AT&S Starts Construction of First High-tech Manufacturing Facility in Southeast Asia

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AT&S, one of the globally leading manufacturers of high-end printed circuit boards and IC substrates, headquartered in Austria (Europe), announced detailed project information on the company’s planned investment in a state-of-the-art factory for IC substrates at the Kulim Hi-Tech Park, Kedah.

During a press conference, AT&S CEO Andreas Gerstenmayer and AT&S COO Ingolf Schroeder gave insights into the planned investment, the project scope, technology details, as well as the planned activities to hire approx. 6,000 highly qualified employees.

AT&S’ new campus for the production of IC substrates in Kulim Hi-Tech Park, Kedah, involves a proposed total investment for phase 1 of RM 8.5 billion (€1.7 billion). The construction of the facility is going to start with an official groundbreaking ceremony on October 30, 2021, with commercial operations targeted to come on stream in 2024.

“I want to thank the Malaysian government as well as the MIDA (the government’s principal promotion agency under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry) for the great support throughout the entire process, from the start of our location scouting until today,” says AT&S CEO Andreas Gerstenmayer. “Already today, Malaysia is an important hub for the chip supply chain. We are convinced that Malaysia can further strengthen its position as a technology country and will develop its position in the region as a high-tech manufacturing hub in Asia,” Gerstenmayer says.

Not only will thousands of new jobs be created in the region, but Malaysia will make a name for itself as a hotspot for a completely new, first-of-its-kind technology segment. “AT&S brings the latest generation of high-end technologies to Malaysia and will establish a completely new technology sector in one of the future global microelectronic hotspots. In addition to manufacturing high-tech products, extensive R&D activities will also be conducted at this new site,” AT&S COO Ingolf Schroeder says. 

All these activities require a high amount of highly qualified human resources and will boost the region’s labor market. The search profiles for employees at the new AT&S plant range from specialists, managers, and leaders in the areas of electronic, mechanical, and chemical engineers, and business. At the same time, AT&S is also looking for about 4,500 blue-collar workers who can work in a highly sophisticated shop floor environment.

Besides manufacturing, R&D will also be a focus at the new AT&S facility in Kulim. Therefore, AT&S is investigating cooperation and partnerships with leading universities in Malaysia. “These partnerships will not only help us to discover new paths for the microelectronics industry,” Andreas Gerstenmayer says. “They will also make an important contribution to the development of extensive know-how in the various areas of the microelectronics industry for Malaysia and, at the end of the day, contribute to the positive development of the society.”