HORIBA to Establish a New Production Base in Malaysia
Strategic Relocation and Expansion to Enhance Global Supply Chain Operations
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Kyoto, Japan, 15 May 2025 – The HORIBA Group (HORIBA) announces a significant expansion in Malaysia with plans to establish its first manufacturing facility in the state of Kedah. This strategic investment will create the company’s first production base for mass flow controllers (MFCs) in Malaysia, with full-scale operations scheduled to commence in January 2026. The new facility represents a major advancement from HORIBA’s current representative office in Penang, transforming the company’s Malaysian presence from a business development hub to a full-scale manufacturing operation.
Malaysia continues to be a key investment destination for global players in the semiconductor industry including HORIBA, thanks to its highly-skilled technical workforce and stable business environment, and Government’s facilitation. The northern region — particularly Penang and Kedah — has become a focal point for high-tech manufacturing, attracting major European, American, and Asian semiconductor companies.
Datuk Sikh Shamsul Ibrahim Sikh Abdul Majid, Chief Executive Officer of Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA), emphasised the strategic importance of this development, “HORIBA’s decision to establish its new production base in Kedah marks a transformative moment for Malaysia’s high-technology manufacturing sector. This move validates our nation’s emergence as a global technology hub and reinforces the northern region’s status as a powerhouse for advanced manufacturing. MIDA stands firmly committed to ensuring HORIBA’s success through world-class infrastructure support and competitive incentives. The company’s expansion represents more than just an investment – it’s a catalyst for innovation, job creation, and economic growth that will reshape Malaysia’s industrial landscape.”
Yohei Kawamura, President of HORIBA Malaysia, says, “The Malaysian Government has positioned the semiconductor industry as an important growth area and has been actively working on developing a robust ecosystem and industrial policies as well as, encouraging research and development and cultivate skilled talent. Such policies have spurred investment by domestic and foreign companies, and this has been particularly remarkable in the states of Penang and Kedah, places where major European, U.S. and Asian semiconductor companies have congregated.
In the semiconductor market that is expected to grow further in the mid to long term, the HORIBA Group will accelerate reinforcement of the global supply structure to fulfill its responsibility as a leading supplier of MFCs as well as to meet various metrology needs in the future.”
This new facility will also house the Analytical Solution Plaza in Malaysia, a cutting-edge laboratory. As priority initiatives for advanced materials and semiconductors, focus fields in the Mid-Long Term Management Plan (MLMAP2028), a wide range of solutions will be provided to meet such needs as advanced material analysis, semiconductor process monitoring, and environmental measurement services. This initiative aligns with HORIBA’s Mid-Long Term Management Plan (MLMAP2028) and complements Malaysia’s ambitions as a leader in high-tech industries.
Through the newly established base, the HORIBA Group will endeavour to further expand its global share in the MFC market, currently around 60%*, by rapidly and precisely responding to the needs of customers in Malaysia and other parts of Southeast Asia.
Image of the completed new base
* According to research by HORIBA as of April 2025
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About MIDA
The Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) is the government’s principal investment promotion and development agency under the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI). MIDA oversees and drives investments into Malaysia’s manufacturing and services sectors. Headquartered in Kuala Lumpur Sentral, MIDA operates through 12 regional and 21 overseas offices, serving as a strategic partner to businesses in leveraging opportunities from the ongoing technological revolution. For more information, please visit www.mida.gov.my and follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube.
About HORIBA
Founded in 1953, HORIBA has explored a wide range of unique measurement and analysis technologies to meet global customer needs from 47 group companies and local sites spread across 28 countries and regions. Under the corporate motto Joy and Fun, the company has expanded and refined its core technologies to solve society’s energy issues of today and tomorrow. Our unique measurement and analysis technologies are valued in various fields of society including the three megatrend business fields of Energy & Environment, Biology & Healthcare and Materials & Semiconductor. For more information on HORIBA, visit https://www.horiba.com/int/company/about-horiba/home/
For more information, please contact:
MIDA
Mr. Mohd Mazlan Mokhtar
Director, Electrical and Electronics Division, MIDA
Email: [email protected] | DL: +603-2267 6655
HORIBA
Contact Form
https://www.horiba.com/int/contact/contact-form/
