Sama Jaya Free Industrial Zone | |
|---|---|
 Front gate of Sama Jaya High Tech Park | |
| Country | Malaysia |
| State | Sarawak |
| City | Kuching |
| Establishment | 1991 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Government of Sarawak |
| • Body | Ministry of International Trade and Industry, Industrial Terminal dan Entrepreneur Development (MINTRED) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 813 ha (2,009 acres) |
| [2] | |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | Not observed |
Sama Jaya Free Industrial Zone (Sama Jaya FIZ) is a high tech industrial zone located in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia.
Sama Jaya FIZ was established and managed by Ministry of Industrial Development Sarawak (MID) in 1991. [3] MID later regroup into Ministry of International Trade and Industry, Industrial Terminal dan Entrepreneur Development (MINTRED) in 2019. [1] Due to availability of cheap land and labour, it attracted investments from United States and Japan. [4]
In 1995, Japanese electronics manufacturer, Toko Electronics, became the first company to establish a factory in this zone. [4] This was followed by Japanese electronics company Taiyo Yuden, and American hard disk manufacturer Komag (now subsidiary of Western Digital). [2]
In 1996, US printed circuit board manufacturer named Zyco (now known as Sanmina Corporation) open their factories there. [4] [2]
In 1998, the Sarawak state government, Malaysian federal government, and Interconnect Technology started a project on creating the first integrated circuit fab in Borneo named 1st Silicon. However, the deal did not materialise due to a lack of funding and technology partners. However, in 1999, the project was revived with US$200 million cash injection from Commerzbank AG of Germany with Sharp Corporation as the technology partner. An 8-inch, 0.25-micron wafer fabrication facility was built in Sama Jaya and became operational in 2001. [5] [6] By 2002, the cost of the fabrication plant swelled to RM 6.5 billion (US$1.7 billion). [7] In 2005, 1st Silicon announced the production of 0.13 micron wafers, first in Malaysia to do so. [8] Despite making losses over the years, Sarawak state government continued to invest in 1st Silicon for the benefit of the future generation. [9] In September 2006, 1st Silicon completed merger with Germany-based X-Fab Silicon Foundries, to form X-Fab Sarawak Sdn Bhd where X-Fab holds 58% of the shares and Sarawak government holds 35% minority stake. [10] Meanwhile, all 1st Silicon outstanding debt will be borne by the government of Sarawak. [11]
In 2009, Western Digital decided to pull out of Sarawak and close its manufacturing plant in Sama Jaya. However, after an intervention from the Sarawak government, Western Digital decided to sell the plant to Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (HGST). [12] [13]
In 2010, Malaysian government set up a plan to transform the FIZ into a solar industry hub specialising in downstream processing. [4] United States-based MEMC Electronic Material Corporation (now SunEdison, subsidiary of LONGi), invested RM 710 million to build a solar wafer producing plant in the zone. [14]
In 2012, Sanmina Corporation decided to close its facilities in Sama Jaya and moved its operations to Wuxi, China for cost saving measures. [15] Other causes of this move could be due to expensive transportation costs, inadequate infrastructure support, and lack of employable human capital. [12]
In 2015, there were 16 investors operating inside the industrial zone. [16]
In 2016, OM Group Electronic Chemicals which specialises in chemical products manufacturing, [17] [18] [19] [20] was acquired by Element Solutions and underwent restructuring exercises. [21] [22] [23]
During COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020, all factories in Sama Jaya were operating at 20 to 30% capacity during Movement Control Order (MCO) period. [24] In June 2021, Taiyo Yuden factory was forced to close down for 14 days due to a high number of COVID-19 infections amongst workers. [25] In September 2021, Tabung Ekonomi Gagasan Anak Sarawak (Sarawak people's Vision Economic Fund) (Tegas) Digital Village (TDV) was opened in the FIZ to promote digital innovation and entrepreneurship in the state. [26] [27] In December 2021, Sarawak government announced that Sama Jaya industrial zone was nearing its full operational capacity and proposed plans to build another high-tech park at Kota Samarahan. [28]
In November 2022, SMD (Sarawak Microelectronics Design) company was launched in TEGAS Digital Village; [29] partnering with Belgium-based semiconductor company Melexis . [30] SMD provides chip design services to X-Fab. [31] SMD later moved its office to La Promenade mall near the Kuching-Samarahan Expressway. [32] Melexis opened its wafer testing site in the industrial zone in 2024. [33]
