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During their first press conference in Kuala Lumpur last October, they were in praises for the Malaysian government and Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) for fast approvals and transparency.
But do they still feel the same?
AT&S managing director for Malaysia, Vittorio Villari acknowledged that price of certain building materials have gone up due to sudden demand after a two year lockdown.
But he said it is still within their budget as they booked the materials way before the rising demand.
"Perhaps it may have gone up by 10 to 15 per cent but it is still within the budget and the materials are delivered on time," he told Sinar Daily.
AT&S is aiming to start their first batch of their high-end printed circuit board (PCB) and integrated circuit (IC) substrates by end of 2024 or beginning of 2025.
The PCB is for industries such as consumer electronics, computers, communication, semiconductors, automotive, aviation, industrial, and medical.
The integrated circuits substrates provide connections between silicon dies and PCBs and are used for cloud edge computing, data centres, server farms, and consumer devices.
Blue collar, skilled labour vacancies
As for now 20 to 25 percent of the construction at Kulim Hi-Tech is almost completed, Villari said, adding that they have about 3,000 construction workers and are looking at employing another 3,000 as the construction work progresses.
As any other employer, they too are concern over shortage in blue collar and skilled manpower as they look to employ 6,000 orkers but have taken steps to solve their concerns by organising road shows and seeking assistance from northern state corridor for talent and manpower.
Villari said they have sent about 100 local technicians to their plant in Chongqing and Shanghai in China for training.
They are also in talks with local universities and polytechnics for hire.
The company is also open to hiring ex-convicts to give them a second chance in life after undergoing training with the company. The will also look at hiring the handicap and Orang Asli by giving then training and jobs.
Was it a wise decision to open the biggest plant here?
Its Chief Operating Officer Ingolf Schroeder said the country and location was preselected as Malaysia has a well established semi conductor supply chain for the past 50 years.
"We had discussions with other European investors including Finland here and they said Malaysia has an established supply chain," he told Sinar Daily.
He said sometimes the orders are from Malaysia and it saves them on transport. "There is already a reliable supply chain here," he added.
As all 3,000 construction workers clock in to work for the day while their bosses ensure every step and processes are followed through diligently, Schroeder said they are happy with the progress and with the local authorities for fast approvals and understanding their needs to fulfil the demands of global semi conductor supply.
Secret to success
The company keeps 10 percent of its yearly revenue for research and development and it has helped them to stay ahead in developing top niche technology, said Schroeder.
With plants in Austria, China, India and Korea, AT&S is worth €1.6 billion with estimates its revenue to rise to €3 billion by 2025-2026 with the expansion plant in Kulim, they work with leading universities in Europe and the world to take their products to greater heights, he added.
In Malaysia, Schroeder said they are planning to work with local universities to train people in the circuit board technology and to help create skilled labour force.
The Kulim plant will also be equipped with water treatment plant to filter chemicals from the production plant and to be reused for production.
As for electricity, they are looking at using solar power and are willing to share with the Malaysian government on renewal energy.
"As we look to recycling everything here, there is a huge potential in renewal energy which we are open for discussion with the government, he said, adding that they are here for long term and are eager to expand their business here.