EPPENDORF, a Germany-based life science company, is investing approximately RM200mil to establish its first manufacturing facility in Penang, its first in Southeast Asia, further strengthening the state’s position as a hub for high-value manufacturing.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said construction of the 16,000sq m facility in Bandar Cassia would begin following today’s groundbreaking ceremony, with completion expected in 2027.
Production is expected to ramp up gradually in 2028, with the facility projected to employ about 130 people by the end of 2029.
“By choosing Penang for its first manufacturing facility in Southeast Asia, the company opens a new chapter in its regional growth, while broadening Penang’s capabilities in high-value manufacturing,” he said in his speech during the groundbreaking ceremony today.
Chow said the investment reflected growing confidence in Penang’s industrial ecosystem and its ability to support companies serving international markets.
He noted that Penang had secured RM2.3bil in approved manufacturing investments in the scientific and measuring equipment sector from 2021 to the first half of this year.
The investments involved 42 projects and accounted for nearly 20% of the national total, generating more than 4,500 jobs.
On the state’s export performance, Chow said Penang recorded RM710bil in exports from January to September this year, accounting for 45% of the country’s total exports.
During the same period, exports of optical, photographic, measuring, precision and medical instruments and apparatus reached RM48bil.
“That is around two of every three ringgit Malaysia earns from these products,” he said.
Chow said Penang’s manufacturing capabilities had expanded beyond conventional electrical and electronics (E&E) activities, with its precision engineering expertise and globally connected supply chains providing a strong foundation for companies such as Eppendorf.
He said the state was also focused on strengthening its industrial competitiveness amid geopolitical and economic uncertainties.
He outlined three priorities under the state’s industrial strategy, namely attracting strategic investments and technologies, helping local companies participate more actively in global value chains, and developing an artificial intelligence (AI)-ready ecosystem and talent pool.
Chow also invited Eppendorf to explore opportunities under the Malaysia Automation, Test and Equipment (ATE) Campus in Penang, which aims to develop an integrated ecosystem for local ATE companies.
The initiative is supported by RM25 million in Federal funding from the Ministry of Economy under the 13th Malaysia Plan, alongside 10 acres of land allocated by the state government.
He said InvestPenang was working with the campus steering committee and the Penang Skills Development Centre (PSDC) to develop a shared laboratory equipped with advanced tools, testing equipment and software facilities.
“We invite Eppendorf to explore opportunities in this initiative, and to work with our local companies in technology development, localisation, supplier development and supply chain strengthening,” he said.
Chow said the state government, through the Penang Development Corporation (PDC) and InvestPenang, would continue working with Federal agencies to facilitate investments and strengthen the state’s industrial capabilities.
Eppendorf chief executive officer Christine Munz said the investment was part of the company’s efforts to strengthen its global manufacturing network, making it more balanced, resilient and flexible while bringing it closer to important markets, technologies and capabilities in the Asia-Pacific region.
She said the company’s decision to invest in Penang built on more than 30 years of operations and strong relationships in Malaysia, where it first established a small regional office in Kuala Lumpur in 1995.
Among those present during the ceremony were InvestPenang chief executive officer Datuk Seri Loo Lee Lian, PDC chief executive officer Datuk Abdul Latiff Abd Aziz, Malaysian Investment Development Authority (Mida) Penang director Muhammad Ghaddaffi Sardar Mohamed and Eppendorf Supervisory Board chairman Philipp von Loeper.
Story by Edmund Lee
Pix by Noor Siti Nabilah Noorazis
Video by Darwina Mohd Daud