US based Micron Technology will be extending its plans operation in Penang with a commitment of RM1.5 billion that will go into building a Center of Excellence for Solid State Drives assembly and test facilities.
The announcement came at a time the country seeks more FDI from foreign company’s, especially in high skill industry and more job opportunities. YB Datuk Darell Leiking, Minister of International Trade and Industry (MITI) yesterday announced that Micron intends to increase its presence in Malaysia with a greenfield investment including producing 3D advance storage and memory packages, that will also raise the country’s profile as a preferred location for next generation storage and memory products.
“Micron’s expansion in Malaysia supports our strategy to build a scalable, agile and well-positioned global capacity model,” said Micron Technology’s Backend Operations Senior Vice President Gursharan Singh. “The new greenfield location in Penang for SSD manufacturing will enhance our NAND center of excellence in Southeast Asia, building on our existing presence in Malaysia and Singapore, while ensuring a continued focus on better servicing customers and attracting and retaining the highest-quality talent.”
Micron selected Malaysia because of its close vicinity to its Singapore NAND Center of Excellence, which also has a strong team to help accelerate and support the factory ramp up plans. After a preliminary screening of locations in Malaysia, the Micron leadership selected the city of Penang. The new plant will be using the latest in automation and Industry 4.0 manufacturing processes. 5 local universities has been identified to collaborate on R&D and grow the talent pool in applying new technologies, industrial skills and professional know-how.
Micron is expanding globally and Malaysia is its latest investment. Micron expects to break ground in the first half of 2019 with full production within two years. The company expects to grow in Penang with an initial hiring of 1,000 employees and a RM1.5 billion investment within five years.
