Royal Philips Electronics has officially opened its second Philips Lumileds high power LED production facility in Penang, Malaysia.

The opening was officiated by YB, Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department on behalf of Yang Amat Berhormat Dato’ Sri Mohammad Najib Abdul Razak, Prime Minister of Malaysia and Frans van Houten, Chief Executive Officer of Royal Philips Electronics. This second manufacturing facility in Penang is part of Philips Lighting’s efforts to solidify its leadership position in the fast-growing power LED market.

“The Philips Lumileds facility expansion project was announced as an initiative within the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) in March 2011. The completion today is a reflection that Philips is truly a valuable business partner to Malaysia and I am confident that its business investment in Penang will bring us closer to achieving our 2020 goal to be a high-income nation in addition to being a globally competitive investment destination,” says Malaysia’s Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak1.

The 300,000 square-feet facility for high volume production of the Philips LUXEON LEDs became fully operational in May 2012. Philips LUXEON LEDs are used in city beautification lighting, LCD displays, camera flash on mobile phones, automotive lighting and various other applications.

The state-of-the art facility also includes a research, development and design centre to help drive innovative solutions in LED lighting.

“Demand for new digital lighting applications is growing fast and we see very strong sales momentum of LED based Philips products and solutions, with year on year growth rates now exceeding 50%,” says Royal Philips Electronics chief executive officer Frans van Houten.

“This new facility in Malaysia will substantially increase the production capacity of our LUXEON power LEDs, whilst strengthening our global leadership in this field, and allowing us to meet the increasing demands of LED lighting.”

The Philips Lumileds facility is the first site in Malaysia to be fitted completely with LED lighting in its interior and exterior. The use of LED lighting within the facility will significantly help to reduce the facility’s carbon footprint, and will result in up to 50% savings from lower energy consumption.

Philips Lumileds has pledged to invest significantly in the development of skilled engineering talents in Penang. The facility will offer a well-rounded learning experience for its employees in the areas of education, leadership management, technological advances, and other essential skills that benefit them in their daily work and career,” said Chooi Chin Leong, Managing Director of Philips Lumileds Lighting Malaysia.

“The international exposure working in a multi-disciplinary team for collaborative projects and solutions will further contribute to a generation of high-knowledge workers driving global lighting innovations out of Penang.”