in the manufacturing sector, while domestic investments constituted the remaining 38 per cent (RM34.7 billion). It is important to note that despite the challenging times, DDI surged by 22.6 per cent while FDI increased by 3.9 per cent compared to 2019.

The People’s Republic of China was the top investor in the manufacturing sector in Malaysia, contributing RM17.8 billion of the total foreign investments approved in the sector. The People’s Republic of China was also the largest source of foreign investments in the manufacturing sector for five consecutive years. Other major sources of FDI include Singapore (RM8.8 billion), the Netherlands (RM6.5 billion), USA (RM3.7 billion), Hong Kong SAR (RM2.9 billion), Switzerland (RM2.8 billion), Thailand (RM1.9 billion), Japan (RM1.7 billion) and Republic of Korea (RM1.4 billion).

Selangor (RM18.4 billion) was the largest recipient of investments in the manufacturing sector for 2020, followed by Sarawak (RM15.7 billion), Pulau Pinang (RM14.1 billion), Sabah (RM12.0 billion) and Johor (RM6.8 billion). These five states constituted 73.4 per cent of total approved investments in the sector last year.

“Against the backdrop of the challenges due to the pandemic, new project investments, accounting for 66.9 per cent of the total manufacturing projects approved, were successfully secured in 2020. This is a testament to MITI and MIDA’s efforts to ensure business continuity and investors’ friendly policies are in place to enable investors to have the confidence to establish new operations in the country,” said YB Dato’ Seri Azmin.

“Our team has also tenaciously worked to ensure projects approved are implemented smoothly. This can be seen through the commendable rate of implementation in approved projects. For the period 2016-2020, a total of 4,178 projects were approved, of which 70.0 per cent with investments worth RM197.2 billion have been implemented in the country,” he added.

Moreover, in line with Malaysia’s move towards sophisticated technology industries, capital intensive projects which involve advanced technology and skilled workforce dominated the manufacturing landscape. This is reflected in the increase of capital investment per employee (CIPE) ratio to RM1,138,055 in 2020 from RM1,052,497 in 2019. Furthermore, a total of 101 projects were approved with investments of RM100 million and above.

In terms of top-performing industries in 2020, the electrical and electronics (RM15.6 billion), petroleum products including petrochemicals (RM15.5 billion), basic metal products (RM14.4 billion), paper, printing and publishing (RM7.8 billion), machinery and equipment (RM7.1 billion), chemicals and chemical products (RM6.3 billion), rubber products (RM4.3 billion) as well as transport technology (RM3.9 billion) contributed nearly 90 per cent of the total approved investments in the manufacturing sector last year.

“It is noteworthy that investments in the three catalytic sub-sectors namely, electrical and electronics, machinery and equipment and chemical, and two high growth areas – aerospace and medical devices outlined within the Eleventh Malaysia Plan (RMK-11) constituted more than one third (38.6%) of the total approved investments on the manufacturing sector with investments valued at RM35.2 billion in 2020. As the year 2020 marked the end of the Eleventh Malaysia Plan, the Government is currently finalising the Twelfth Malaysian Plan. This post-2020 blueprint will set the way forward for Malaysia’s development agenda over the next decade. We are optimistic that it will chart the way to further enhance Malaysia’s industrial competitiveness strategies in essential and key industries for sustainable economic transformation to elevate our manufacturing and the services sectors to the next level of sophistication and complexity in the new normal post COVID-19 and beyond,” remarked YB Dato’ Seri Azmin.

Notable projects that were approved last year consist of multinational corporations in the high-end and high-technology industries that are newly establishing their operations in Malaysia. This includes Dexcom, a US company and leader in continuous glucose monitoring system will be producing their niche offerings in Pulau Pinang; where else Switzerland-based electrical measurement company, LEM will set up its new production plant in Malaysia to meet the growing demand of its customers in the industrial and automotive sectors. Chinese-owned LSChem Industry will produce a variety of speciality oleochemicals in Tanjung Langsat Industrial Park, Johor Bahru. LSChem Industry’s project is expected to be catalytic to roll out the biodiesel initiatives in Malaysia, which is in line with the Government’s goal to increase the usage of biodiesel. Singapore-owned CytoMed Therapeutics (Malaysia) will also invest in the country to undertake stem cell research and therapy.

Existing MNCs also continue to undertake major reinvestments into high-end products and activities in Malaysia, illustrating Malaysia’s on-going value proposition to investors. Nippon Electric Glass (NEG), a leading Japanese manufacturer of speciality glass that had established their Malaysian operations since 1992 looks to expand their production capacity of glass tubing for pharmaceutical use in the country given the demand for its products following the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out. Additionally, US-based Bruker will be expanding its investments in Pulau Pinang to manufacture high-tech analytical scientific instruments such as optical and stylus profilometers, tribometers, X-ray diffraction tools, X-ray fluorescence instrumentation, optical emissions spectrometers and combustion gas analysers.   Local players such as Amerix Metal Machining Technology have also seized the opportunity to expand and diversify their operation last year, further enhancing Malaysia’s supporting industry network capabilities. The Company’s expansion project looks to adopt a sophisticated high precision manufacturing concept in Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) and process tracking model in customised Enhanced Resource Planning (ERP) system to produce automation electro-mechanical servo reel to reel moulding systems for the back-end semiconductor industry.

Continuous Investments for Services

“In 2020, Malaysia’s proposition as a hub for business and investment for the services sector attracted a total of RM66.7 billion in approved investments through 3,527 approved projects, accounting for the 40.7 per cent of the total approved investments in the economy. These approved services projects are expected to create 33,652 jobs to the economy,” said YB Senior Minister and Minister of MITI.

DDI dominated the total approved investments in the services sector, contributing RM60.2 billion (90.3%), where else FDI represented the remaining RM6.5 billion.

The majority of the main services sub-sectors showed a significant decline in approved investments except for MSC status projects and other services such as BioNexus status and software developments. The top five (5) contributors of approved investments in the services sector were real estate (RM31.2 billion), utilities (RM10.8 billion), support services (RM5.2 billion), telecommunications (RM5.2 billion) and MSC status projects (RM3.9 billion).

Under the purview of MIDA, the support services industry covered sub-sectors such as integrated logistics, research and development, green technology, integrated circuit design, oil and gas services and licensed warehouse.

“Last year, notable services projects approved include Redsol, a new joint venture large scale solar project between Malaysia and Netherlands in Perak; as well as the expansion of the Japanese firm, Fumakilla Malaysia’s R&D undertaking in developing insecticide products and other household products in the country as part as its efforts to centralise its R&D Centre to support its manufacturing activities carried out in Malaysia and Asia,” added YB Dato’ Seri Azmin.

