PM Tells Matsushita To Shift High-end Operations To Malaysia

obmar

May 23, 2006 15:47 PM

PM Tells Matsushita To Shift High-end Operations To Malaysia

From Mikhail Raj Abdullah

TOKYO, May 23 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has called on Japanese multinational company, Matsushita, to continue expanding as well as shift some of its high-end technological operations to Malaysia.

The move by Matsushita would go a long way in supporting the prime minister's zeal for Malaysia to embrace technological prowess and in the process move the economy up the value chain, a major thrust under the Ninth Malaysia Plan.

Abdullah said the industrial and electronics group, which has a significant presence in the country, should "take advantage of the government's policy of attracting high value-added industries."

"Malaysia has a highly-skilled, productive and disciplined workforce," he said in remarks during a visit to the Matsushita Panasonic Center here today.

The centre is the corporate global communications hub for the Matsushita Group.

The prime minister is on a five-day working visit to Japan during which he would meet Japanese Emperor Akihito later today and Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi tomorrow.

Also present during the visit to the ultra-modern facility, which features the group's latest technological innovations, was Datuk Kunio Nakamura, president of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co Ltd, senior company officials and Malaysian Ambassador to Japan, Datuk Marzuki Mohammed Noor.

The Matsushita group's 20 companies in Malaysia, which include 11 manufacturing plants and two research and development centres employing 21,000 people last year, generated sales exceeding RM14 billion.

Its Malaysian operations, which have a Japanese equity capital of RM1.8 billion, are also its largest in South-East Asia producing electrical and electronic products, semi-conductors and consumer appliances.

The plant manufacturing air-conditioners in Shah Alam is the largest of its kind in the world.

Expressing gratitude to Matsushita for investing in Malaysia, Abdullah said products like Panasonic, National and Technics are among household names in the country.

"They are well-known not only for the high-technology but also for reliability and this I believe is the secret why the group has remained one of the largest electronic products manufacturers in the world," he said.

During the more than two-hour visit, Abdullah was also shown the group's latest products including the yet-to-be-launched world's largest Panasonic 103-inch plasma television.

-- BERNAMA