KULIM:The country’s electrical and electronics (E&E) exports continue their upward trend for the eighth consecutive month this year, International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said.
He said the E&E exports grew 21.4 per cent to RM220.56 billion for January-August period this year compared with the corresponding period last year.
“Embracing new and emerging technologies will be key in helping our companies capture new opportunities and remain relevant in the rapidly changing global economic landscape.
“I trust that with concerted effort between the government, industry players both big and small, and other stakeholders, will see the rise of more smart products and services in Malaysia,” he said when opening the Osram’s new semiconductor plant at the Kulim Hi-Tech Park here today.
Mustapa said the E&E industry in Malaysia offers good prospects for investors as the country is now the world’s seventh largest exporter of E&E products with a total export of RM287.7 billion last year.
He said the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) approved 107 E&E projects with investments worth RM9.24 billion and of these, RM1.29 billion were from domestic sources, while RM7.94 billion from foreign sources.
“These have created over 16,200 jobs for the country. For the first half of this year, approved investments in the E&E industry recorded RM5.8 billion, which is already 62.8 percent of the total approved investments in the E&E industry last year. These 47 projects will create additional 5,670 jobs,” he said.
On Osram, Mustapa said the company joined the list of notable German companies that continued to reinvest and expand in Malaysia.
Osram is among companies that have set a good example in leveraging Malaysia’s advantages and moving up the value chain, he added.
Being one of the eight pioneer electronic companies, he said Osram has been an integral contributor to the nation’s social and economic well-being, investing millions of ringgit and creating thousands of jobs.
“I am pleased to note that with this expansion, the company’s total investment as at October 2017 is now RM4.2 billion, offering 7,790 jobs by 2022, whereby 73 per cent of these are for Malaysians.
“Around 67 per cent of these jobs are for engineers in R&D (research and development) and production activities,” he said.
Mustapa said the wealth of experience and knowledge Osram brought to Malaysia would create much spillover benefits to the stakeholders in the industry, particularly their technological and innovation excellence directly from Germany.
This will add to the government’s efforts in facilitating the transition of industries in Malaysia towards Industry 4.0, he said.
“The government through MIDA has created a business-friendly environment that is conducive to companies such as Osram to grow and expand here.
“MIDA’s efforts, in collaboration with the relevant agencies, in facilitating these globally renowned corporations have gone a long way in changing the state’s industrial landscape,” he said.
Based in Munich, Osram is a globally leading lighting manufacturer with a history dating back 111 years and the product portfolio includes high-tech applications based on semiconductor technology such as infrared or laser lighthing.