Aerial view of SPU

Penang will soon have a new industrial park in Kepala Batas (north Seberang Perai district) to cater foreign investors’ interests in the state.

Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow told Japanese Ambassador to Malaysia Katsuhiko Takahashi that the state has looked into industrial land issue after having attracted various foreign investments last year and the preceeding years.

Takahashi was paying a courtesy call on Chow in the latter’s office in Komtar yesterday.

“The Kepala Batas Industrial Park, which is estimated to be ready by the second half of this year to attract investors, is close to Kulim and it takes about a 20-minute drive from the Penang Bridge.

“This is the urgent measure taken to ensure sufficient land for the factories.

“We hope that Penang can remain the destination of choice for many investors, especially from Japan,  through this initiative.

“We will make further announcement when everything is ready,” he said.

They also discussed various topics, including the state’s tourism, Covid-19 situation, Japanese community, and other related matters.

Takahashi expressed his hopes that the annual Bon Odori festival would take place this year.

“It is an annual event, which will attract tourists to the state.

“We hope that it can be held, at least in a small-scale event, amid the pandemic,” he said.

Chow too hoped the festival would materialise this year, although it would be subject to the situation at that time.

Source: Buletin Mutiara

Penang Gateway, an upcoming mixed-development by Rackson Group at Bayan Lepas. Strategically located just across Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah from Penang International Airport, it is expected to generate RM1.5 billion in gross development value (GDV). A link bridge will connect it to the proposed Light Rail Transit (LRT) station at Penang International Airport and the airport’s future development.

Phase 1 of this development will see the construction of Le Meridien hotel, and work is set to start in the middle of this year. Future development includes serviced suites, office tower, wellness apartments, medical suites, and a wellness centre.

Project Name : Penang Gateway
Location : Bayan Lepas
Property Type : Mixed development
Total Units: (to be confirmed)
Built-up Area: (to be confirmed)
Indicative Price: (to be confirmed)
Developer : Rackson Group

DISCLAIMER: This article is solely based on research done using publicly available data. This is not an advertisement. Any claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a project or service should be verified with the developer, provider or party in question.

Canada-based Eclipse Automation Inc is setting up its first Asian manufacturing facility in Batu Kawan, Penang, which is anticipated to create approximately 150 new jobs by 2025.

In a statement on Thursday, the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (Mida) said about 80% of the employees will be from technical and engineering backgrounds.

“The facility is set to serve its major customers across Asia Pacific and other regions and factory construction is expected to commence within the first quarter of 2022 with commercial operations targeted to begin in 2023.”

Mida chief executive officer Datuk Arham Abdul Rahman said the project was timely and significant, as it could contribute to the Malaysian economy in terms of high-income employment amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

“This project further strengthens Malaysia’s position as a strategic destination for global machinery and equipment players. It will also create a multiplier effect within the domestic economy in terms of local supply chain usage and technology transfer,” he added.

Eclipse Automation is a leading supplier of custom automated manufacturing equipment for the life sciences, energy, transportation, consumer electronics and industrial industries.

It has 20 facilities strategically located in the vicinity of Fortune 500 companies and manufacturing centres across Canada, the United States and Central Europe.

The Batu Kawan plant, meanwhile, will span three acres of prime industrial land and have a production area of 55,000 sq ft.

There will also be an office area totalling 27,000 sq ft that will be designed to fully support the compliance needs of the customers within the life sciences sector, as well as serve the high-tech automotive, alternative energy and consumer industries.

The site will also act as a cost-effective and desirable strategic location for continued global growth, in collaboration with Eclipse Automation’s current technology and manufacturing hubs in Canada, the US, Germany, Hungary and Switzerland.

Eclipse Automation chief executive officer Steve Mai said the Malaysian facility will allow the group to extend its reach and bring customers’ expert regional support, service and fulfilment within Asia.

“The site in Penang will provide exceptional, value-added manufacturing options to best support global programmes, including replication line and outsourcing model platforms.

“Our Malaysian facility will also employ a large team of highly-qualified engineers, assemblers and other support teams to enhance our ability to provide solutions with a powerful follow-the-sun (FTS) model of service.”

FTS is a global workflow system where tasks are distributed between work sites within different time zones.

With the Malaysian government’s business-friendly policies, Arham said investors such as Eclipse Automation could leverage on the country’s strategic location, vast network of infrastructure, strong support industries as well as talented workforce to become prominent players within the global value chain.

Source: TheStar.com.my

This is yet another affordable housing development proposed within the established township of Sungai Ara. Undertaken by OIB Properties Sdn. Bhd., the project will be located off Changkat Sungai Ara 1. It is just a stone’s throw away from TreeO affordable condominium by Hunza Group, less than 5 minutes drive to SJKC Chong Cheng.

This development will see the construction of a 52-storey building featuring two residential towers with 12 levels of car parking podium. It will offer a total of 973 affordable units and facilities will be located above the podium.

The project is still in the planning stage. More details to be available upon official launch.

READ MORE ABOUT AFFORDABLE HOUSING:

• Full list of affordable housing in Penang
• Eligibility and the requirement of buying affordable housing

Project Name : (to be confirmed)
Location : Sungai Ara
Property Type : Affordable housing
Tenure: Freehold
Built-up Size: (to be confirmed)
Total Units : 973
Indicative Price : RM300,000 onwards (estimated affordable housing price)
Developer :OIB Properties Sdn. Bhd.

DISCLAIMER: This article is solely based on research done using publicly available data. This is not an advertisement. Any claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a project or service should be verified with the developer, provider, or party in question.

Bank Negara will need to review its financing model to make home ownership much easier for the B40 (Bottom 40 income) and M40 (Middle 40 income) groups in line with the “One Family One Home” target, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

He said this was among decisions taken at a National Affordable Housing Council meeting, which he chaired yesterday, to discuss the direction taken and the coordination and monitoring of affordable housing plans nationwide under the campaign.

“This is to ensure financial institutions allow easier financing for the B40 and M40 groups to own units in People’s Housing Projects (PPR) and other affordable homes. The focus will be on direct purchase and rent-to-own (options),” Ismail Sabri said in a statement yesterday.

He added that the council agreed to set a new direction for PPR housing by taking into account current needs as well as the inclusion of new components to realise the “Liveable Malaysia” agenda.

He said new PPR projects will look into elements such as connectivity and internet access, including “fibre to the home”, public transport network and designs that are more economical and comfortable.

Ismail Sabri said the meeting also discussed strategies for the implementation of 500,000 affordable housing units nationwide under the 12th Malaysia Plan, involving the federal and state governments as well as private housing developers.

“The government is committed to ensuring the provision of adequate and quality affordable housing to meet the needs of a growing population.

“As such, the Housing and Local Government Ministry has introduced the Home Ownership Programme to ensure a more comprehensive ecosystem for housing development and financing as well as initiatives that can help Keluarga Malaysia own homes.”

Ismail Sabri said the government was committed to having more affordable housing units for the younger generation and developing affordable housing projects in the suburbs and smaller towns to allow more from the M40 group to own homes.

“The concerns raised at the meeting were rising cost of construction materials such as iron and steel as well as cartels controlling the construction industry.”

He said Housing and Local Government Ministry and the Real Estate and Housing Developers’ Association Malaysia have been directed to look into these concerns, Bernama reported.

Source: TheSunDaily.my