Petaling Jaya, Oct 17 – The government aims to have 50 integrated circuit (IC) companies by 2020, International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said.
“We want to focus more on niche sectors which has more value-added properties and are more profitable compared with manufacturing.
“Companies such as Symmid Corporation is serious in developing a pipeline of the much-needed next generation Malaysian homegrown knowledge workers,” he told reporters during his visit to Symmid Corporation Sdn Bhd here today.
“The company pays its employees who are high knowledge-driven workers around RM6,000 and up to RM16,000 per month,” Mustapa said.
Currently, there are only 27 IC companies in the country.
The visit was part of the ministry’s efforts to foster engagement with the private sector and obtain views on ways to attract and encourage reinvestment by companies.
He said 15 per cent out of the company’s total employees were homegrown knowledge workers consisting of local university graduates.
Meanwhile, Symmid Corporation Chief Executive Officer Steve Liew said the company’s revenue almost tripled to RM13 million this year compared with RM4.5 million last year.
The leading Malaysian-based fabless semiconductor design company employs a total of 85 workers and it aims to grow this to 120 workers by next year.
Symmid Corporation is 60 per cent-owned by French-based Altis International while the remaining 40 per cent is owned by Kumpulan Modal Perdana Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of the Ministry of Finance Inc.
– Bernama
