The reconstruction of the Seberang Jaya Public Market and Hawker Centre is expected to be completed in March next year.

Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said that once completed, it will be renamed the ‘People’s Market’ (Pasar Rakyat).

“The reconstruction project, which began in 2019, will be able to house about 200 traders after its completion.

“The project is under the Penang Development Corporation (PDC) but when it is fully completed, it will be handed over to Seberang Perai City Council (MBSP) as the owner.

“The cost of the project is RM19.5 million and fully funded by the project contractor Zubicon Development Sdn Bhd through a cross-subsidised method.

“As of now, the 12.5-acre project is currently at 30% progress and we are confident that the reconstruction could be completed within the stipulated time,” Chow said in his speech during a site visit today.

Also present were state Local Government, Housing, Town and Country Planning Committee chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo, Permatang Pauh MP Nurul Izzah Anwar, MBSP mayor Datuk Azhar Arshad and Penang Development Corporation (PDC) chief executive officer Aziz Bakar.

According to Chow, the redevelopment project was needed as the old market was more than 30 years old.

“When completed, the new market will be equipped with plenty of accommodations and facilities such as solar panels, 450 parking lots, centrally connected exhaust fans, grease traps and others.

“And we hope when the project is fully completed, we can spur the local economy in Seberang Jaya and nearby area,” he added.

Source: Buletin Mutiara

About Wellspring Residences

A high-rise residential development by Airmas Group in Butterworth. Located near Jalan Telaga Air, next to Telaga Emas Apartment by the same company. It is about 500 meters away from the ever-bustling Jalan Raja Uda, and only a 5 minutes drive to Penang Sentral. This development comprises a 21-storey condominium, featuring 144 residential units with built-up sizes ranging from 1,070 sq.ft. – 1,260 sq.ft.

Find out more about Wellspring Residences

Penang Hill Corporation (PHC) has lined up numerous projects to make the highlands a major tourist destination.

Its general manager Datuk Cheok Lay Leng said all projects would be implemented while carefully ensuring the surrounding environment would not be disturbed.

First on the list was turning the Edgecliff Bungalow, a state-owned heritage building, into the Penang Hill Gallery.

The gallery, which is slated to open next month, will provide great insight into the history, culture, funicular system and rich biodiversity of the hill.

Cheok said the gallery, which uniquely demonstrated features of sustainable living, was targeted to be certified under the Green Building Index (GBI) due to its conservatism efforts, which include solar panels, rain harvesting system and automated motion sensor lighting.

“The gallery is the first on the agenda for the year that will see many efforts under the biosphere reserve umbrella.

“We embarked on the conservation of Edgecliff Bungalow, restoring the home built in 1937.

“We wanted to repurpose the heritage asset we have on the hill, and not increase the footprint.

“It was in the works for a while but was delayed by the (Covid-19) pandemic,” he explained.

Cheok said another major project in progress was the Penang Hill upper station renovation.

This is aimed at having a family-friendly space with seating as well as escalators and elevators to the upper level to take in mesmerising views of George Town, Butterworth and the majestic Penang bridges.

“We want to make the upper station a more comfortable space for visitors while they wait for the train.

“We want visitors to be able to relax and wait for their boarding schedule like we have done at the lower station.

“It will be wheelchair- and senior citizen-friendly, completing the connectivity between both stations,” he said.

Also in the pipeline is the Penang Hill traffic management plan to better regulate vehicles permitted to go up the hill.

“There is always work to be done on Penang Hill as we mitigate potential damage from rising temperatures due to global warming.

“As a result, we have to be better prepared for the hastening wear and tear in our systems and infrastructure.

“Be more proactive in mitigating probable damage, educate the public, collect data to help us with preventive and predictive analysis and to keep strengthening infrastructure on the hill,” he said.

Last year, Cheok was reported to have said that most visitors would go to Penang Hill to enjoy the cool air and great scenery, indulge in local street food at the Astaka (food court) and then head home.

“Only a small percentage will go off main roads into hiking trails in the forest reserve areas,” he had said, adding that in 2019, the tourist site received some 1.86 million visitors.

“However, around 95% of them visited only the main areas,” he noted.

Source: TheStar.com.my

With nearly RM2 billion in capital investment, TF AMD Microelectronics Sdn Bhd today announced its plans of expanding a new manufacturing facility at the Batu Kawan Industrial Park on the mainland.

The new facility, spanning 1.5 million square feet and occupying approximately 14 acres, will manufacture advanced integrated circuit technology and is expected to be completed in 2023.

The second site at BKIP, according to Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, has greatly demonstrated the conduciveness of Penang’s business environment, bolstered by its resilient supply chain, excellent infrastructure and future-proof talent pool.

“As a pioneer in this field and ever since making its presence here in Penang in 1972, the state is pleased to see TF AMD deepening its roots here, which will open doors to multiple good things.

“With the wealth of knowledge and experience in the electrical and electronics (E&E) industry, I am confident that this strategic expansion plan will provide immense opportunities for local talent development in high-performance computing solutions.