Mining Takes the Lead in the Primary Sector

The primary sector registered approved investments of RM6.0 billion in 2020, compared to RM7.0 billion in 2019. The mining sub-sector led the bulk of investments in the primary sector, contributing 99.5 per cent of total investments approved in the sector. The rest of the primary sector investments comprise the plantation and commodities subsector and the agriculture subsector, which registered investments of RM27 million and RM2.4 million, respectively.

Bracing for a Better Tomorrow

Malaysia continues to be a competitive investment destination despite the current uncertainties, proven by its rankings in the global economic scene. The DHL Global Connectedness Index (GCI) 2020 positioned Malaysia second (2^nd) among Asia Pacific countries and sixteenth (16th) out of 169 countries for trade connectivity. A joint study by KPMG and The Manufacturing Institute in the US entitled ‘Cost of Manufacturing Operations around the Globe’ also ranked Malaysia fourth (4^th) among 17 economies in an assessment comparing the economy’s competitiveness as a manufacturing hub; positioning us ahead of countries in Asia such as China, Japan, Vietnam and India. Furthermore, Malaysia is ranked 12th in the World Bank’s Doing Business 2020 and 27th in the IMD World Competitiveness 2020.

“These rankings by reputable international agencies attests that on-going reform initiatives are on the right track to further enhance Malaysia’s competitiveness, productivity and governance which will help promote investments and accelerate national economic development,” said YB Dato’ Seri Azmin.

However, at the end of the third quarter 2020, the country saw a third wave of COVID-19 infections. This led the Government to implement the conditional movement control order (CMCO), to strike a balance between preserving lives and livelihoods; curbing the spread of the virus while allowing economic activities to open. The Government was forced to impose further restrictions via the introduction of MCO 2.0 due to the unabated virus surge. The implementation of MCO 2.0 has understandably raised the question of whether Malaysia would still be able to maintain the speed of economic recovery.

“The Government, through MIDA, continued to be at the forefront to entice more high-value investments in the areas of technology and innovation to position Malaysia as an alternative supply chain hub in Asia. Investors will undeniably derive value by taping on Malaysia’s well-established local supporting industry network and talented workforce to undertake high-tech products manufacturing and high value-added services to serve their clients in the region, in the present and the future,” added YB Dato’ Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali.

In efforts to increase the ease of doing business for investors in Malaysia, MIDA’s efforts has been intensified to re-engineer its business processes to raise the efficiency of the organisation’s various functions. Among the initiatives that have been implemented include the PACU@MIDA or the Project Acceleration and Coordination Unit to provide end-to-end facilitation for all projects approved to enable the timely implementation of investments in the country; as well as online modules, namely e-Manufacturing Licence (e-ML), e-Incentive and JPC Online Application to accelerate the necessary approvals for manufacturing licences, incentives and exemption of customs duties to expedite the execution of projects.

Additionally, despite the on-going international border closures and strict governmental standard operating procedures (SOPs) in place worldwide to contain the spread of COVID-19, MIDA continues to be responsive in providing advice and support to existing and potential investors through its established footprint of 20 overseas and 12 regional offices. It has been at the forefront to entice investments through innovative and aggressive investment promotion activities. A One-Stop-Centre (OSC) has also been established at MIDA to evaluate eligible business travellers’ applications to enter Malaysia for trade and investment purposes.

As at December 2020, MIDA has RM65.9 billion worth of potential investments being actively evaluated. These projects, once approved, are expected to be implemented within the year 2021 to 2022. MIDA has also identified 240 high-profile foreign investment projects, including Fortune 500 companies in the manufacturing and services sectors, with a combined potential investment value of RM81.9 billion. These include on-going negotiations with companies from various sectors such as automotive, chemical, and advanced electronics to make Malaysia their high-value manufacturing, services and global supply chain hub.

“The Government’s newly unveiling of Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint (MyDigital) will also further accelerate Malaysia’s progress to becoming a technologically-advanced economy. The 10-year roadmap will lay the foundations for the country’s transformation towards an advanced digital economy and guide MITI and MIDA in our efforts to continue attracting high-value investments of the future,” said YB Dato’ Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali. While the year 2020 was a challenging year in many sense of the word, Malaysia is steadfast in its fundamentals as the pre-eminent preferred investment destination in the region. As we forge ahead in the new year on the path of economic revitalisation coupled with the rollout of the national vaccination programme, the Government remains committed to prioritising the needs of our people and businesses.

*****

About MIDA

MIDA is the Government’s principal investment promotion and development agency under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) to oversee and drive investments into the manufacturing and services sectors in Malaysia. Headquartered in Kuala Lumpur Sentral, MIDA has 12 regional and 20 overseas offices. MIDA continues to be the strategic partner to businesses in seizing the opportunities arising from the technology revolution of this era. For more information, please visit www.mida.gov.my and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Linkedin and Youtube channel.

Media Contact:

Manjit Kaur Balkar Singh (Ms)

DL: +603-2267 3509 | Email: [email protected]

Malaysia Records RM164 Billion of Total Approved Investments In 2020 Amid Global Pandemic

MIDA Annual Media Conference 2018

MEDIA RELEASE

APPROVED INVESTMENTS IN 2017 CREATES 139,520 ADDITIONAL
JOB OPPORTUNITIES IN MALAYSIA

1. In 2017, Malaysia recorded approved investments of RM197.1 billion in the manufacturing, services and primary sectors. These are from 5,466 projects that will generate an additional 139,520 job opportunities for the country. Domestic direct investments (DDI) accounted for the bulk of it or 72.2% at RM142.4 billion, while foreign direct investments (FDI) contributed RM54.7 billion, making up 27.8% of the total.

2. The overall investment performance moderated by 7.4%. This was due to lower approved investments recorded in the services sector which saw a decline of 17.2%, from RM146.2 billion in 2016 to RM121.1 billion in 2017. The decline was affected by the real estate subsector which saw a 28.7% drop in value to RM45.7 billion despite a 43.1% increase in the number of projects approved, reflecting a change in investment strategies towards smaller sized projects in this subsector.

3. Nonetheless, the overall investment performance was bolstered by the manufacturing and primary sectors which recorded increases of 8.9% and 51.2% respectively. The qualitative aspects of investments attracted into Malaysia in 2017 were evident on many fronts, such as job and business opportunities as well as the transfer of technology.

