PENANG, April 26 (Bernama) -- "For the Malaysian E&E industry to be more competitive, local industry players have no option but to upgrade their facilities and embrace automation and smart manufacturing such as the Internet of Things (IoT). Return on investments (ROI) in automation may not be apparent in the short term but, in the long term, companies will enjoy greater performance on efficiencies, improved quality products and reduced dependencies on unskilled labour. To better facilitate Malaysian-based companies to be part of the global supply chain, the Government has recently established the Electrical and Electronics Strategic Council (EESC) to strengthen and enhance the E&E industry to the next level. The focus areas include semiconductor, industrial system electronics, solar and cloud computing," said YB Dato' Sri Mustapa Mohamed, Minister of International Trade and Industry at the Opening Ceremony of SEMICON Southeast Asia (SEA) 2016. His speech was read out by Dato' Azman Mahmud, Chief Executive Officer of Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA).

"The E&E industry is a dynamic industry that has contributed significantly to Malaysia's growth, export earnings, investments and employment. In 2015, the industry contributed 6.1% to the GDP. The E&E products in 2015 accounted for 35.6% of total exports. The semiconductor industry in particular, is the largest contributor comprising more than 40% of Malaysia's E&E exports. We are also currently the world's leading location for semiconductor assembly and test operations, accounting for more than 12% of the world installed capacity. 6 out of the 10 largest semiconductor companies in the world have established their presence in Malaysia. Growing the semiconductor sector, especially the front end will certainly spearhead the growth of the E&E industry in Malaysia," the Minister added.