PENANG has continued to attract foreign investment following the announcement of National Instruments (NI), the provider of automated test equipment, to inject a US$40 million (RM170 million) expansion of its multifunctional facility in Penang.
Asia Pacific manufacturing vice-president and NI Penang managing director P. Rajesh said the expansion would take place at the 2.4ha of land next to its current facility.
He said 250 additional jobs would be created for the next three years as the broad-based expansion involves investment in key areas, such as research and development (R&D), 5G manufacturing and Asia Pacific sales shared service centre.
“The construction is slated to commence in the third quarter of 2021 while the project is expected to take about 12 months to complete.
“Our growing operations in the country speak loudly of the quality of pool of talent we have in Penang.
“We are extremely pleased with the success here and it marks another important milestone in our journey,” he said during the NI’s announcement of the expansion plan in Batu Maung.
NI is headquartered in Austin, Texas in the United States and it has direct operations in more than 50 countries.
It currently has around 1,000 employees in Penang with many of them working in managerial, technical and supervisory role.
Rajesh said the Batu Maung site is a critical hub for NI’s global operations after Austin in Texas and Debrecen in Hungary.
“The country remains at the forefront technology and we are committed to providing our employees with the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in the Industry 4.0 in line with the state government’s initiative,” he added.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, who was present at the ceremony, was delighted with the expansion announcement.
“The expansion is important to attract investors to the state.
“This investment is not possible without all of you here,” he said, drawing applause from the NI’s staff members.
“The expansion facility is related to Industry 4.0, 5G and autonomous vehicle markets,” he said.
Chow was later taken on a tour inside the factory.
Also present were NI chief executive officer Alex Davern, NI chief operating officer Eric Starkloff, Chow’s special adviser Datuk Seri Lee Kah Choon, investPenang chief executive officer Datuk Loo Lee Lian, Penang Development Corporation (PDC) general manager Datuk Mohd Bazid Abd Kahar and other distinguished guests.
Story by Edmund Lee
Pix by Law Suun Ting
Video by Ahmad Adil Muhamad