Bursting at the seams

Maxed out: Filepic of Penang island’s Free Industrial Zone in Bayan Lepas. Foreign direct investment may go elsewhere if there is no more land for new businesses.

THE electrical and electronics (E&E) industry has been the key economic driver for Penang and the country over the last four decades and continues to spur export earnings and scale up the capabilities of the local workforce.

Multinational companies (MNCs) have also moved up the value chain, diversifying from the assembly and manufacture of computer chips and parts for electrical products to the design and production of components related to 5G, Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things.