^{From left: Mr. Muhammad Anis Fakhri Mohd Nesfu (Facility Manager, RPD MFG Connectivity Sdn. Bhd.); Dato’ Hj Sahil Zabidi (Group Chief Executive Officer Kulim Technology Park Corporation); Mr. Mohd Rushdan Mohd Ghazali (Director of MIDA Kedah & Perlis); Mr. Yogendran Krishnamurthy (Managing Director, RPD MFG Connectivity Sdn. Bhd.); Ms. Asmazura Ismail (General Manager Investment (Manufacturing), Northern Corridor Implementation Authority); Mr. Noor Ikhsan Abdul Aziz (Chief Operating Officer,Invest Kedah); Dato’ Seri Wong Siew Hai (President, Malaysia Semiconductor Industry Association); and Mr. Iruthaya Das Arulanadam (Finance Controller, RPD MFG Connectivity Sdn. Bhd.)}


KEDAH, May 17 (Bernama) -- Rapid Manufacturing global electronics manufacturing company specialising in custom-designed wire and cable harnesses, electro-mechanical, and box build assemblies, unveiled a new expansion of its operations in Kulim, Kedah, Malaysia. The new facility will continue to serve its customers in the aerospace, telecommunication, medical, semiconductor, automotive, and industrial automation sectors. Beyond manufacturing roles, the site will also house a knowledge-intensive regional center, establishing a state-of-the-art Centre of Excellence (COE) to drive the company, up its value chain and eventually positioning itself as an industry leader.

Datuk Wira Arham Abdul Rahman, Chief Executive Officer of the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) congratulated the company on its impressive milestone, said, “The expansion of Rapid Manufacturing’s production facility is a testament to the long-term growth in demand for the industry globally, and Malaysia is well positioned to capitalise on these opportunities. By leveraging the country’s comprehensive electrical and electronics (E&E) ecosystem and our mature semiconductor supply chain, the new facility is expected to have a positive impact on job creation, benefiting the local community and rakyat at large, while enhancing the country’s supply chain to meet the rapidly changing requirements of the E&E industry. Additionally, this expansion will encourage innovation in emerging fields in the country.”

“This development aligns perfectly with the Government's aspirations under the Twelfth Malaysia Plan and the New Investment Policy, strengthening the fundamentals of Malaysia's investment ecosystem.”, added Datuk Wira Arham.

"The Northern Corridor Implementation Authority (NCIA) is committed to attracting and facilitating high-value investments in the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER), which includes the states of Kedah, Perlis, Penang, and Perak," said Mr. Mohamad Haris Kader Sultan, Chief Executive of NCIA. "We are proud to have played a role in facilitating Rapid Manufacturing's investment in the region, and we believe that this new facility will further enhance the region’s position as a leading destination for high-tech manufacturing."

He explained that Rapid Manufacturing's investments in Kedah and Penang will considerably strengthen the supply chain ecosystem development to support the activities of the E&E, Machinery and Equipment (M&E), medical technology and devices, telecommunication, automotive and aerospace industries in NCER. With the facilitation by NCIA via its various NCER incentives, the authority is confident that more companies will follow suit and invest in NCER, driving sustainable economic growth and creating job opportunities for the local community.

“We were able to accelerate Rapid Manufacturing’s decision to invest in Kulim, Malaysia with our offering of a fully integrated high-tech park focusing on high technology manufacturing, advanced technologies, and R&D activities” said Dato’ Mohd Sahil Zabidi, Group Chief Executive Officer of Kulim Technology Park Corporation (KTPC). He also said it was an honour for KTPC to be able to enable Rapid Manufacturing’s efforts to be an innovative industry leader utilising the talents and excellent infrastructure available in Kulim.

“We’re pleased to announce the opening of our new plant in Kulim. It allows us to scale up testing and handling capabilities to meet the growing demand and ensure our customers’ success by continuing to grow our capabilities and to deploy quickly at scale.’’, said Mr. Yogendran Krishnamurthy, Managing Director of RPD MFG Connectivity Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Rapid Manufacturing.

“Rapid's investment strategy in Kulim is expected to create an estimated 2,000 employment opportunities for the local workforce, which includes at least 500 high income jobs. This further affirms a spur to economic growth of the state of Kedah. Rapid’s key priorities are its commitment to hiring and training the local talent, as well as enhancing its vendor-development programs to provide adequate opportunities to local vendors. Local talent, both indirect and direct labor, can have a far-reaching impact on the overall performance of Rapid's investment.’’, expressed by Mr. Luis Espinoza, COO of Rapid Manufacturing.
“’I am certain that Kulim will be key to the company's global supply chain network, serving as a hub for Asia Pacific markets and supporting ongoing global business continuity and resilience.’’, commented Mr. Dan Lang, Owner of Rapid Manufacturing.

With over 47 years of operations in the cable and connector industry, Rapid Manufacturing with its very strong customer focused approach, has been able to meet the high demands on reliability and quality conformance with a diverse customer base across multiple industries in different regions. The company is delighted to spearhead its expansion and investment initiatives in the Southeast Asian region, particularly in Malaysia.

About MIDA
MIDA is the government’s principal promotion agency under the Ministry of Investment, 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 21 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, TikTok and YouTube channel.

About NCER
NCER is one of the regions identified under the Ninth Malaysia Plan for the promotion of balanced and equitable national economic development. It covers the four northern states of Peninsular Malaysia: Perlis, Kedah, Pulau Pinang and Perak. NCER spans 32,404 km², with a population of 6.8 million as of 2018.

About Rapid Manufacturing
Rapid Manufacturing, established in United States of America, is global electronics manufacturing company, and an Advanced Interconnect Solutions Provider dedicated to producing electronic, custom-designed wire and cable harnesses, electro-mechanical and box-build assemblies for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) announced that it is expanding to Kulim, Kedah. The company has its main facility in Anaheim, California, USA, as well as manufacturing plants strategically located in Mexico and China.

Associated images for the media release can be found at
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1stnjoVK3UIIAOoOFGtHqZXVjDOS6c
_KU?usp=sharing

SOURCE: Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA)

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: 
Name: Ms. Noor Suziyanti Saad
Director of Electrical and Electronics Division
Tel: +603 2267 3575
Email: suziyanti@mida.gov.my

NCIA
Name: Mr Mohamad Haris Kader Sultan
Chief Executive, NCIA
Email: haris@ncer.com.my

Rapid Manufacturing
Name: Mr Yogendran Krishnamurthy
Managing Director of RPD MFG Connectivity Sdn Bhd
Tel: +60 12-327 3515
Email: yogendrank@rapidmfg.com

--BERNAMA