GEORGE TOWN,Monday, 20 Feb 2023 (The Star)-Elna PCB Malaysia Sdn Bhd is investing RM1bil in a printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturing plant in Seberang Perai Tengah.

Scheduled for completion over the next 12 months, the facility manufactures PCBs for the automotive, server, networking, laptop, desktop and consumer electronic devices industries.

The facility sits on a 10,289-sq-m site and it likely to generate 1,000 jobs when it starts production in 2024.

Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow officiated at the groundbreaking ceremony.

Also present were Elna PCB president Ian Yang and Malaysian Investment Development Authority (Mida) deputy chief executive officer (investment promotion and facilitation) Sivasuriyamoorthy Sundara Raja.

“We chose Penang as our present and future home as Penang’s competitive edge lies in its skilled workforce, robust market and supply chain.

“Our local suppliers have been very supportive and we wish to strengthen our ties with them by enabling more localisation activities.

“In addition, Penang’s top-notch infrastructure and the strong government support are also the key reasons for us to invest in Penang,” said Yang.

Sivasuriyamoorthy said Mida was honoured that Malaysia’s competitive traits were in tandem with PSA’s strategic approach in mitigating the impact of Covid-19 and geopolitical disruption.

“At Mida, our focus is on attracting high-quality investments that have tangible spillover effects on Malaysia, in line with our National Investment Aspirations and New Investment Policy.

“We aim to create high-skilled job opportunities and develop our local supply chain capabilities to meet the evolving requirements of our core economic sectors while encouraging innovation in emerging ones.

“We are optimistic that Elna PCB’s latest reinvestment will enhance the transfer of technology and knowledge, as well as foster more local supply chain partnerships, leading to an even stronger industry ecosystem in Malaysia,” Sivasuriyamoorthy  added.

Meanwhile, Chow said the state’s robust industrial ecosystem, strong talent pool, conducive business environment as well as the region’s growth opportunities were among the critical factors for Elna PCB to deepen its roots here.

Chow added that Elna’s expansion would further enhance the local talent’s capabilities in advanced PCB technology solutions and create more significant opportunities for its local suppliers.

“The state government, via InvestPenang and other state agencies, will ensure the smooth implementation of Elna PCB’s expansion in Penang.

“I look forward to establishing a strong relationship with Elna PCB in the coming years,” Chow added.

Elna PCB is a member of the Passive System Alliance (PSA), one of the leading global PCB groups serving the electronic component industry.

As the Japanese unit of the PSA group, Elna has been manufacturing high-quality PCB using advanced technology, and it is now expanding its product footprints to servers and high-speed networking product applications.

Established in 1994, Elna PCB has become part of the PSA Group in Taiwan, following a joint venture between PSA Group and Japan-based Elna Printed Circuit in 2018.

PSA Group belongs to Walsin Lihua Group, an international conglomerate headquartered in Taiwan with operations spanning wire and cable, stainless steel and renewable energy.