GEORGE TOWN, Jun 8 – The official opening of Osram Opto Semiconductors Solid State Lighting (SSL) Division Headquarters (HQ) and Research & Development (R&D) Centre in Penang at Osram Pen 33 here this morning with the present of Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.
It marks the second time in three years that Osram Opto Semiconductors has expanded its operations at its 45-year-old site in Penang. The Penang operations have been instrumental in maintaining Osram Opto Semiconductors position as an industry leader in the field of illumination, visualization and sensing technology.
This 58,000 square ft building will house at least 300 professional employees from the SSL leadership team, Purchasing, Controlling, Information Technology, Research and Development. The new job openings, created for the SSL headquarters that was based in the old plant back in 2014, included 250 vacancies for engineers.
Osram Penang Operations Managing Director Dr Roland Mueller said the lighting industry is looking at a double-digit growth, similar to the semiconductors industry. The World Semiconducftor Trade Statistics announced an increase of 18.1% for semiconductors sales worldwide, reaching US$30.9 billion for March this year compared to US$26.2 billion in March 2016.
“The significance of Osram’s Penang operations is evident with the opening of the wafer plant in 2013 and now SSl HQ in PEN33. The secret for our success and longevity is our ability to blend the strengths of our two countries – German engineering with Malaysian manufacturing,” Mueller told reporters at the launch of the new building in Bayan Lepas here this morning.
During his opening speech, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the plant’s expansion shows stable and steady flow of investments into Penang. He said in 2016, FDI from Germany worth RM404 million was recorded for Penang and was the third largest among the foreign investments received.
“For the 9-year period between 2008 – 2016, Penang recorded an investment of RM59 billion, a 73% increase compared to the previous 9 years period between 1999 to 2007 of RM34 billion. Out of the RM59 billion approved investment recorded from 2008 – 2016, RM39.7 billion or 67% were foreign direct investments (FDI) from a diversified number of countries including from Germany,” Lim said.
“Radiant Insight had forecasted that LED demand will grow by a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 29% per year through 2020 to reach USD63.1 billion by 2020 which Osram will play a significant role. More jobs will be created via downstream opportunities created for local supply chain support and vendors,” he said.
“This project made possible by the state’s private-public-partnership initiative, where Penang Development Corporation (PDC) injected RM15.5 million in developing this building to lease to Osram. Penang will continue to increase our convergence of public-private-people partnerships to attract new investments and to facilitate re-investments in the state,” he added. — PN
