10 Top Manufacturing Companies in Penang You May Want to Work With

1. Intel

Intel is one of the biggest investors in Penang and surely enough is considered as the Golden Boy of Penang. Intel has a large number of facilities across Bayan Lepas, Seberang Perai and Kulim, Kedah and presently has one of the largest work forces in Malaysia.

Perhaps because it is so big and powerful, people either love Intel or hate them.

Those who love Intel will dream every night when they can work with them. People who otherwise hate Intel will come out with something like Face Intel, that tells you every possible reason why you need not to work with Intel.

Intel Official Website.

2. Motorola

While the size of their facility is not as big as Intel, Motorola is one of the best learning avenues for those technical oriented people as the company continue to stamp its presence with continuous innovation of new products as the years go by.

Motorola remains one of the most admired companies which nurtures and produces top engineering talents. Motorola plant in Penang is equipped with a world class Research & Development Center (R&D) and a Distribution Center. The only downside that I see is their uniforms. They just look weird.

Motorola recently was awarded the Chief Minister’s Award due to its contribution in developing knowledge workers in Penang and Malaysia.

Motorola Official Website.

3. Dell

Dell’s contribution in Malaysia earned the founder, Micheal Dell, a Datukship. After establishing Dell Asia Pacific in Penang, they have further stamped their commitment in the development of additional facilities by investing in new facilities in Cyberjaya, thus adding more jobs and creating more opportunities for the local people.

Dell Penang has an assembly facility that produces wide range of products including notebook and desktop computers. There is also a support division for Asia Pacific operation. This is where the call center people work around the clock attending to you, the Dell customers.

Dell Official Website.

4. Sony

SONY brand needs no introduction. From its modest beginning as a producer of transistor radios, SONY is now a household name in electronic and consumer products market. For a number of years, SONY won a lot of accolades and awards for its continuous innovations and technology inventions.

Some of the hot products by SONY are the Walkman, Play Station, Cyber-Shot Digital Cameras, VAIO notebooks and many more.

SONY set up their first manufacturing plant in Prai more than 20 years ago and today employs over 13,000 staff nationwide. The Seberang Perai plant is another of Sony’s facility apart from the Bangi plant and an office in PJ, Selangor.

Sony Official Website.

5. Agilent Technologies

Agilent Technologies’ current manufacturing plant was a result of a spin-off from Hewlett Packard company and was officially launched on 1 November 1999. The beginning of the original Agilent Penang was way back in 1970s.

Agilent’s main business covers the manufacturing of electronic measurement devices, sensors, medical and bio-medical equipment, networks and many more. Agilent follows many other players to exercise transferring some of the facilities to China but the current business operation in Penang remains vibrant.

And oh, in case you have not noticed, Agilent has one of the best, most professional and nicest security personnel around. Kudos to them. You should visit the place to try the experience.

Agilent Technologies Official Website.

6. Seagate

Penang Seagate was established in 1988 and primarily manufactures thin film magnetic recording heads, also known as sliders. If you don’t know what it means, just remember Seagate to be a company in data storage business.

In terms of employment, Seagate offers a wide range of opportunities including research, development, manufacturing, business operations, support and so on. Currently, Seagate employs over 50,000 staff worldwide, with their main facility based in Scotts Valley, California.

Seagate Official Website.

7. Jabil Circuit

A Fortune 500 company, Jabil Circuit is one of the major EMS (Electronic Manufacturing Services) providers in the world. (An EMS company is also known as a Contract Manufacturer.) Its Penang plant is located in Bayan Lepas Industrial Zone, facing the beach.

An Electronic Manufacturing Services company is a company that designs, tests, manufactures, distributes and provides service for Original Design Manufacturer, ODM and Original Equipment Manufacturer, OEM. In other words, it provides outsourcing services to the clients. For example, Nokia (OEM) outsources Jabil Circuit (EMS) to provide all the manufacturing and distribution service while the company itself focus on the research and development work.

Jabil Circuit Official Website.

8. Flextronics

Similar to Jabil Circuit, Flextronics is also an Electronic Manufacturing Services (EMS) company. Flextronics operates in more than 30 countries worldwide and helps its customers to design, build, ship and service electronics products across the world.

Their plant in Penang is one of their many facilities in Malaysia that include Shah Alam, Selangor and Melaka. It provides Design Services, Component Solutions, Test Services and Manufacturing & Assembly. Flextronics offers excellent opportunities for professional growth, a competitive compensation package, and a highly collaborative work environment as well as international exposure.

In the latest development, Flextronics acquired Solectron in mid 2007 to create ‘the most diversified and premier global provider of advanced design and vertically integrated electronics manufacturing services.’ Their next annual revenue is expected to be more than US30 billions after the merger.

Flextronics Official Website.

9. BBraun

BBraun is a worldwide company with established history of supplying medical products and solutions which include surgical, pharmaceutical and healthcare products.

BBraun was founded some 160 years ago, with its headquarter based in Germany. The Penang facilities employ over 4,000 staff and is among one of the largest of their plants worldwide.

BBraun Malaysia is currently under expansion plan with as much as RM400 millions to be invested between 2006-2009, so there is every single chance for you to be part of the growth.

BBraun Official Website.

10.Avago Technologies

Just like Motorola which separated from the semiconductor division (the Motorola PJ, which we now know as Freescale Semiconductors), Agilent Technologies followed the same move in 2005 by separating with the semiconductor group.

As a result of the Agilent’s Semiconductor Product Group acquisition, Avago Technologies was born. Avago is said to be the largest privately-held semiconductor company. Avago’s plant remains in the same compound with Agilent, alongside the latter’s Test and Measurement Division.

Avago Technologies Official Website.

Disclaimer: The list is not according to any rank or whatsoever and only represents the opinion of SKOR Career. For those who feel the list is somehow inaccurate, before making any judgment, you should always assume that the list is not correct.

Other posts you may want to read:

1. Penang Factories Shutting Down Plants
2. Another Penang Shut Down
3. Dell May Sell Penang Factory
4. Layoff For Another Penang Factory
5. Seagate Penang to Cut 200 Jobs
6. Dell Malaysia Cut 700 Jobs
7. Motorola Penang Walk-In, 9 Aug 2008
8. Motorola Walk-In Interview, 8 Dec 2007

Author's bio: Zul is the founder and principal contributor for the SKOR Career blog. He is the author of two books, The Malaysian Job Seeker's Dilemma and Buat Duit Tanpa Kerja Makan Gaji (How to Make Money Without a Job), available in major book stores nationwide. You can reach him at zulkiflimusa[at]gmail.com.