4. More and more global companies are making Malaysia their hub. This includes Osram Opto Semiconductors’ world’s most advanced LED chip factory, B.Braun’s Global Center of Excellence for Intravenous Access products which comprises production and R&D functions, Peugeot’s ASEAN manufacturing hub, IKEA’s Regional Distribution and Supply Chain Centre for ASEAN, Honeywell’s ASEAN Regional Headquarters and Schlumberger which made Malaysia their largest shared services hub in the group in addition to their procurement service centre, human resource hub, financial hub and two regional hubs.

Manufacturing Sector

5. The manufacturing sector recorded total approved investments of RM63.7 billion, increasing 8.9% from RM58.5 billion in 2016.

Investment by Industry

6. The petroleum products including petrochemicals and natural gas recorded the highest total approved investments of RM26 billion, followed by electronics & electrical (E&E) products (RM9.7 billion), non-metallic mineral products (RM7.7 billion), transport equipment (RM4.8 billion), chemicals and chemical products (RM4.1 billion), machinery & equipment (RM2.2 billion), food manufacturing (RM2.1 billion) and scientific & measuring equipment (RM2.0 billion). These eight industries accounted for RM58.6 billion or 92% of total investments approved in this sector.

7. The E&E industry in Malaysia has evolved over the years. Starting with only a few global companies in the 1970s that were undertaking labour intensive, low technology and low value added activities, the industry now has a full range of semiconductor, solar and LED clusters with many companies undertaking higher value added products and front-end activities including design, research and development. For example, Intel which was only undertaking assembly and test activities in the past is currently engaged with a full integration of assembly & test including R&D activities with a complete internet of things (IoT) system solution. Other long term E&E global investors include Osram, Infineon, Motorola and Panasonic.

8. The strengthening of the E&E ecosystem has spilled over to the development of the local industry players. This includes companies that undertake wafer fabrication activities such as SilTerra, those involved in outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) activities such as Inari, Unisem and Carsem, automated test equipment manufacturers such as ViTrox and VisDynamics, electronics manufacturing service providers such as K-One Technology, Nationgate and SMT Technologies, engineering service providers such as Xperior as well as those in IC Design activities such as Infinecs and Oppstar Technology.

Domestic vs Foreign

9. Domestic investments were dominant, contributing 66.2% of the total investment approved, while the balance came from FDI. Most of the domestic investments were in new projects (RM31.8 billion) while RM10.3 billion went into expansion or diversification projects.

10. In 2017, MIDA approved another project for the Pengerang Integrated Complex (PIC), a highly integrated refining and petrochemical complex that is set to highlight Malaysia’s status as a global leader in the petrochemical products industry. It is part of the 22,000 acres Pengerang Integrated Petroleum Complex (PIPC) with current approved investment of USD27.2 billion. Once completed, PIC will provide 4,000 job opportunities. As at January 2018, the PIC project execution progress is on track at 84%.

11. Besides Pengerang, among notable domestic investments approved including those that are majority owned by Malaysians are Petronas Floating LNG1 and Malaysian Refining Company in the petroleum products including petrochemical and natural gas industry, Salutica Allied Solutions and Inari Technology in the E&E industry, Muhibbah Marine Kuantan for the shipbuilding and ship repair segment, SME Aerospace and T7 Kilgour in aerospace, Sokachem in chemicals & chemical products industry, Ibronx and Greatech Integration in the M&E industry, and Upha Pharmaceutical and Duopharma in the pharmaceutical industry.

12. The sector’s biggest foreign investor was People’s Republic of China (PRC), Switzerland, Singapore, the Netherlands and Germany. These five nations jointly accounted for RM12.1 billion or 56% of foreign investments approved in 2017. In 2016, the top foreign investors were PRC, the Netherlands, Germany, UK and Republic of Korea with total investments of RM15.4 billion.

13. Despite China being the top FDI source for two years in a row, the value of investments has dropped by 18.7% from RM4.8 billion in 2016 to RM3.9 billion in 2017. China’s investments have diversified into many industries including the non-metallic mineral products, transport equipment, rubber products and E&E products.

14. Projects with China participation approved as at 2017 include Longi, Xinyi Energy Smart, Xinyi Solar, Jeje Energy Technology, CGPV Industrial Building System, Just Energy Technology and Intco Malaysia. Longi for example has made investments of more than RM1 billion in setting up an integrated solar plant in Sama Jaya Free Industrial Zone. This has created 2,142 job opportunities for Malaysians, whereby 569 is in the managerial, professional and technical category. For CGPV Industrial Building System, as at December 2017, the company has invested more than RM400 million and provided 217 jobs for the production of industrial building system (IBS) components including reinforced concrete, slab, column, beam and wall panels.

15. Overall, foreign investors were more active in expansion and diversification projects in the manufacturing sector, contributing RM13.9 billion or 64.4% of the total foreign investments approved in the manufacturing sector for 2017, while new projects accounted for the rest. Most of these projects involve the production of high-technology, high-value-added goods; a notable step towards achieving Malaysia’s industrial ambitions.

16. Among them include Osram, Robert Bosch, B. Braun, Longi, Visco, AJ Biologics, Verdezyne, Shibata, Fatty Chemical, Altech Chemical, Bruker Malaysia, Sandisk, Infineon, Hotayi, Air Liquide, Hanwha Q Cells, Kato Manufacturing, Sato Malaysia and ASE Electronics Malaysia.

a. For example, Osram Opto Semiconductor continued to expand with the opening of its new state-of-the art semiconductor facility. With this, Malaysia now has the world’s most advanced LED chip factory and a complete LED ecosystem. With this expansion, the company’s total investment is at RM4.2 billion and will provide 7,790 job opportunities by 2020, whereby 73% are for Malaysians.
b. There was also a RM2.6 billion expansion project by Robert Bosch Malaysia to manufacture instrument cluster panels and connectivity modules, adding 194 high-value-added jobs to the country. Malaysia stands to benefit from the company’s efforts for the development of local vendors as well as the export gains, as 100% of its products made in Malaysia will be exported.
c. B. Braun Medical Industries also had an expansion project approved worth RM1.2 billion to manufacture medical devices, pharmaceutical sterile intravenous (IV) solutions, and surgical instruments and implants using automated and state-of-the-art processes and creation of 809 new jobs of which 164 are salaried positions of RM10,000 per month and above.
d. Verdezyne also had an investment approved for the manufacturing of dodecanedioic acid (DDDA) using yeast fermentation technology, creating 75 additional jobs, with some salaried positions of RM10,000 per month or higher. With the company’s first commercial-scale renewable chemicals manufacturing facility, this will add to the advancement of biotechnology in the country, and catalyse the palm industry.

