DEPUTY Chief Minister II Jagdeep Singh Deo was deeply impressed for several reasons when he visited Keysight Technologies for the second time in Bayan Lepas today.
Jagdeep, who oversees education, science and technology, lauded the factory for maintaining a 100 per cent local workforce of 3,200 employees, with nearly 52% of them being women.
Ninety per cent of their employees are knowledge workers, and over half of them hold professional and engineering positions.
“We want to focus our workforce on Penangites and our locals. I am happy to say and note that Keysight has 3,200 workers, 100 per cent local. That shows the way forward for Penang is that we need to nurture our future generation because there is so much opportunity for them.
“Our children can come to such an establishment like this instead of going anywhere else in the world. It is right here in Penang,” Jagdeep said in his speech after being taken on a tour of the facilities.
Accompanying him on the tour were Amanda Barnabas, Vice-President, Global Procurement & Materials; Angela Cheong, Vice President, Human Resources; Jerry Yeoh Keng Keat, Head of Research & Development, Design & Engineering; Loo Keng Leong, Senior Manager of HFM & MMA; and Jessica Lim, Communications Manager.
Keysight, one of the eight Samurais that transformed Penang into an industrial hub over 50 years ago, began its operations in the state in 1972 with a workforce of 60 employees.
Today, the company, known for inspiring and empowering innovators to bring world-changing technologies to life, occupies a 42-acre site in Bayan Lepas, with a 1.2 million sq ft facility.
Keysight provides comprehensive solutions across various industries, including communications, industrial automation, automotive, semiconductor, and general electronics markets.
Jagdeep said he was privileged to witness the cutting-edge technologies on display, and a fully automated 24×7 test operations at Keysight’s facility, showcasing the company’s advancements in automation and digitalisation.
He commended Keysight for its involvement in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) programmes for students and for establishing the inaugural Penang Digital Library.
Jagdeep also shared that the state has implemented nearly 120 initiatives featuring science and technology, surpassing other states, and conducted 2,500 STEM programmes involving the participation of 500,000 students.
He expressed hope of reaching the one-million-student mark in a short time, an achievable target given the cooperation of all the industries.
“Keysight deserves a big round of applause for its involvement with schoolchildren. I hope they continue to build the future. I am confident that Keysight, if I can say, has sights on the future. Congratulations,” Jagdeep said.
Amanda said they were honoured to host Jagdeep and thanked him and the state government for their consistent support.
“We look forward to the continued support from the state,” she said.
Cheong added that Keysight is building into the next generation of STEM students so that they do not just be workers in the industry, but also future scientists of the world.
“In Keysight, we have lots of global responsibilities; a lot of our R&D engineers contribute to solutions that are sold worldwide. Therefore, we aspire for these students to become future scientists not just for Malaysia, but for the world, and hold the Malaysian flag high up for us,” Cheong said.
Story by K.H. Ong
Pix by Muhamad Amir Irsyad Omar and courtesy of Keysight Technologies