Malaysia’s E&E to play critical role post-Covid-19

SEMI Southeast Asia believed that the Malaysian electrical and electronics (E&E) landscape will remain robust in the coming months.

This will be supported by the immense opportunities offered by the industry, especially with the rise in remote working, virtual learning and e-commerce.

These insights were shared during a webinar hosted by SEMI, featuring Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) chief executive officer Datuk Azman Mahmud, United Overseas Bank investment strategist Francis Tan and SOITEC chief executive officer Paul Boudre.

SEMI president Bee Bee Ng said the global semiconductor market had shown early signs of resilience to the economic turmoil caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Part of the strength comes from the nature of the industry itself, which is present and plays a role in growing other vital sectors such as healthcare, automotive and retail.

“We foresee the E&E landscape in Malaysia stabilising in the coming months, on the back of demand for smart manufacturing capabilities, automation and technological innovations,” Ng said.

“Our diversified economic structure and continuous support from the government in balancing public health and the livelihood of the people, underpin the growth momentum of the country’s industrial capacity,” she added.

Meanwhile, MIDA has introduced Malaysia’s Lighthouse Project, a concept of modelling companies that embraced digital manufacturing and globalisation 4.0 in their business model and entire supply chain.

Azman said MIDA was assisting existing companies from various industrial sectors, including the E&E industry to transform and emerge as lighthouses.

“We look forward to having more E&E companies enhancing their operations in Malaysia, especially those that are well engaged in lighthouse operations in growing their business journey in the country.

“Companies should tap on Malaysia’s strong fundamentals which includes the E&E infrastructure and business ecosystem developed over the last 50 years,” he said.

Source: NST