“Having been a key industry player in developing the capacity and capability of Malaysia’s semiconductor ecosystem, TF AMD is also committed to establishing collaborative opportunities with local vendors and universities.

“Specifically, the company targets to employ two to three thousand new employees with science and technical backgrounds within the next five years as a means of developing the skills of local talents and vendors in the areas of Industry Revolution 4.0, automation and engineering services.

“The company’s efforts to build a strong talent pipeline through training programmes are expected to generate positive spillover effects on Penang’s talent pool,” Chow said during his speech at the TF AMD Microelectronics Sdn Bhd investment announcement ceremony in Bayan Lepas today.

He also added since 2016, the company has invested an approximate value of RM900 million in Malaysia.

It was also learnt that once the construction of the second site is completed, more than 3,000 new jobs in advanced semiconductor engineering, design and process technologies for high-performance computing solutions will be made available.

Company vice president and managing director Neoh Soon Ee said that once completed, the facility would bring TF AMD’s total manufacturing capacity to over 2.3 million square feet.

“This is an exciting day for TF AMD as it marks the beginning of a new chapter in our continuous pursuit of providing excellent support to our customers with differentiated high-value engineering solutions,” he said.

Company chairman Shi Ming Da, who witnessed the announcement virtually, said Malaysia is endowed with outstanding geographic location, a good business environment, diligent and sincere workforce.

“This is what strengthens our confidence for continuous investment in Malaysia,” he said.

Meanwhile, the company’s Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, Datuk Devinder Kumar, said AMD has had outstanding growth in the last few years and TF AMD has played a key role as a strategic supplier and partner in supporting our growth.

“We are pleased with the expansion plans for assembly, test and packaging services of our joint venture TF AMD, which will further increase the capacity and supply to support AMD’s future growth,” he said.

On April 29, 2016, TongFu Microelectronics (TFME) acquired 85 per cent of AMD’s stake in two locations, namely AMD in Penang, Malaysia and AMD Suzhou, Jiangsu in China, and formed a joint venture called TF AMD Microelectronics (Penang) Sdn. Bhd.

Separately, Chow, during his speech, also spoke about how Penang’s trade performance improved greatly, seeing its exports climb 16% year-on-year in 2021, reaching its all-time high of RM364 billion.

“Notably, the E&E and semiconductor products dominated Penang’s exports, accounting for more than 70% of the state’s total.

“On the investment front, Penang topped and accounted for 41% of the country’s foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2021; with an all-time high of total approved manufacturing investment of RM76.2 billion,” he added.

Source: Buletin Mutiara

The Penang government has given its assurance that only high-tech industries will be sited at the proposed 339-hectare new industrial area, known as the Penang Technology Park, at Jalan Tun Hamdan Sheikh Tahir in Kepala Batas.

Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said although the Penang Technology Park would be developed by a private developer, the state government, through the Penang Development Corporation (PDC) and Invest Penang, would advise the developer on foreign investments in the said area.

“The new industrial area will involve the high-technology sector, similar to the one in Batu Kawan, where most of the companies are high-technology companies such as those in the semi-conductor, aerospace industry, medical devices manufacturing industry and others.

“The state government has also been made to understand by the developer that they have received commitments from the Finance Ministry and the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) on incentive offers to companies and foreign investors intending to invest there,” he told newsmen here today.

On Saturday, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican had asked the state government for more information on its choice of industry, following public concerns that the construction of centralised labour quarters (CLQ) in the area could lead to an influx of unskilled foreign workers.

“We want an industry based on high technology because we do not want to depend on unskilled workers.

“Those workers are to be placed in the CLQ in the industrial area and it is easy to understand, (there will be an) influx of workers (from abroad),” he was quoted as saying after the launch of the eSports Youth Cabin.

Reezal Merican had said that he was against the CLQ and had also made his stand known to the Penang City Council mayor and the project developer.

Previously, residents from more than 10 housing estates near the project site had held a peaceful protest against the proposed construction of the CLQ in the area, which would result in the placement of thousands of foreign workers there.

They had claimed that the development should be moved to the Ara Kuda area in Tasek Gelugor, which is not too far away.

Elaborating, Chow said the development of the new industrial area would be on a 800-acre site which has been an industrial zone since 2004.

However, development by the private developer only began this year.

“The development of the new industrial area will balance industrial development between Seberang Prai and the island and turn Seberang Prai Utara (SPU) as an industrial area based on high-technology.

“Phase one will involve infrastructure development such as roads, drainage, water and electrical supply for the use of investors, which are expected to be completed by the end of this year.

“Phase two will involve the development of small and medium enterprises (SME) upon the completion of phase one,” he added.

Meanwhile, Chow said the development of the CLQ in the new industrial park area was one of the requirements needed to be provided to workers, regardless of whether they are foreign or local workers, in the industrial area.

“It is also a policy set by the Human Resources Ministry that needs to be adhered to where employers need to provide shelter for their employees.

“It is also to avoid social problems if foreign workers are placed in the area where locals stay, locals would not like to see a house inhabited by dozens of foreigners, so the construction of a CLQ can overcome this problem,” he said.

Source: NST Online