ACTIFORCE GRAND OPENING
SPEECH BY THE CHIEF MINISTER OF PENANG
YAB TUAN CHOW KON YEOW
ACTIFORCE GRAND OPENING
5TH March 2024 | Simpang Ampat, Penang
Yang Berhormat Tuan Rashidi bin Zinol,
Penang State Executive Councillor for Rural Development, Trade and Entrepreneurial Development
Yang Berbahagia Dato’ Loo Lee Lian,
CEO of Invest Penang
YBrs. Mr. Roslan Hassan,
Deputy CEO of Penang Development Corporation
YBrs. Mr. Muhammad Ghaddaffi Sardar Mohamed,
Director of Penang Office of MIDA
Dr. Andreas Hettich,
Chairman of Advisory Board of Hettich Group
& Mrs. Andreas Hettich
Mr. Harry Slingerland,
Chief Financial Officer of Actiforce
Mr. Holger Fricke,
Chief Innovation Officer of Actiforce
Dato’ Hans Peter Brenner,
Honorary Consul of Federal Republic of Germany in Penang
Ms. Isabelle Niekrake,
Deputy Head of Economic Section of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Mr. Remco Koster,
Vice-Chairman of Malaysian-Dutch Business Council
Distinguished guests,
Members of the press,
Ladies & Gentlemen,
Good morning to all of you.
It is an honour to be here today to celebrate Actiforce’s new milestone with the Grand Opening Ceremony of its state-of-the-art factory in Penang. I would also like to extend my appreciation to Actiforce for inviting me here today to be part of this esteemed moment.
Actiforce manufactures furniture and living solutions which are essential for various spaces including homes, offices, industry, hospitality, education and care services. Their core products are mainly adjusted table frames, hinges, control units, amongst others.
Headquartered in the Netherlands, Actiforce has chosen Penang to house its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility since 2004 which is responsible for the entire production process, from purchasing raw materials to product quality control to distribution to their international markets. The company provides solutions with constant focus and improvement on the processes for a more sustainable manufacturing.
Today, we celebrate the opening of this new manufacturing facility for Actiforce after almost 20 years of their operation in Penang. This new factory serves as a testament for Penang’s robust industrial ecosystem which provides confidence to industrial players and an opportunity to expand, develop, and grow to greater heights.
Often lauded for our well-developed industrial ecosystem, Penang is proud to host Actiforce as the state continues to showcase our capacities and capabilities to support the needs of industrial players in next-generation technologies and growth strategies. I am optimistic that Actiforce will continue to reap many benefits from your operations in Penang, the Silicon Valley of the East.
Ladies & Gentlemen,
Over the past five decades, Penang has developed a robust manufacturing ecosystem that withstood global challenges. Penang is now positioned as an advanced manufacturing hub and houses more than 350 MNCs and 4,000 SMEs, hence creating a very conducive manufacturing ecosystem for investors to operate and grow. Latest figures released by MIDA last week once again placed Penang at the top of the country for 2023 in terms of approved investments reaching a total of RM71.9 billion.
As the economic powerhouse of Malaysia, Penang topped the nation's list in 2022 with export value of RM463 billion recorded. In 2023, despite the slowdown in semiconductor industry, Penang remained the top in the list recording an export value of RM447 billion, representing 31 percent of the country’s total.
In terms of investment performance, the State has garnered RM13.7 billion in total approved manufacturing investments in 2022, with foreign direct investments (FDI) contributing 71 percent of the total investment inflows. In 2023, Penang recorded RM63.4 billion of approved manufacturing investment, with an increase of 463 percent year-on-year, representing 42 percent of the said total nationwide, comprises 149 manufacturing projects and estimates to create 17,623 new job opportunities in the State.
Notably, investments from the Netherlands are also contributing significantly in Penang with an all-time high of RM71.2 billion clocked in 2021. In 2023, Penang recorded 456 percent year-on-year increase of Dutch investments with a total RM26.6 billion. This signifies that Dutch companies are important industrial investors to Penang.
Ladies & Gentlemen,
In line with our industry growth, Penang is also placing strong emphasis on sustainability. As such, we are most proud that our conducive environment bodes well for the industry players here as we have witnessed many of them making true commitments to environmental stewardship, social inclusivity and ethical governance.
The State is cognisant that embracing sustainable practices and developing solutions that prioritise the well-being of our planet are among the imperatives for a sustainable future. Accordingly, I am glad that the establishment of Actiforce will play a vital role in driving sustainable innovation and promoting environmentally conscious business practices here in Penang.
Having said that, I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) and InvestPenang for their synergistic efforts in engaging investors and facilitating project implementations.
The State, via InvestPenang and other relevant state machineries, is committed in providing unwavering support to our investors, and I look forward to establishing a strong relationship with Actiforce. With that, I once again, convey my heartiest congratulations and best wishes to everyone.
Thank you.