Companies inside the FIZ are exempted from sales and services tax. [34] Besides, companies given pioneer status inside the zone are exempted from import and export tariffs, 35% corporate income tax, and 5% development tax for five to ten years. After expiry of the income tax exemption, the company can also apply for investment tax credit exemption for additional five to ten years. Sarawak state government offers subsidies of water, electricity and also other physical infrastructure support in the zone. [4]
Sama Jaya FIZ is located 12 km from Kuching International Airport, 6 km from Kuching port and 16 km from the city centre. Roads, drainage systems, electricity substations, water supplies, and telephone networks were constructed here. [2] IPVPN, Fibre Optics and ADL/ADSL internet connections are available. [35]
In 2015, X-Fab signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with engineering faculty of Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) on research and development. [36] X-Fab also expanded its collaboration with Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus. [37]
East Coast Freight Forwarders is involved in integrated logistics, international freight forwarding, warehouses, and distribution of manufactured goods in the zone. [38]
The total exports from Sama Jaya FIZ were valued at RM 2.7 billion in 2016, and increased to RM 3.2 billion in 2017. [60] The figure reached RM 4.6 billion in 2018. [61] In 2019, total export value from the park exceeded RM 5.43 billion, followed by RM 6.93 billion in 2020. [62] As of 2019, cumulative investments by multinational companies exceeded RM 12 billion, created 118,000 jobs where 99% of the jobs were filled up by Sarawakians. [61]
Kuching, officially the City of Kuching, is the capital and the most populous city in the state of Sarawak in Malaysia. It is also the capital of Kuching Division. The city is on the Sarawak River at the southwest tip of Sarawak on the island of Borneo and covers an area of 431 km2 (166 sq mi) with a population about 165,642 in the Kuching North administrative region and 159,490 in the Kuching South administrative region—a total of 325,132 people.
Miri is a coastal city in north-eastern Sarawak, Malaysia, located near the border of Brunei, on the island of Borneo. The city covers an area of 997.43 square kilometres (385.11 sq mi), located 798 kilometres (496 mi) northeast of Kuching and 329 kilometres (204 mi) southwest of Kota Kinabalu. Miri is the second largest city in Sarawak, with a population of 356,900 as of 2020. The city is also the capital of Miri District, Miri Division.
Taiyo Yuden Co., Ltd. is a Japanese materials and electronics company, situated in Kyobashi, Chuo, Tokyo, that helped pioneer recordable CD technology (CD-R) along with Sony and Philips in 1988. Founded 70 years ago, Taiyo Yuden currently operates factories in Japan, Singapore, Korea, China, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Malaysia.
Abdul Rahman bin Ya'kub was a Malaysian politician of Melanau descent from Mukah. He was the third Chief Minister of Sarawak and the fourth Yang di-Pertua Negeri Sarawak. He is also an uncle of Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, since his (Taib's) mother Hajah Hamidah Ya'akub (1916–2006) was his (Rahman's) eldest-born sibling.
Allahyarham Tun Pehin Sri Haji Abang Muhammad Salahuddin bin Abang Barieng was a Malaysian politician who served as the third Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sarawak from 1977 to 1981, and as the sixth Yang di-Pertua Negeri from 2001 to 2014. He was the first Yang di-Pertua Negeri to hold the post twice, as well as the oldest elected to the office.
Kota Samarahan, formerly known as Muara Tuang, is a town and the administrative seat of the Samarahan District in Samarahan Division, Sarawak, Malaysia. It is also a satellite town for Kuching due to its proximity to the city part of Greater Kuching area. The Sarawak government position Kota Samarahan as the medical and education hub of the state. Kota Samarahan can be considered as the 'heart' of Malay/Muslims in Sarawak which forms approximately over 56% of the population, thus make it as another "Putrajaya" version of Sarawak.
The Pan-Borneo Highway including the sections now known as the Pan Borneo Expressway, is a controlled-access highway on Borneo Island, connecting two Malaysian states, Sabah and Sarawak, with Brunei. The length of the entire highway is 2,083 kilometres (1,294 mi) for the Malaysian section, 168 kilometres (104 mi) for the Bruneian section.
