Malaysia Electrical and Electronics Industries & Manufacturers
Malaysia Electrical and Electronics Industries that includes the manufacturers, exporters, importers, wholesalers, and agents.
As the leading export sector in Malaysia, electrical and electronic products made up 52.9 percent of total Malaysian Exports in 2003. Electrical and electronic products worth RM211.16 (US$55.57) billion were exported world-wide including the demanding leading markets of the USA, Singapore, Hong Kong SAR, Japan, China and Taiwan.
As one of the leading exporters of electronics in the world, Malaysia markets electronics components, consumer electronics and industrial electronics. The biggest export item is semiconductor devices used in a diverse range of industries, such as automotive and telecommunications.
Malaysia 's electrical products comprise of household appliances, wires and cables, electrical industrial equipment, dry cells and batteries and other electrical apparatus and supplies.
Electrical Products
A sophisticated range of electrical appliances are manufactured in Malaysia, including:
- Air-conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, electric fans, instant water heaters, rice cookers, blenders, and microwave ovens.
- Wires and cables
- Electrical industrial equipment such as switchgears,
- Distribution transformers and electric motors.
- Dry cells, automotive batteries, incandescent lamps and fluorescent tubes.
Major brands include Panasonic, Sony, Philips and Samsung. Home-grown brands like I, MEC, Khind, and Pensonic are also making inroads into export markets. Notably, Malaysia is the world’s largest exporter of room air-conditioners, which are sold under global brands like National/Panasonic and home-grown brands Topaire and Acson.
Electronic Products
Made-in-Malaysia electronics products are diverse and fall into 3 categories - electronics components, consumer electronics and industrial electronics. These goods are sold globally, with semiconductor devices valued at RM85.18 billion (US$22.42) billion accounting for more than 40% of total electronics exports for 2003.
Semiconductor devices produced include:
- linear and digital integrated circuits
- memories and microprocessors
- opto-electronics
- discrete devices
- hybrids
- arrays and
- high-reliability military products
The export-oriented electronics industry has now more than 900 companies in production. Local companies are traditionally strong in semiconductor packaging and assembly. Companies such as Malaysian Pacific Industries, Unisem, Globetronics Technology, and AIC Corporation are reputable names in this sector, and trusted by multinationals for contract manufacturing. International manufacturers like Intel and Motorola also base their plants here, attesting to the quality and competitiveness of Malaysia’s electronics sector.
Other electronic components include
- capacitors
- relays
- switches
- quartz crystals
- oscillators
- connectors
- wire harnesses
- transformers
- leadframes
- resistors
- disk substrates and other disk drive parts
- audio cassette mechanisms
- video cassette mechanisms
- magnetic heads
- coils
- ferrite
- printed circuit boards
- micro motors
Among the consumer and industrial electronic equipment manufactured are:
- colour TV receivers
- audio products
- video CD players
- video cassette players/recorders
- paging systems
- walkie talkies
- telephone sets
- public telephone exchanges
- digital transmission equipment
- satellite receivers
- personal computers
- disk drives
- monitors
- CD-ROM drives
- keyboards
- printers
- cameras
Developments
Traditionally a highly respected OEM manufacturer, Malaysia is enhancing its production range to include higher value-added items incorporating indigenous design elements, R&D, and product development. In addition to items such as fax machines and telephones, Malaysian producers are now focusing on higher value-added consumer electronics like digital video disc players and components, electronic games, and multimedia products.
Higher value-added industrial electronics are also being produced such as flat and high definition displays (TFT-LCD, LED, plasma), telecommunications equipment and parts like base station digital switching equipment, multilayer PCBs, parts and accessories for automatic data processing machines, and computers and peripherals.
There has also been a tangible progress towards OBM in the electrical product sub-sector with goods sold under home-grown brands such as Khind, Pensonic, MEC and I Berhad, which has also begun selling its own branded personal computers.
Within the semiconductor sub-sector, substantial amounts are being invested to upgrade and produce the latest type of integrated circuits. These investments involve high technology assembly and test operations as well as the incorporation of R&D elements in materials and process technology. Historically very strong in packaging and assembling of electronics parts and components, the electronics industry is moving towards higher value-added foundry activities, with a focus on growing silicon ingots, cutting and polishing of silicon wafers, chip design and wafer fabrication.
Malaysia is also beginning to produce high value-added software for industries like banking. Examples include Silverlake Integrated Banking System (SIBS), which covers the central customer information file, current and savings accounts, general ledger, fixed deposits and remittance; and ProcureFlow, a scalable, web-based, business-to-business solution that streamlines and accelerates procurement. The latter won the Microsoft Solutions Provider Asia and South Pacific Partner of the Year award in July 2000. Other innovations for Malaysia include the deployment of the smart passport, which promotes the design and manufacture of smart cards.
Standards
ISO 9002, ISO14001 and QS9200 standards
International Electrical Commission
Electronics products exported to the EU adhere to EMC (electromagnetic compatibility), and low voltage directives
Exports to the US follow UL (Underwriters Laboratories) guidelines
