PM unveils four-pronged strategy to boost manufacturing
KUALA LUMPUR: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad launched the National Policy on Industry 4.0 known as Industry4WRD — a four-pronged strategy to boost Malaysia’s manufacturing sector via higher productivity, contribution, innovation and more high-skilled workers. The four specific goals announced on Wednesday are: 1. To increase the level of productivity in the manufacturing industry per person […]
Beautiful green lung in the north
ASPEN Group together with its joint venture partner IKEA Southeast Asia opened the first phase of Central Island Park, a first-of-its-kind park covering a 10.12ha plot in Batu Kawan, Penang. It not only provides an exquisite green lung for Aspen Vision City but also forvisitors and the people in the northern region to relish. The […]
Foundation sponsors studies for 16
THE 16 young Malaysians, sponsored and funded by the Hong Leong Foundation, the charitable arm of the Hong Leong Group, have graduated from the Malaysian Meister Programme – Level 1 Skills Diploma in Mechatronics studies at the Penang Skills Development Centre. The sponsorship and funding were undertaken under the Foundation’s skills development programme to provide […]
Container terminal to be major player
GEORGE TOWN: With a RM500mil capital expenditure for the next five years, the North Butterworth Container Terminal (NBCT) is set to shed its image as a feeder port. For a start, a RM150mil expansion plan has been approved to upgrade its present facilities to accommodate bigger ships, said Penang Port Sdn Bhd’s (PPSB) chief executive […]
Sunway Penang Medical Centre set for completion by Q4 2020
BUTTERWORTH: The Sunway Group expects to complete phase one of the Sunway Medical Centre project in Seberang Jaya here by the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2020. Construction of the project with a gross development value (GDV) of RM300mil started yesterday. The 180-bed hospital will also have a six-bed intensive care unit. Phase two, for the […]
Penang Port signs RM155m Swettenham Pier redevelopment deal
GEORGE TOWN, Sept 6 ― Penang Port Sdn Bhd (PPSB) today signed a joint venture agreement with Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCCL) to redevelop and expand the Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal (SPCT). SPCT will undergo a RM155 million expansion to extend the existing berth to 660 metres from the current 400 metres to enable the […]
AMCHAM Penang Dialogue 2018 – Penang’s Competitive Edge: Developing Talent for the Digital Age
PENANG, September 7, 2018 – The American Malaysian Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) was honored to host Y.A.B. Chow Kon Yeow, the new Chief Minister of Penang and The Honorable Kamala Shirin Lakhdhir, U.S. Ambassador to Malaysia, at the annual AMCHAM Penang Dialogue on 04 September. The 2018 theme, “Penang’s Competitive Edge: Developing Talent for the […]
AirAsia Indonesia, MHTC to promote Penang’s medical tourism sector
AirAsia Indonesia has signed an MoU with Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) to jointly promote Penang as Malaysia’s top healthcare tourism destination. MHTC will arrange medical tourism trips including doctor and hospital appointments, as well as airport pick-up services, for Indonesian passengers of AirAsia visiting Penang for medical treatment. AirAsia will provide exclusive flight discounts […]
AirAsia in the midst of getting a dedicated LCCT in Penang by 2022
KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 30): AirAsia Group Bhd group chief executive officer Tan Sri Tony Fernandes said the budget airline is in the midst of getting a dedicated low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT) in Bayan Lepas, Penang by 2022, which will drive its cost lower. “AirAsia already occupies 50% of the capacity at the Penang International Airport […]
Penang launchpad for tech startups
TO BE part of Malaysia’s thriving tech and startup ecosystem, Kuala Lumpur and its surroundings are where most of the action is centred. However, up north from Kuala Lumpur, Penang is also on the move to becoming a more innovative and startup-friendly city. As one of the Penang state government’s initiatives to propel the city […]
Chow launches ambitious, four-prong Penang 2030 plan
GEORGE TOWN: Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow has launched Penang 2030, an action plan that focuses on improving livability, economy, civil participation and balanced development to achieve a “family-focused, green and smart state”. Chow said the direction the state government was taking would be holistic and inclusive. “We have four teams that would be assigned […]
More flights to and from Penang with new LCCT
GEORGE TOWN: Soon more people can fly in and out of Penang without having to spend a bomb. If the plan materialises, the low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT) by AirAsia will be ready by 2022 to serve its operations and enhance connectivity from Penang. Sources said works were scheduled to start next year on a 22ha […]
Boost for tech start-ups
SIXTEEN local start-ups received US$1mil (RM4.1mil) under the state government’s Penang i4.0 Seed Fund to create awareness and increase participation in the Industry 4.0 revolution and digital economy. Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the i4.0 Seed Fund gave funding for qualified high potential early stage technology start-ups. “We hope that this fund can enhance […]
Electronic industry is not slowing down
GEORGE TOWN: After four years of steady growth, the rather volatile electronic industry is not showing signs of slowing down, Pentamaster Corp Bhd chairman Chuah Choon Bin said. Since the introduction of mid-range smart phones and Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices and the adoption of electronic functions into the automotive industry, growth has steadied, Chuah said. “The […]
Captaining the ship in markets abroad
HAVING established a significant presence in the Middle-East, Federal Oats Mills Sdn Bhd is now focused on growing its Captain Oats brand name in Asia, particularly in the South-East Asia and Greater China regions. Its executive director Michael Chew, 38, is particularly excited about the company’s focus on China, where demand for natural health foods […]
CM says Penang to be ‘entrepreneur city’