Petra Jaya is a suburb of Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. This suburb was named after the sixth Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Yahya Petra of Kelantan (1975-1979).
The X-FAB Silicon Foundries is a group of semiconductor foundries. The group specializes in the fabrication of analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits for fabless semiconductor companies, as well as MEMS and solutions for high voltage applications. The holding company named "X-FAB Silicon Foundries SE" is based in Tessenderlo, Belgium while its headquarters is located in Erfurt, Germany.
Bintulu is a coastal town on the island of Borneo in the central region of Sarawak, Malaysia. Bintulu is located 610 kilometres northeast of Kuching, 216 kilometres northeast of Sibu, and 200 kilometres southwest of Miri. With a population of 114,058 as of 2010, Bintulu is the capital of the Bintulu District of the Bintulu Division of Sarawak, Malaysia.
Hornbill Skyways Sdn Bhd is a regional aircraft charter service operating in towns and rural areas in Sarawak. The company slogan is "Wings to your Destination".
Cahya Mata Sarawak Berhad (CMSB) (MYX: 2852) is a corporation listed on the Main Market of the Malaysian stock exchange, Bursa Malaysia. It is an investment holding company involved in Sarawak in manufacturing of cement and other construction materials, road construction and maintenance, laying of undersea pipelines, dam construction, smelting, property development, financial services, and education.
Jalan Kuching–Serian is a major highway in the Kuching, Samarahan and Serian Divisions in Sarawak, Malaysia. This highway is part of the Pan Borneo Highway (AH150), part municipal council road and part state road.
MASwings is a regional airline operating the Rural Air Services (RAS) in Borneo Malaysia. MASwings is the successors of FlyAsianXpress which operated RAS flights from 2006-2007, itself the successor Malaysia Airlines operation of RAS flights during 1965-2006. Borneo Airways originally operated RAS flights from 1953-1965 within colonial British Borneo.
The Darjah Utama Yang Amat Mulia Bintang Sarawak is the highest state order in the state of Sarawak. It is conferred to those who rendered excellent service towards the development of the state of Sarawak and Malaysia. The Order was established in 1964, a year after Sarawak's independence with the formation of Malaysia. The history of the order can be traced back to 1928, where a similar order named Order of the Star of Sarawak was established by the White Rajahs. However, the revived order has no connection with the previous order, except for the similarity of the name of the order. The motto of the Order is based on the state motto and the current one was adopted in 1988. The design of the order ribbon was changed twice, first in 1973 and again in 1988. The design follows the colors of the Sarawakian flag: blue, red and white, and yellow, black and red. Both the Officer of the Star of Sarawak (JBS) and Officer of the Star of Hornbill Sarawak (JBS) share the same necklace design.
Servay Hypermarket (S) Sdn. Bhd. is a hypermarket and retailer chain in Malaysia. It is one of the main existing retailer in East Malaysia, having over 30 branches spread throughout Sabah and Sarawak. It was founded by Dato Sri Lai Kock Poh in 1990.
SCR Corporation Sdn Bhd is a Malaysian halal-certified chicken rice fast-food restaurant in Sarawak. The chain is operated by SCR Corporation Sdn Bhd which was established in 1987. Since its birth, SCR Corporation Sdn Bhd has grown to become one of East Malaysia's biggest home grown food names with international outlets in Brunei and Indonesia.
Sibu District is an administrative district in Sibu Division, Sarawak, Malaysia covering a total area of 2229.8 km2. It can be divided into Sibu Town area (129.5 km2) and the rural areas (2,100.3 km2). The satellite township of Sibu Jaya is included in the rural areas. Sibu District is under the purview of Sibu District Office located at Sibu Islamic Complex, Sibu City. There are currently two local authorities namely Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) and Sibu Rural District Council (SRDC) that administers Sibu City and Sibu rural areas respectively.
Tanjung Manis is a district in Mukah Division, Sarawak, Malaysia. The capital of the district is Tanjung Manis town.
The economy of Sarawak is the fourth-largest of the states of Malaysia, making up 9.3% of the Malaysian gross domestic product (GDP) in 2022. Meanwhile, Sarawak is home to 7.9% of the Malaysian population based on the 2020 census.