KUCHING: The private sectors are the engine of growth while the government can only facilitate, said Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan.
He added that private sectors must grab the opportunities created through the government’s initiatives.
“Local SMEs must be creative and innovative, leveraging on advanced technology including automation and robotics, big data as well as Industry 4.0 to succeed in this challenging environment.
“They must look beyond the low cost, low tech and labour intensive strategy for growth,” he said while officiating at the opening ceremony of a South Korean company, Iljin Materials Malaysia Sdn Bhd plant here yesterday by Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg.
Iljin Materials Malaysia Sdn Bhd will manufacture elecfoil (electrodeposited copper foil) at its plant at Sama Jaya High Tech Industrial Park here.
Elecfoil is an essential basic material of the electronic business and it is used as a major component for lithium-ion batteries.
The company plans to produce 10,000 tons of elecfoil in its Kuching plant, thus will increase its worldwide production capacity for rechargeable battery-use elecfoil from 15,000 to 25,000 tons per year.
Tengah, who also is the Urban Development and Natural Resources Second Minister and Industrial and Entrepreneur Development Minister, said the state government through various economic development initiatives such as Sarawak Industrial Plan and Score has attracted many Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) and Domestic Direct Investments (DDIs).
This, he said has created many business opportunities for local SMEs in the manufacturing and construction works, supply and maintenance of equipment and machinery, engineering design, precision tooling, transportation, warehousing and logistic, catering and others, apart from creating employment opportunities for school leavers and young graduates.
Tengah said the state government would continue to be business-friendly and was ever ready to facilitate investors both domestic and foreign, adding that competitive power and water tariff as well as land premium, abundant resources, coupled with political stability, Sarawak had always been among the preferred investment destinations in Malaysia.
He added that the Sama Jaya High Tech Park (SJHTP) was the operational base for many multinational corporations in the global electronic supply chain.
“Without Sama Jaya, the state would not have successfully established a high tech industry, capable of producing components for smartphones, automobile, solar panels and system.
“We would be creating 11,800 employment opportunities for our local graduates and school leavers,” he said.
Tengah also said SJHTP have also created a cluster of supporting industries that flourished along with multinational corporations. A good example was the local logistics industry which had grown big and was now able to cater to the needs of the international multinational corporations.
“SJHTP augurs well with the idustrialisation agenda of Sarawak that can leverage on the digital economy initiative to move our industrial sector towards industry 4.0, further empowering the state’s economic growth,” he added.
Meanwhile, Iljin Group chairman Huh Chin Kyu said he was confident that once the plant was completed, it would boost the state’s economy.
“I look forward to further strengthening the economic cooperation between Malaysia and South Korea,” said Huh, adding that Malaysia and South Korea must work together to share strengths, learn from each other and maintain the relationship in advance science and technology.
Also present at the function was the former prime minister of South Korea Kim Hwang Sik, who stressed on the need for both countries to maintain diplomatic ties and increase trade activities.
He also expressed confidence that trade between both countries would continue to grow, and benefit the economies of both countries.