CIPE Ratio

17. The manufacturing projects approved last year were more capital intensive. The capital intensity, measured by capital investment per employee (CIPE) ratio of projects approved within the sector last year recorded a notable increase of 23.7% from the CIPE of RM912,239 in 2016 to RM1,128,742 in 2017. There were 9 projects approved with investments of at least RM1 billion, totalling RM34.7 billion (54.5%) of total investments approved in this sector. As for investments of at least RM100 million, 80 projects were approved with total investments of RM52.4 billion (82.3%) of all investments approved in this sector.

Employment Opportunities Created

18. From the total 687 projects approved, 56,420 job opportunities were created. Of these, 14,155 (25.1%) were in managerial, technical, or supervisory roles, an increase of 21% from 2016. Meanwhile, a total of 9,870 (17.5%) were positions for skilled workers. The E&E industry generated the highest amount of employment opportunities with 10,593 jobs, followed by transport equipment (9,112), and machinery and equipment (6,078).

Investment by State

19. Johor was the highest recipient of approved investments amounting to RM21.9 billion, followed by Pulau Pinang (RM10.8 billion), Sarawak (RM10.5 billion), Selangor (RM5.6 billion) and Melaka (RM4.7 billion). These five states contributed 84% of the total investments approved in 2017. In 2018, MIDA is collaborating with each State Agency in its Invest Series programme to further promote the unique comparative and competitive advantages of the states in the country. So far, MIDA has undertaken 4 sessions covering Perlis, Kedah, Kelantan and Pahang. Each session has been well attended by an average of 100-150 participants which consist of large companies, foreign and local business chambers and associations.

Implemented Investment

20. As at 31 December 2017, 2,920 out of 3,698 manufacturing projects approved during the five-year period of 2013 to 2017 are in production with the rest still under construction or final machinery installation. Total investment in these implemented projects amounted to RM201.4 billion. A further 45 projects with investments of RM6.3 billion have acquired sites for factories, while 575 projects (RM71.9 billion) are in the active planning stage. When these 620 projects are implemented, total additional realised investments in these manufacturing projects will amount to RM78.2 billion.

21. In 2016, from a total of 733 approved projects, 617 projects or 84% have started production. These realised investment have created 47,617 jobs for Malaysia, whereby 22.5% are within the salary above RM3,000. Meanwhile in 2017, despite being just approved within the year, there were already 215 projects in production. These realised investment have created 15,147 jobs for the country. Notably, 31% of these jobs are with a salary above RM3,000. Examples of approved projects in 2016 and 2017 that are already in production, are Sanmina-SCI Systems, BASF Petronas Chemicals, Straits Orthopaedics, Go Automobile Manufacturing, Spirit AeroSystems, Keysight Technologies, Omni Oil Technologies and Press Metal Bintulu.

Services Sector

22. The services sector remained as the largest contributor to the total approved investment contributing 61.4% or RM121.0 billion in 2017. The year-on-year approved investment value for the services sector contracted by 17.2% last year but the number of projects recorded an increase of 7.7% from 4,392 approved projects in 2016 to to 4,731 in 2017. Domestic investment occupied the lion share of the total in the services sector with RM92.2 billion, while foreign investments made up the rest of RM28.8 billion.

23. The real estate subsector made up the highest portion at RM45.7 billion or 37.7%, followed by global establishments (RM14.0 billion or 11.6%), financial services (RM11.8 billion or 9.7%), and distributive trade (RM9.4 billion or 7.8%).

24. Global establishments approved in 2017 accounted for investments of RM14.0 billion and created 2,028 job opportunities for Malaysia. From the 225 global establishment projects, 9 were Principal Hub (PH) projects, bringing the total to 28 PH projects approved since the scheme was introduced in 2015. Notable companies with global establishments in Malaysia include Nestle, Honeywell, Lazada, Huawei, Ikea, Roland, FM Logistics, Pos Malaysia and Integrated Device Technology. These establishments not only bring in business commitments for the long term, but also utilises Malaysia’s banking, financial services and other ancillary services while generating high skilled employment opportunities.

25. In 2017, the approved PH projects were a mixture of both large and small MNCs with committed business spending of RM13.64 billion, utilising ancillary services worth RM1.21 billion. These projects created 569 new high-value employment opportunities with a wide scope for knowledge transfer for Malaysians. Among them are foreign companies from the Netherlands, United Arab Emirates, Germany, Japan and the US operating in key economic sectors such as E&E, commodities and food & beverages.

26. Notable PH projects approved in 2017 include Integrated Device Technology (IDT), a global leader in the semiconductor industry; Roland, a leading Japanese based electronic musical instrument manufacturer; and IKEA, the Dutch-headquartered retail furniture giant. With IDT’s new establishment, Malaysia will become the hub for its Advance Automotive Technology Center, whereby its test operation activities will be shifted from Germany to the country. This will benefit Malaysians in terms of the transfer of cutting edge technology and knowledge. As for Roland, its Principal Hub aims to rationalise the Group’s global supply chain by centralising planning, procurement, logistics, sales and marketing and R&D to achieve synergy and to optimise and improve the Group’s profitability. IKEA’s Regional Distribution and Supply Chain Centre in Pulau Indah, Selangor will serve 12 retail stores in ASEAN, which will increase to 20 stores by 2026.

27. For 2017, positive growth in the services sector was registered for sub-sectors with relatively high value added activities such as healthcare services, transport, hotel & tourism and distributive trade.

a. The healthcare services sub-sector last year jumped 136.1% to RM445.1 million from RM188.5 million approved investments in 2016. Malaysia’s ongoing efforts to maintain high quality healthcare services contributed to a boost in its medical tourism. According to the Malaysian Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC), the country is fast becoming a famous medical tourism destination, mostly for cosmetic surgery, dental and orthopaedic treatments. Among the anchor private healthcare players in Malaysia are KPJ Healthcare Berhad, IHH Healthcare Berhad (Pantai and Gleneagles Hospitals), Ramsay Sime Darby Healthcare and Columbia Asia Malaysia.

b. The transport sub-sector hiked up by 119% in 2017 to RM4.5 billion from RM2.0 billion investments approved in 2016. The aviation sector saw 13 new projects with total investments amounting to RM596.7 million, 1 project in the highway construction and maintenance segment amounting to RM3.7 billion and 2 projects in maritime amounting to RM180.2 million.

c. Malaysia’s increasing popularity as a luxury tourist market has helped position the country’s tourism sector as one of the major contributors to the nation’s economic success. A total of 70 projects worth RM9.2 billion was approved in this sub-sector in 2017. Malaysia has received many accolades in the tourism sector including the 10th Most Visited City in the World by Euromonitor International Report 2017. These achievements underscore the attractiveness and capabilities of the country’s tourism sector.