GEORGE TOWN: Penang is set to become an “entrepreneur city” similar to San Francisco in the United States with RM1.67 million disbursed through the Penang i4.0 Seed Fund. Sixteen companies received the allocation from the fund which is a programme to provide funding for qualified high potential early stage technology startups. Chief Minister Chow Kon […]
Low cost need not mean low quality
Penang may soon get a new low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT) to relieve congestion at the existing international airport if talks between the federal government, AirAsia and Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) bear fruit. Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng said last week that an LCCT could be built within 18 months, which would be faster than […]
Alibaba Cloud to kickstart its digital education programme
KUALA LUMPUR: Alibaba Cloud Malaysia, a subsidiary of the Alibaba Group, plans to kickstart its digital education programme, the Tianchi Big Data Programme, in Sabah, Penang and Johor Bahru by year-end. General manager Kenny Tan said the programme was a collaboration with Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation Sdn Bhd (MDEC). “Infrastructure such as Internet connection in […]
Malaysian chip and plastic makers gain from trade war
GEORGE TOWN: Local electronic and plastic manufacturers are the beneficiaries of the ongoing trade war between the US and China. Globetronics Technology Bhd chief executive officer Heng Huck Lee (pic) told StarBiz the group had received enquiries from potential Chinese consumer and smart electronic products manufacturers interested to engage with Malaysian manufacturers to produce for […]
LCCT in Penang’s flight plan
GEORGE TOWN: If Penang gets a low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT), it will likely be to the south of the current passenger terminal and only about 1km from the proposed islands to be reclaimed off the southern coast of Penang island. It has been the dream of AirAsia and the Penang government to have the facility […]
Finally, Penang airport expansion plans set to take off
GEORGE TOWN: The Transport Ministry has outlined several short and long-term measures to address the lack of capacity at the Penang International Airport (PIA). Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said this was conveyed in a written reply by Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook on Monday. Chow, who is also Tanjung MP, had asked […]
MITI forms task force to monitor US-China trade war
KUALA LUMPUR: The International Trade and Industry Ministry (MITI) has set up a task force in July to monitor and assess the developments of the United States-China trade conflict. The task force will also focus on formulating strategies to mitigate the trade protectionism impact and act as a focal point for stakeholders to present their […]
Kumpulan Perangsang Selangor unit buys Penang land to build EMS factory
KUALA LUMPUR (July 17): Diversified group Kumpulan Perangsang Selangor Bhd’s (KPS) indirect wholly-owned subsidiary CPI (Penang) Sdn Bhd is buying a 4.5-acre piece of land in Bayan Lepas Industrial Park, Penang for RM27.7 million, on which it intends to build a new electronic manufacturing services (EMS) factory. In a statement today, KPS said CPI has […]
IKEA to recruit staff for 200 new jobs at Penang store
KUALA LUMPUR (July 17): Swedish home furnishings retailer IKEA has launched a recruitment drive to fill more than 200 positions at its new store in Batu Kawan, Penang, which is scheduled for opening on March 28, 2019. The available jobs encompass full-time and part-time vacancies, including roles in sales, customer relations, food and beverage, logistics […]
Western Digital to close its iconic PJ factory
After over 20 years in operation, Western Digital Corporation announced that it will be shutting down its HDD (hard disk drive) manufacturing facility in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, by the end of this year. Western Digital (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd Managing Director Gouw Kim San says that the move is in response to the declining demand for […]
Penang to be first state in M’sia to use 100% led street lighting
GEORGE TOWN: Penang will be the first state in Malaysia to have 100% Light Emitting Diode (LED) street lighting by 2020. State Housing, Local Government, Urban and Rural Planning Committee chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo said this was part of efforts to fulfil the promises made in the 14th General Election (GE14) manifesto. He said it […]
Will JEP raise its cost competitiveness with new Penang plant?
SINGAPORE (July 13): Andy Luong, new controlling shareholder and executive chairman at JEP Holdings, says Singapore is not a cost-competitive location for a precision engineering firm like his. To improve JEP’s performance, Luong’s immediate plan is to move the operations of subsidiary Dolphin Engineering to a rented factory in Penang by the fourth quarter of […]
Penang-born Broadcom chief inks US$19b deal to buy software firm CA
NEW YORK: Broadcom Inc announced a $18.9 billion deal to buy U.S. business software company CA Inc on Wednesday, venturing far beyond its realm of semiconductors and testing investors’ confidence in its Chief Executive Tan Hock Eng’s dealmaking credentials. The CA deal, outlined in a joint statement from the companies, comes just four months after […]
Grooming state to be logistics hub
A STRONG logistics network is necessary to spur the growth of investments in the state. Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the logistics providers in Penang not only supported local factories but also served the regional market, acting as international procurement or regional distribution centres. “In 2017, Penang recorded the highest approved manufacturing foreign direct […]
ICCL’s new regional distribution center will beef up connectivity in the halal logistics industry
BUKIT MERTAJAM: Integrated Cold Chain Logistics Sdn Bhd (ICCL), a leading total logistics company in the country, launched its new one-stop regional distribution and centre of excellence for the halal logistics industry. The RM51 million investment, as part of the company’s phase five development, was jointly launched by Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow and […]