GEORGE TOWN: Taiwanese circuit board materials manufacturer Elite Material Co Ltd (EMC) has begun construction of a new RM900 million manufacturing facility at the Penang Science Park North near Batu Kawan.
The 5.6ha facility will be constructed in two phases, with the first expected to deliver 600,000 sheets of copper clad laminate per month. The second phase will increase production capacity to 750,000 sheets a month.
EMC said construction will be completed by the first quarter of 2025, with mass production beginning in the second quarter.
“After looking at the overall picture and long-term goals, we realised that Penang is the best location for us. We want to be closer to our customers that are already here and there is a culture of diligence,” EMC chairman and CEO Albert Tung said at a press conference with chief minister Chow Kon Yeow in Komtar.
Tung said the facility will create 200 new jobs, while materials such as copper, glass fibre and resin will be sourced locally. He said the company supplies to Nvidia for its AI server switchboards and iPhone’s logic boards.
Chow said EMC’s entry into Penang will add to the list of 350 multinational corporations and 4,000 ancillary companies in the state.
He said there was RM184 billion in approved manufacturing investments in Penang between 2019 and 2023, marking a 142% increase over the RM76 billion garnered between 2008 and 2018.
He also said that in 2023 alone, Penang recorded RM63.4 billion in approved manufacturing investments, comprising 19 projects and creating more than 17,000 jobs.
Separately, Chow said he will present a wish list to second finance minister Amir Hamzah Azizan when he visits Komtar tomorrow.
He said the list includes a request for a 20% tax revenue return to Penang, funds for the Juru-Sg Dua elevated road, the Penang-Perak raw water deal, and a grant for the state’s integrated circuits design hub.
He also said the state welcomed participation from local players in key infrastructure projects, following a business group’s request for more local companies to be involved in major projects such as Silicon Island and the LRT project.