28. The services sector, as a whole continued to be the largest employer in the economy, having created 82,172 job opportunities in 2017 or 59% of total job opportunities in the manufacturing, services and primary sectors. Distributive trade, MSC status companies, and hotel and tourism generated the bulk or 84% of the total job opportunities in the services sector.

29. Transformation of the services sector is ongoing with an emphasis on shifting towards one that is knowledge-intensive and innovation-focused. For example, in growing the potential of the country’s e-commerce sector, the Government has implemented various initiatives to develop the financial and logistics infrastructure, which forms the backbone of the e-commerce ecosystem. The e-commerce contribution to GDP is expected to grow to 6.4% in 2020. With the introduction of the Digital Free Trade Zone (DTFZ) and Go e-Commerce initiatives to name a few, the contribution of e-commerce to GDP is expected to be higher than the targeted rate.
Primary Sector

30. Last year, the primary sector saw a substantial increase of 51.2% in approved investment from 48 projects worth RM12.4 billion compared to RM8.2 billion from 41 projects in 2016. Investments from domestic sources totalled RM8.1 billion or 65.3% while foreign investments contributed RM4.3 billion or 34.7%. The mining sub-sector led with approved investments of RM11.7 billion in 32 projects, mainly from the oil and gas exploration activities. This is followed by the plantation and commodities sub-sector with investments of RM672 million, and the agriculture sub-sector making up the rest of approved investments

Going Forward

31. As global economic growth is forecast to expand between 3.0% to 3.3%, the overall investment performance in Malaysia is also expected to follow this favourable trend with GDP projected at 5.2% for 2018 and 2019. This will further benefit Malaysia’s domestic economic activities and boost business confidence to invest in the country.

32. Nonetheless, MITI/MIDA is cautiously optimistic about 2018 and continues to intensify efforts at attracting quality investments into the country. The 2017 performance, while moderate, was hard won against significant international competition. Despite the restructuring and reorganisation of companies that have resulted in retrenchments, it is worth noting that the manufacturing, services and primary sectors remain encouraging and there are no lack of opportunities in these sectors. Notably, a large portion of the affected workers in the manufacturing sector have been absorbed by other firms which are expanding in Malaysia, such as Keysight, Inari, HP, Osram and Infineon. New investments that are coming in, as well as the expansion by many established firms in the country, will also provide more job opportunities for Malaysians.

33. As at 31 January 2018, MIDA has 379 manufacturing & manufacturing related services projects with investments totalling RM69.5 billion in the pipeline. These were mainly in machinery & metal products, chemical products, global establishments and support services.

Download  Media Release AMC 2018

Download  Siaran Media AMC2018

Download  Chairman Speech AMC2018

Download  Presentation Slides – Malaysia Investment Performance Report 2017

Download  Presentation Slides – Malaysia Investment Performance Report 2017 – for press

View Investment Data

Posted on : 06 March 2018

Malaysian Investment Performance Report 2017

Companies Need to Align with the Dynamic Ecosystem of the Automotive Industry

21 March 2018, Selangor – YB Datuk Chua Tee Yong, Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry (MITI) officiated the Towards Autonomous Technologies Conference 2018, a collaborative efforts between MIDA (Malaysian Investment Development Authority), CREST (Collaborative Research in Engineering, Science and Technology) and DRB-HICOM University held at the MIDA headquarters, today. The event, with a theme “Embracing Future Innovations”, was attended by more than 150 participants ranging from industry players, academia and government agencies.

“Technological advancement particularly those related to connectivity and autonomous technology will increasingly change the way we commute daily and travel from one place to another. The increasing speed of innovation and shared mobility solutions will give rise to new business models. Together, these developments will reshape the industry landscape and help define the future of transportation,” said YB Datuk Chua Tee Yong at the conference.

“Malaysia is not far behind from this technological development. We have notable local companies and universities that have initiated several development projects related to autonomous vehicles and its related technologies. For example, our home grown company, REKA has started developing its own self-driving or autonomous car technology since September 2016. Another example is the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), which has been conducting research and development (R&D) activities on developing a fully automated vehicle since 2017. An AV prototype was developed through the collaboration between UTM and Moovita Pte Ltd. The prototype is based on a 7-seater vehicle and after just six months of extensive development and testing, the vehicle made its debut to the public in January 2018,” added YB Datuk Chua.

In his welcoming remarks, Dato’ Azman said, “Today’s conference is part of MIDA’s continuous efforts in providing platforms for industry stakeholders to discuss and exchange ideas in new and emerging areas. MIDA sees that the potential benefits of autonomous vehicles in urban transportation system are enormous and wide-reaching. To achieve them, it requires the right mix of ambition, planning, regulation testing and careful execution in a setting that involves multiple stakeholders. Therefore, the conference today feature various experts sharing on issues, challenges, technology breakthroughs and perhaps some recommendations for Malaysia to pursue this journey towards producing more autonomous vehicle technology,”

The conference featured a broad spectrum of the ecosystem representing academicians from the Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and DRB HICOM University; the industry players/experts (BOSCH, Clarion, REKA, Frost & Sullivan), industry association (Malaysia Automotive Association), and the relevant Government related bodies including the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), Malaysian Research of Road Safety Research (MIROS) and Malaysia Automotive Institute (MAI) and Perbadanan Kemajuan Negeri Perak (PKNP).

*****

For more information, please contact:

Mdm Jasbir Kaur Bachan Singh

Director, Transportation Technology Division, MIDA

Tel.: 03-2267 6798 | Email: [email protected]

Download:

Speech by Deputy Minister MITI_Autonomous Tech Conference

Speech by CEO of MIDA_Autonomous Tech Conference

Embracing Future Innovations

Strengthening the Manufacturing Ecosystem

8 March 2018, Selangor – “Successful industrial parks can be centres of growth and innovation, support local development and contribute to the advancement of the national economy. Thus, development of industrial parks is an important issue that needs to be addressed accordingly as we step up our game to ensure Malaysia remains among the top destination for investments in the region,” said YB Dato Seri Ong Ka Chuan, Second Minister of International Trade and Industry (MITI) at the Industrial Park Forum for Central Region held today at the Dorsett Grand Hotel, Subang Jaya, Selangor.

