Ferrotec has opened its second plant at Padang Meha, Kulim, adding RM1 billion and more than 1,000 jobs to what it has built in Kedah, the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) said on 5 November 2026.
Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor officiated at the opening on 28 October. The first kilang started work in January 2024 on more than RM900 million, so the two plants now stand at about RM1.9 billion, the release said, and Tokyo-listed Ferrotec's Kulim operations employ more than 2,200 people.
The new jobs are for engineers, technicians and production specialists, MIDA said. The plant at Padang Meha is nearly one million sq ft of automated floor with room for more than 700 CNC machines, and MIDA said the project brings quartz, ceramic and precision metal component capabilities for semiconductor equipment manufacturing. It is due to ramp up in the first quarter of 2027 and reach full production by the second quarter.
“Our ambition is to build a stronger industrial ecosystem where leading global companies can grow, local businesses can develop alongside them, and our people can benefit from better employment and career opportunities,” Sanusi said in the release.
MIDA chief executive officer Datuk Sikh Shamsul Ibrahim Sikh Abdul Majid said the second plant came “in less than three years” after the first began operating.
The release gave no wage range, did not say how many of the jobs have been filled, and said nothing about housing for the workers, so what the expansion means for rents around Kulim is not known.
Sources: MIDA media release, The Sun.
