THREE Bursa Malaysia-listed companies, namely, Greatech Technology Bhd, Pentamaster Corporation Bhd and UWC Bhd are expanding their respective footprints in Penang by collectively taking up 35 acres in Batu Kawan Industrial Park in mainland Penang.
The three renowned companies in the equipment manufacturing supply chain will invest a total of RM520 mil in their expansion projects. Slated to commence in 1Q 2022, all three projects are expected to create up to 1,300 new job opportunities for local talents.
With a combined market capitalisation of almost RM20 bil, the three public listed companies (PLCs) have grown tremendously in the last five years in terms of revenue, clientele as well as their respective product portfolios to include higher value add and upstream activities.
Greatech is an automation systems provider and integrator serving the electric vehicles (EV), solar energy and semiconductor segments, while Pentamaster specialises in automated test equipment (ATE) for the semiconductor industry as well as automation solutions for the medical industry, factories and warehouses.
UWC, on the other hand, provides integrated engineering and manufacturing services for customers specialising in ATE who serve the semiconductor and life science industries.
“With a total built-up area of 265,000 sq ft, our new facility, Batu Kawan IV, will house high-value designing and assembly activities for new products that cater for the emerging industries, namely life science and semiconductor,” commented Greatech chairman Ooi Hooi Kiang.
Targeting to complete its construction by 3Q 2022, Ooi expects Greatech’s new facility to create 500 new jobs, of which 300 will be engineers with the remaining 200 being assembly workers and machinists. This will lift the number of Greatech’s workforce to 1,200.
Pentamaster executive chairman Chuah Choon Bin said the new facility will be the group’s third factory in Penang since its inception in 1991.
With a RM120 mil investment, its 500,000 sq ft state-of-the-art facility will bring the company’s total built-up area to 750,000 sq ft.
“To be supported by 300 new engineers, this expansion is to accommodate our automation solutions for the medical industry, factories and warehouses as well as test farm for wafer burn-in, optical sensors testing and contract manufacturing of equipment,” noted Chuah.
UWC executive director and group CEO Datuk Ng Chai Eng said the company will invest RM200 mil over a three-year period into its expansion project in its quest to transform into a vertically integrated player.
“Over the years, UWC has been continuously expanding its facilities and capacities to cater to the strong growth of our customers in the semiconductor and life science industries,” Ng pointed out.
“This expansion ties with our venture into the higher end of the value chain such as front-end semiconductor, autonomous chips tester, 5G tester and V2V tester. I am delighted that this project will create 300 engineering positions and 200 technician vacancies for the local talent, further boosting Penang’s position as a talent magnet in the northern region.” – Nov 5, 2021