“The country needs to develop industrial parks that are ready to receive quality investments and meet the complex needs of investors. Failure to meeting this requirements can lead to loss of business opportunities for the industrial parks’ developers and on a larger context, may risk Malaysia of being sidelined when it comes to attracting quality investments. All park developers and managers need to seize the wave of industries that are coming into Malaysia by providing the next generation industrial parks. In realising this aspiration, I would like to urge the local authorities, technical agencies and utility providers to also come on board as these entities are important in building comprehensive industrial parks for investors,” added the Second MITI Minister.

The Forum, a collaboration between the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) and the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM), was attended by more than 200 participants representing the entire spectrum of relevant stakeholders – from local authorities, park developers & managers, utility companies, manufacturers and potential investors. Also present were YBhg. Dato’ Azman Mahmud, CEO of MIDA and YBhg. Dato’ Soh Thian Lai, President of FMM.

In his welcoming remarks, Dato’ Azman said, “Looking at the business trends today, MIDA believes that in order to attract more quality investments, we have to move faster by re-engineering our industrial parks to meet the demands of new emerging markets and industries. Presence of well-developed industrial parks can be a magnet to attract high value added investments, thereby creating high income jobs for the people. Being the first point of contact for investors, MIDA will take the lead as the authority to oversee the performance and regulate the industrial parks; as well as to assist potential investors in identifying suitable locations to place their facilities.”

The Industrial Park Forum for Central Region marks the first of its series and more will be organised throughout 2018 in the northern and southern regions as well as East Malaysia. By the end of the roadshow, MIDA and FMM will publish a Directory of Industrial Parks in Malaysia.

The Forum featured a panel discussion with broad range of speakers representing developers (MIDF Property Berhad, Matrix Concepts Holdings & Eco World Development Group Berhad, and UMW Land Sdn. Bhd.), investors (European Union-Malaysia Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) Kuala Lumpur & Asli Mechanical Sdn. Bhd.), local councils and utility companies. This was then followed by a one-on-one engagement with developers and biz clinics with the utility companies, as well as financial institutions.

*****

For more information, please contact:

En. Ahmad Tajudin Omar

Director, Domestic Investment & Supply Chain Coordination Division, MIDA

Tel.: 03-2267 3627 | Email: [email protected]

Download:

Speech by YBM II_Industrial Park Forum @ Central Region

Speech by CEO of MIDA_Industrial Park Forum@Central Region

MIDA Organises Inaugural Industrial Park Forum

Performance of the Manufacturing Sector Rose by 37.2%

 

Approved Investments in the Manufacturing, Services and Primary Sectors Chart Rm201.7 Billion In 2018

The Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) today, in conjunction with the visit of His Excellency Moon Jae-In, President of the Republic of Korea to Malaysia this week. The partnership includes information exchanges on investment environment, opportunities, and promotion activities, as well as best practices of investment promotion

12 March 2019, Kuala Lumpur – The Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) today, in conjunction with the visit of His Excellency Moon Jae-In, President of the Republic of Korea to Malaysia this week. The partnership includes information exchanges on investment environment, opportunities, and promotion activities, as well as best practices of investment promotion.

“MIDA has been working together with KOTRA for a long time. Every year we organise investment missions to South Korea where there will be seminars, roundtable meetings, and one-on-one sessions with Korean investors, to promote business opportunities in Malaysia as well as to provide updates on the latest policies and economic landscape. KOTRA has always been one of our supporting organisations. So, we are excited to seal this strong cooperative relationship in investment promotion,” said Dato’ Azman Mahmud, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MIDA.

“We trust that through this partnership, we will be able to leverage on KOTRA’s establishments in ten regional headquarters, and 124 overseas centres in 86 countries. With this, we will also be able to provide more rewarding connections for both our business communities. As Korea is well known for its advanced technologies particularly on robotics, we hope to get more of such investments in these areas, particularly as Malaysia is going full speed into the knowledge and digital economy,” added Dato’ Azman.

MIDA in collaboration with the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) will be organising the Malaysia-Korea Business Forum at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Kuala Lumpur on 14 March 2019. The event is expected to gather 400 participants, which will mostly be Korean businessmen. The President of the Republic of Korea and the Minister of International Trade and Industry Malaysia will grace the event. KOTRA is one of the supporting organisations for this event.

******

For further information, please contact:

Mr. Nelson Samuel

Director, Foreign Investment Promotion, MIDA

Tel: 03-2267 3787

Email: [email protected]

ABOUT MIDA

MIDA is the government’s principal promotion agency under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) to oversee and drive investments into the manufacturing and services sectors in Malaysia. Starting operations in 1967 with a relatively small set up of 37 staff, MIDA has grown to become a strong and dynamic organisation of over 700 employees. Headquartered in Kuala Lumpur Sentral, MIDA today has 12 regional and 20 overseas offices. MIDA continues to be the strategic partner to businesses in seizing the opportunities arising from the technology revolution of this era. For more information, please visit www.mida.gov.my and follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

ABOUT KOTRA

Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) is KOTRA Republic of Korean government’s trade and investment promotion arm to enhance national prosperity and competitiveness. KOTRA assists interested parties worldwide to do business with Korea with extensive worldwide network of Korea Business Centres in 86 countries. Please visit www.kotra.or.kr

Download:

Speech by CEO of MIDA_MIDA & KOTRA MoU Signing Ceremony

MIDA and KOTRA Signs MoU for Investment Promotion Cooperation

Second phase will commence at the end of April 2019

Kuala Lumpur, 21 March 2019 – A total of 24 graduates from the first batch of the Apprenticeship Programme received their ‘Sijil Kemahiran Malaysia’ at the convocation ceremony held at the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA)’s headquarters, today. The programme is a joint-effort between MIDA and the Ministry of Education Malaysia (MOE), the Department of Skills Development (DSD) and the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM).

The Apprenticeship Programme is a 2-year initiative which targets PT3 (‘Pentaksiran Tingkatan Tiga’ or Form Three Assessment) leavers. This programme is adapted from the German TVET training model, of which 70 per cent of training is carried out in the industry while the remaining 30 per cent is conducted in training institutions. This is a fast-track programme which aims to provide skilled workers that can be absorbed immediately into the industry.

The event was attended by Mr. Zabidi Mahbar, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of MIDA and Dato’ Sri Norazman Ayob, Deputy Secretary General (Trade) of International Trade and Industry (MITI) who represented the Minister of MITI, YB Datuk Darell Leiking.

In YB Datuk Darell’s speech, which was read by Dato’ Sri Norazman Ayob, “This Apprenticeship Programme is a good example of MIDA’s industry-academia initiative to produce a high-skilled workforce capable of contributing substantially to the industry development. In line with the National Policy on Industry 4.0 or the Industry4WRD launched last year, the Government continues to promote cooperation between educational and skills institutions with the industry to ensure that graduates do not only have basic knowledge but are able to adapt to current technological changes. I am very delighted to know that MIDA will be bringing this programme to the national level with greater involvement from more than 100 companies and 700 students.”

