GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY OF GREATECH INTEGRATION (M) SDN BHD
SPEECH BY YAB TUAN CHOW KON YEOW
THE CHIEF MINISTER OF PENANG
GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY OF GREATECH INTEGRATION (M) SDN BHD
28 FEBRUARY 2023 | BATU KAWAN PLANT IV
YB. Prof. Dr. P. Ramasamy
Deputy Chief Minister II of Penang
YB. Tuan Liew Chin Tong
Deputy Minister of International Trade & Industry (MITI)
YB. Puan Chong Eng
Penang State EXCO for Social Development and Non-Islamic Religious Affairs
YB. Sim Tze Tzin
Member of Parliament for Bayan Baru
YBhg. Dato’ Loo Lee Lian
CEO of InvestPenang
YBhg. Dato’ Tan Eng Kee
CEO of Greatech Technology Berhad
YBrs. Ms Lim Bee Vian
Deputy CEO of Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA)
YBrs. Tuan Mohamad Haris Kader Sultan
Chief Executive of Northern Corridor Economic Region
YBrs. Ms Ooi Hooi Kiang
Board Chair of Greatech Technology Berhad
Fellow Board of Directors of Greatech Technology Berhad
Heads of Government Departments and Agencies
Captain of industries
Members of the Media
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
Good morning.
I am pleased to be here today for the groundbreaking ceremony of Greatech’s new manufacturing plant in Penang. This brings me back to the time when I was invited to virtually join the groundbreaking ceremony of Greatech’s Batu Kawan Plant III two years ago. Standing here today signifies another milestone accomplished by Greatech with this Plant IV in Batu Kawan, Penang. I would like to express my heartiest congratulations to Greatech’s team, and all involved for the hard work and dedication in bringing this to fruition.
Strategically located at Batu Kawan Industrial Park (BKIP), Greatech’s expansion sits on approximately 12 acres of land, housing 500,000 sqft built up space to cater for the company’s growth. With this expansion, Greatech will draw a total of 1,800 employees of which 50% of the total headcount are design engineers. I am hopeful for this expansion to nurture the local talent, enhancing their knowledge and exposure on the latest technology advancement in the solar, e-mobility, life science and semiconductor industries.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Driven by the emerging technology trends, the strong chip demand has opened up unprecedented opportunities for the semiconductor industry, along with the supply chain. Notably, the global semiconductor industry is anticipated to reach a trillion-dollar revenue by 2030.
With over five decades of industrial excellence, Penang is the most important manufacturing base for electrical and electronic (E&E) products within Malaysia, and is among the most vibrant hubs globally. In 2022, Penang recorded a 27% year-on-year spike on its export value, reaching an all-time high of RM452 billion in the said year, representing 29% of the country’s total.
On the investment front, Penang is one of the top contributors to the national approved manufacturing investments, with RM9.2 billion recorded from January to September 2022. I am pleased to also share that investments in the machinery and equipment (M&E) industry alone totalled RM7.3 billion from 2020 to September 2022, accounting for 57% of the country’s total. This has placed us on the right trajectory to becoming a global front-to-backend equipment manufacturing hub.
Penang’s homegrown companies held critical roles in promoting the growth of the M&E sector in the state. We are proud of the involvements of local companies, such as Greatech, in creating a comprehensive supply chain for the state in the M&E and automation domains. I am confident that the growing strength of local companies will translate into more opportunities, anchoring our position as the Silicon Valley of the East.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Penang remains committed to deepening and broadening our talent pool. The state government, via InvestPenang, has initiated several public-private employment initiatives to ensure a healthy talent pipeline, in line with the strong influx of strategic investment inflows.
Along the state’s talent agenda, it is heartening to have witnessed true commitments made by the local companies like Greatech in nurturing the local talent. Particularly, Greatech is contributing a sum of RM400,000 to improve the uptake of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in Penang.
On this note, Greatech, in collaboration with Tech Dome, is kickstarting a digital literacy empowerment programme. This programme will benefit eight schools in Penang which lack such facility. Throughout the last four years, Greatech has contributed a total of RM7 million for its corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities. Greatech’s effort in elevating the state’s welfare has demonstrated their commendable corporate citizenship, serving as a yardstick for others to follow through.
Before I end, I would like to express my appreciation to the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA), InvestPenang and Penang Development Corporation (PDC) for their synergistic efforts to accelerate the state’s industry development, engage investors and facilitate project implementations. This not only attested the conducive environment that Penang offers, but also anchored our position as the preferred investment destination.
In closing, I applaud Greatech for another chapter of celebration. Once again, I wish you every success in the years ahead.
Thank you.