KUCHING: Sama Jaya High-Tech Park here has so far attracted more than RM14 billion worth of investments and created many economic spinoffs, which continue to benefit the local business communities.
Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said the high-tech park has created 15,000 employment opportunities, of which 98 per cent of them are filled by locals.
Last year, he said, it generated a total of RM758 million in wages for the workers, which ultimately flows back into the local economy.
For the same year, the export value generated from the high-tech park was RM8.9 billion.
“The success of Sama Jaya and the continuous expansions of these multinationals in Sarawak augur well for our industrialisation agenda and leapfrog Sarawak towards a high-income economy by 2030,” he said.
“Sarawak will continue with its business-friendly policies to attract more investments, especially in high-tech and green industries,” he said at the opening of the new factory of Taiyo Yuden (Sarawak) Sdn Bhd at Sama Jaya High-Tech Park here today.
Abang Johari said Taiyo Yuden has invested over RM 3 billion in its Sarawak operations since its establishment in the high-tech park nearly three decades ago.
“In order to cater to the growing market demand for multi-layered ceramic capacitor (MLCC) in response to the advancement of technologies for automobiles with more electrical and electronic controlled components, communications infrastructures that serves communication devices, 5G smartphones and other markets, Taiyo Yuden has constructed this new two-storey factory building on 70 acres of land area,” he said.
He said the new factory will be a state of art and environmentally friendly plant that will contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gases through energy conservation by improving the efficiency of various facilities and energy creation by introducing solar power generation on the roof of this building.
He added that Taiyo Yuden is currently the largest employer in Sama Jaya, hiring 4,800 workers out of whom almost all are Sarawakians (except for the top management), and 616 (12.8 per cent) of Taiyo’s total workforce are made up of degree and diploma holders.
Apart from that, he said, Sama Jaya is also home to several major multinational corporations such as X-FAB (semiconductor), Western Digital (or HGST – glass and aluminum substrates), LONGi (solar ingots, wafers, cells and modules) and Lotte EM (copper foil used in batteries for electric vehicle) which are also expanding respectively to cater to the needs of the global market,” he added.
Among those present were Deputy Premiers Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan and Datuk Seri Dr. Sim Kui Hian; executive operating officer of Taiyo Yuden Co., Ltd. Japan Murai Shunji; managing director and CEO, Taiyo Yuden (Sarawak) Sdn. Bhd. Toyama Masashi; Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) chief executive officer Datuk Wira Arham Abdul Rahman and Deputy Minister of International Trade, Industry and Investment Datuk Malcolm Mussen Lamoh.