The first series of the Apprenticeship Programme involved five companies namely Royal Selangor International, Top Glove, Gethi Engineering, Fire Fighter Industry and YKGI Holdings as well as three vocational colleges namely Setapak Vocational College, Klang Vocational College and Sungai Buloh Vocational College.

Mr Zabidi, Deputy CEO of MIDA who read the speech on behalf of Dato’ Azman Mahmud, CEO of MIDA, said, “The availability of skilled manpower is crucial in transforming all sectors of the economy towards knowledge-intensive activities, promoting employee productivity and attracting quality investments into Malaysia. Every year, the number of manufacturing projects approved by MIDA continues to increase. Therefore, industry-led training for the development of local skilled-workforce and industry-academia cooperation is required to ensure that the offerings are in line with industry demand. Hence, this program is a game-changer to drive the TVET agenda forward. The second phase of the MIDA-MOE-FMM Apprenticeship Programme will commence in late April 2019. MIDA urge more companies to come on board to create more placement opportunities for the participants of this programme.”

These graduates were presented with their ‘Sijil Kemahiran Malaysia’or Malaysian Skills Certificate in the areas of Industrial Machining, Electrical Technology, Electronic Technology and Welding Technology.

***

About MIDA

MIDA is the Government’s principal promotion agency under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) to oversee and drive investments into the manufacturing and services sectors in Malaysia. Starting operations in 1967, MIDA has grown to become a dynamic organisation of over 700 employees. Headquartered in Kuala Lumpur Sentral, MIDA has 12 regional and 20 overseas offices. MIDA continues to be the strategic partner to businesses, seizing opportunities arising from the technology revolution.

For further inquiries, please contact:

Mr. Mohamad Ismail Abu Bakar

Director, Industry Talent Management and Expatriate Division, MIDA

Tel.: 03-2267 6715 | Email: [email protected]

24 Students Graduated From MIDA-MOE-FMM Apprenticeship Programme

Smart manufacturing at forefront of the annual showcase

KUALA LUMPUR, 28 March 2019 – Unlocking greater productivity within Malaysia’s industrial sectors is one of the national strategies to drive continuous economic growth and expansion. The electrical and electronics (E&E) industry in particular, has the makings to further boost the national economy.

According to the 2018 Malaysian American Electronics Industry (MAEI) Survey Report, the E&E industry has enabled Malaysia to successfully position itself into the global supply chain of electronic manufacturing services, outsourced semiconductor assembly and testing as well as in research, design and development. Representing 36.7% of Malaysia’s total exports in 2017, the industry is expected to flourish even further and by 2020, is expected to generate a gross national income impact of RM53.4 billion and create 157,000 jobs.

This growth will be primarily supported by the megatrend of the IoT (Internet-of-Things) that has multiple applications and increased use of wearable gadgets, smart home applications, automotive industry and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.

Given this backdrop, SEMI, the global not-for-profit association advancing the global electronics manufacturing supply chain, and MIDA will once again bring SEMICON Southeast Asia to Malaysia from 7-9 May 2019, at Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC).

Dato’ Azman Mahmud, CEO of the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) said, “It has been fiveyears since MIDA embarked on this collaboration with SEMI to promote the technological advancements taking place in the semiconductor industry. We continue to find this partnership valuable as this event has been a good platform for our investors particularly the local players to learn about the latest technologies in the industry as well as to have networking opportunities with strategic partners. MIDA is committed to attracting high quality and high technology investments into the country. We find SEMI Southeast Asia’s goals through this upcoming flagship event to be in line with our aspirations to encourage the development of the entire manufacturing ecosystem. This valuable platform also provides opportunities for potential investors to explore what Malaysia could offer as an ideal investment destination.”

Mr.Ng Kai Fai, President of SEMI Southeast Asia, said “Globally, we foresee that the semiconductor market revenue will continue its healthy trajectory over the coming years amid a softening in 2019 given the rapid pace in the development of smart manufacturing, consumer technologies, autonomous vehicle, wireless communications and AI enabled by the IoT.

The E&E industry has a long history in Southeast Asia’s prosperity and is a significant part of Malaysia’s economic engine of growth. Against the backdrop of a semiconductor renaissance, as many would term it, E&E players around the world are leveraging on Industry 4.0 or Smart Manufacturing to increase productivity and achieve further growth without compromising on quality, cost or speed. It almost goes without saying that we need to accelerate the adoption of Smart Manufacturing within the Malaysian E&E sector to remain relevant and globally competitive.

There is also a general perception that the E&E industry is labour intensive, but many fail to realise that it is also highly automated and supported by state-of-the-art technologies. Therefore, in moving up the value chain, Malaysia needs to take into account the rise in automation and embrace smart manufacturing. With this in mind, SEMICON Southeast Asia 2019 is proud to be the first in Malaysia to bring a ‘live’ smart factory to the show, giving industry peers the opportunity to view and experience end-to-end microelectronics manufacturing brought to life. Each component along the pavilion’s multi-step line is displayed, virtually or with actual equipment on the floor from front-end through packaging and test to final board and system assembly.”

Recognised as the region’s premier industry gathering connecting innovators, products and technologies across the electronics manufacturing supply chain, SEMICON Southeast Asia 2019 is themed ‘Think Smart Make Smart’ andaims to foster the resilient and growing electronics manufacturing supply chain in Southeast Asia. The show will feature three themed pavilions, five global pavilions, and a host of keynote presentations and forums that will address key, trending topics within the semiconductor ecosystem.

To register for SEMICON Southeast Asia 2019 visit http://www.semiconsea.org/.

