MIDA e-News

Panasonic Corp, a global leader in consumer electrical and electronics products, plans to relocate a substantial production of solar modules in Hungary and Mexico to its new plant in Malaysia under Panasonic Energy Malaysia Sdn Bhd.

Panasonic Malaysia said the company would close its facility in Mexico next month and reduce the production of modules at Sanyo Hungary from October while expecting its Malaysian plant to be operational this December.

The new RM1.84 billion photovoltaic plant sited on a 28.35ha site in Kulim Hi-Tech Park will make Panasonic HIT (Heterojunction with Intrinsic Thin-layer) solar modules that offer the world's highest level conversion efficiency and excellent feature of temperature dependence which enables more power generation during summer at high temperature.

At its ground breaking ceremony in March, Panasonic Group President Masato Ito, who is also the Executive Officer for Panasonic Energy Company Japan said that making its solar modules in Malaysia would enable the company to reduce its cost by some 10% compared to its plants in Japan, the US and Europe.

Panasonic Asia Pacific Managing Director, Yorihisa Shiokawa said the company picked Malaysia to set up its solar modules plant due to the Malaysian government's support for its investment, the country’s good infrastructure and excellent quality of its human resource.

Meanwhile, according to the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Phang Ah Tong, Panasonic said the solar value chain in Malaysia is complete, meeting both upstream and downstream needs of the industry.

Adapted from NST Business Times 31 July 2012