PULAU PINANG, March 9 (Bernama) -- Applied Engineering Technology (M) Sdn. Bhd. (AETM) organised a grand opening ceremony for its manufacturing plant in Batu Kawan Industrial Park, Pulau Pinang today. The ceremony was officiated by Deputy Chief Minister 1 of Penang, YB. Dato’ Ir. Haji Ahmad Zakiyuddin bin Abdul Rahman and attended by Government officials including Madam Lim Bee Vian, Deputy CEO of Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) (Investment Development) and Dato’ Loo Lee Lian, CEO of InvestPenang.

Established in May 2021, AETM is a joint venture company between US-based Applied Engineering (AE) and its Malaysian counterpart, QES Manufacturing Sdn. Bhd. (QES). Together, they will provide high-tech electromechanical contract manufacturing services, from prototyping to high volume production. Notably, AETM is AE’s first offshore operation outside of the United States.

Congratulating AETM, Dato’ Ahmad Zakiyuddin Abdul Rahman, Deputy Chief Minister 1 of Penang said “Penang’s dynamic industry cluster allows companies that set foot here to enjoy overarching benefits, which include supply chain resiliency and operational advantage. Importantly, the talent pool is equipped with strong engineering expertise that enables companies here to perform high value-added activities and increase participation in the global value chain.”

“The significance of Penang in the regional and global scale is well attested, Penang accounted for over 5 per cent of the global semiconductor sales and serves as one of the most thriving regional hubs for equipment manufacturing, as well as medical technology industries. Leveraging Penang state as a springboard, I am confident that Applied Engineering Technology could seize tremendous opportunities arising from the technology advancement and global megatrends.”

Meanwhile, Madam Lim Bee Vian, Deputy CEO (Investment Development), MIDA stated, “This grand opening ceremony is a very significant milestone after the joint venture partnership was established in 2021. It is a parallel testament to global investors’ confidence in Malaysia as a preferred investment destination, as well as the capability and readiness of local companies to support high profile business ventures and activities.” She expressed confidence that having Applied Engineering Technology’s (AETM) technology and expertise here in Malaysia will enhance the value of talent and skilled human capital development in the country, which is in line with our National Industry 4.0 aspirations. Local job seekers, particularly those with an engineering background will benefit greatly from the transfer of technology by working hands-on with the experts at AETM. 

“Local suppliers would also benefit from increased business, particularly in the areas of automation equipment design. This in turn can assist local suppliers in meeting international standards and integrate themselves into the global value chain.” Madam Lim added.

The Batu Kawan manufacturing plant, which has a factory floor space of approximately 20,000 square feet, is expected to begin servicing customers in April 2022. Currently, AETM has successfully obtained MIDA’s manufacturing licence as well as business licence from the local authority. AETM has also received a Manufacturing Warehouse Licence (LMW) from the Royal Malaysian Customs Department in February 2022.

Speaking at the event, the President of Applied Engineering Inc. Jack Yao added, “We truly appreciate the partnership with QES. We will work in the best way possible to ensure the success of this joint venture. Batu Kawan is a great place for manufacturing companies, and we are glad to be able to cement a mark in this area. The markets served under this endeavour include semiconductor/display capital equipment, medical technology, industrial automation, aerospace, and emerging technology. We are confident that the ASEAN market will benefit from this partnership.”

Meanwhile, the Managing Director and President of QES Group Berhad Chew Ne Weng said, “Today marks a momentous step forward in our joint venture with AETM. We thank the Deputy Chief Minister 1 of Penang for taking time out of his busy schedule to officiate our event. We look forward to kickstarting our joint venture’s manufacturing operation in Batu Kawan, Pulau Pinang.

Aside from our manufacturing facility, we have invested heavily in talent building. From November 2021 to January 2022, we have sent key staff members and technicians to AE San Jose for knowledge transfer, to have an in-depth understanding on the technical know-how. In addition, we intend to station technical experts from AE San Jose in Penang for additional training. For the first two years, our focus is to support our customers in terms of equipment assembly and integration, focusing on semiconductor, medical and other industry segments. Starting from the third year onwards, we plan to develop equipment design capability for our customers, based on their needs.”

The project segments are primarily for electromechanical contract manufacturing services, and AETM is working to meet the specific manufacturing needs of their clients. The company’s focus will be on semiconductor equipment manufacturing, medical technology, medical devices, defence, and aerospace not only for the Malaysian market but also for the ASEAN and China markets. 

The associated images related to the event and press release can be referred to this link: https://bit.ly/3sSjSKb

About MIDA 

MIDA is the government's principal investment promotion and development agency under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) to oversee and drive investments into the manufacturing and services sectors in Malaysia. Headquartered in Kuala Lumpur Sentral, MIDA has 12 regional and 20 overseas offices. MIDA continues to be the strategic partner to businesses in seizing the opportunities arising from the technology revolution of this era. For more information, please visit www.mida.gov.my and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube channel.

About InvestPenang 

InvestPenang is the Penang State Government’s principal agency for promotion of investment. Its objectives are to develop and sustain Penang’s economy by enhancing and continuously supporting business activities in the State through foreign and local investments, including spawning viable new growth centres. To realize its objectives, InvestPenang also runs initiatives like the SMART Penang Centre (aiding SMEs), Penang CAT Centre (for talent attraction and retention) and i4.0 seed fund (a catalyst for the start-up ecosystem). For more information, please visit https://investpenang.gov.my/. 

Do follow us on InvestPenang’s social media channels: Facebook ; LinkedIn 

About Applied Engineering Inc.

Electronic Interface Company DBA as Applied Engineering Inc. is a California corporation with its business headquarters at 6341 San Ignacio Ave. Suite 10, San Jose, CA, 95119. AE is a 100 per cent employee-owned company located in San Jose and has been in business since 1979. AE specialises in electro-mechanical contract manufacturing services from prototype to high volume production for semiconductor, life science, defence, aerospace, and emerging technology segment. AE is known in the industry as a contract manufacturer. For more information about Applied Engineering please visit https://www.appliedengineering.com 

About QES Group Berhad 

QES Group Berhad (“QES” or the “Group”) was listed on the ACE Market of Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad in 2018. Through its subsidiaries, it is principally involved in the manufacturing, distribution and provision of engineering services for inspection, test, measuring, analytical and automated handling equipment. The Group serves customers from a broad range of industries including the semiconductor, electrical & electronics, automotive and metal, higher education institutions, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, environment and renewable energy industry. QES is listed under the Industrial Products and Services Sector (Name & Code: QES & 0196). For more information about QES Group Bhd, please visit https://www.qesnet.com/ .

Source: Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA)

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: 
MIDA 
Name: Ms. Zakiah Sajidan
Director, Machinery & Metal Technology Division, MIDA
Tel: 03-2267 3628
Email: zakiah@mida.gov.my 

InvestPenang
Name: Ms. Yeoh Bit Kun
Head, Communication and Business Intelligence
Tel: 04-646 8833
Email: bitkun@investpenang.gov.my 

Applied Engineering Inc
Name: Ms. Liana Marrero
Sales Operation Manager
Tel: +1 408 605 8028
Email: lmarrero@appliedengineering.com 

QES Group Berhad
Name: Ms. Alicia Chan
Sr. Personal Assistant to the Group Managing Director
Tel: 03-5882 6668
Email: alicia.chan@qesnet.com

--BERNAMA