SEMICON Southeast Asia 2019 Strategic Partners:

Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI)

Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA)

Supporting Partners:

Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE)

Malaysia Productivity Corporation (MPC)

Malaysian Industrial Development Finance (MIDF)

Malaysia Automotive Robotics and IoT Institute (MARII)

Standard and Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia (SIRIM)

Malaysian Institute of Microelectronic Systems (MIMOS)

Export-Import Bank of Malaysia Berhad (EXIM Bank)

Department of Standards Malaysia

InvestKL Malaysia

Invest Penang Malaysia

Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB)

Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture

Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines (SEIPI)

Singapore Manufacturing Federation (SMF)

The Center of Applied Data Science (CADS)

Silicon Saxony

DreamCatcher

Sponsors:

ADLINK Technology Singapore Pte Ltd Advantest

ASE Group ASM Technologies

Applied Materials Carl Zeiss Pte Ltd

Cimetrix^®Cohu

Edwards Vacuum Evatec

GLOBALFOUNDRIES Intel

Kanken Techno KLA Corporation

Kulicke & Soffa Kx

Lam Research Mi EQUIPMENT

OMRON PTW Asia

SCREEN Siemens Malaysia

Tokyo Electron UPS

ViTrox Corporation Berhad

About SEMI

SEMI^® connects more than 2,260 member companies and 1.3 million professionals worldwide to advance the technology and business of electronics manufacturing. SEMI members are responsible for the innovations in materials, design, equipment, software, devices, and services that enable smarter, faster, more powerful, and more affordable electronic products. Electronic System Design Alliance (ESD Alliance), FlexTech, the Fab Owners Alliance (FOA) and the MEMS & Sensors Industry Group (MSIG) are SEMI Strategic Association Partners, defined communities within SEMI focused on specific technologies. Visit www.semi.orgtolearnmore, contact one of our worldwide offices,and connect with SEMI on LinkedIn and Twitter.

About MIDA

MIDA is the government’s principal promotion agency under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) to oversee and drive investments into the manufacturing and services sectors in Malaysia. Starting operations in 1967 with a relatively small set up of 37 staff, MIDA has grown to become a strong and dynamic organisation of over 700 employees. Headquartered in Kuala Lumpur Sentral, MIDA today has 12 regional and 20 overseas offices. MIDA continues to be the strategic partner to businesses in seizing the opportunities arising from the technology revolution of this era. For more information, please visit www.mida.gov.my and follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

***

This news release is issued on behalf of

SEMI by Acendus Communications Sdn Bhd

For further enquiries, please contact Michael Poh at 012 395 5202 or

Reshvinder Kaur at 017 275 7985

Download:

MIDA CEO’s Talking Points_Pre-Event Media Conference_ SEMICON 2019

Posted on : 28 March 2019

 

Driving Local E&E Industry via SEMICON Southeast Asia 2019

Nine Malaysian Aerospace Companies Participated in 2018

Langkawi, 27 March 2019 – The Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) continues to explore opportunities for collaboration between local industry players and international aerospace companies through its ‘Industrial Linkage’ programmes. The first programme was held in Turkey last year and was participated by nine Malaysian companies. The initiative has led to a signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Malaysian Aerospace Industry Association (MAIA) and Turkish Aerospace. Another way forward is to establish a consortium between Malaysian companies and Turkish companies to explore potential business opportunities between both countries.

During the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) Exhibition 2019, MIDA took the opportunity to organise a Seminar on the Aerospace Industry with the theme, ‘Gearing Up Towards Future Technologies’. The half-day seminar, which attracted 150 local and foreign participants, was officiated by Dato’ Lokman Hakim Ali, the Secretary-General of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI). Also present was Dato’ Azman Mahmud, Chief Executive Officer of MIDA.

The event was part of MIDA’s on-going engagement to enhance the competitiveness of the industry and discuss on the requirements of high technology industries and some of the new emerging technologies that will be the game changer for the aerospace industry in Malaysia. It featured speakers from Rolls-Royce, Composites Technology Research Malaysia (CTRM) and MTC Aerosystems who are leading experts in the industry. On talent development and research and technology elements, the speakers were from Universiti Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Institute of Aviation Technology (UniKL-MIAT) and Strand Aerospace Malaysia respectively.

Malaysia has the right ingredients to be the outsourcing centre for aerospace products and services. Since the launch of MEASAT-1 and first Malaysia Aerospace Industry Blueprint, the industry has maintained positive growth. The country is now recognised for its design and manufacturing capabilities of composites, aircraft components and avionics systems.Over the years, the country has developed a strong supply chain, consisting of both global and local industry players, supplying to global companies such as Airbus, Boeing and Rolls Royce. Based on the industrial ecosystem that has been established throughout the years, the industry has a lot of potentials.

For the period of January-December 2018, eleven projects were approved in the aerospace industry with investments of RM816 million. Foreign investments amounted to RM338 million (41%). The majority of these investment (RM478 million or 59%) were from domestic investments. The approved projects are expected to generate a total of 2,442 employment opportunities.

MIDA’s other initiatives include its Supply Chain Conferences with Tier 1 and Tier 2 companies. The most recent conference organised by MIDA was with Rolls Royce in December 2018. Such events aim to facilitate local vendor development and enhance the capabilities of Malaysian companies in supporting MNCs’ operations. From the Rolls Royce supply chain conference, there are now on-going business engagements between Rolls Royce and nine Malaysian companies to further explore future collaborations.

****

For further information, please contact:

Mr. Zahirul Ishak

Transportation Technology Industry Division, MIDA

Tel: 03-2267 6621

Email: [email protected]

Download:

Welcoming Remarks by KSU MITI_ Seminar on Aerospace Industry (LIMA 2019)

MIDA to Organise Three More Linkages Programme For the Aerospace Industry In 2019

In compliance with the Movement Control Order announced by YAB Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Prime Minister of Malaysia to contain the Covid-19 outbreak, the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) will close all its premises in KL Sentral and throughout the country from 18 March to 12 May 2020. MIDA has established its work-from-home arrangements and will be using various digital platforms to remotely connect with its stakeholders

Kuala Lumpur, 18 March 2020 – In compliance with the Movement Control Order announced by YAB Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Prime Minister of Malaysia to contain the Covid-19 outbreak, the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) will close all its premises in KL Sentral and throughout the country from 18 March to 12 May 2020. MIDA has established its work-from-home arrangements and will be using various digital platforms to remotely connect with its stakeholders.

MIDA will continue to be responsive in providing advice and support to its clients. MIDA officials, particularly the Directors and Deputy Directors can be easily contacted through their respective emails at https://tinyurl.com/MIDAcontact or through [email protected]

For more information and updates, please visit www.mida.gov.my or follow MIDA on its social media platforms namely Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.

ABOUT MIDA

MIDA is the government’s principal investment promotion and development agency under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) to oversee and drive investments into the manufacturing and services sectors in Malaysia. Headquartered in Kuala Lumpur Sentral, MIDA has 12 regional and 20 overseas offices. MIDA continues to be the strategic partner to businesses in seizing the opportunities arising from the technology revolution of this era.

For more information, please contact:

Ms Zalina Zainol

Director, Corporate Communications Division, MIDA

Tel.: 03-2263 2437 Email: [email protected]

Posted on : 18 March 2020

MIDA Implements Work-From-Home Arrangements From 18 March to 12 May 2020