German life sciences company Eppendorf SE has broken ground on a €40 million manufacturing plant at Bandar Cassia Technology Park in Penang, its first production site in Southeast Asia, The Star reported on 12 Nov.
The plant will make selected laboratory products from the company’s Centrifuges & Instruments portfolio for global markets. Production starts in phases from 2028, and the site is expected to employ about 130 people by the end of 2029.
A joint statement from the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA), InvestPenang and Eppendorf put the site at 48,500 sq m, with a planned built-up area of about 16,000 sq m. It will house production, warehousing, offices, quality control, shipping and logistics. Construction and installation of production equipment are targeted for completion by the end of 2027, and output will ramp up through 2030.
A separate report on the ceremony by the Penang government’s news portal Buletin Mutiara put the investment at about RM200 million.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the project would widen the state’s manufacturing base into high-value industries, particularly scientific and measuring equipment. “By choosing Penang for its first manufacturing facility in Southeast Asia, the company opens a new chapter in its regional growth, while broadening Penang’s capabilities in high-value manufacturing,” he said in his speech.
Chow said Penang drew RM2.3 billion in approved manufacturing investment in the scientific and measuring equipment sector from 2021 to the first half of this year, across 42 projects. That was nearly 20% of the national total and came with more than 4,500 jobs. He added that Penang exports reached RM710 billion from January to September this year, or 45% of the country’s total, with optical, photographic, measuring, precision and medical instruments contributing RM48 billion. “That is around two of every three ringgit Malaysia earns from these products,” he said.
MIDA chief executive officer Datuk Sikh Shamsul Ibrahim Sikh Abdul Majid said the project would strengthen the country’s life sciences and medical technology cluster while supporting skilled employment and local supplier development. “Eppendorf’s investment reflects Malaysia’s growing position as a competitive destination for high-value, technology-driven manufacturing,” he said.
Eppendorf group chief executive officer Dr Christine Munz said the site would strengthen the company’s global manufacturing network and improve the competitiveness and flexibility of its Centrifuges & Instruments business. “This site is a strong commitment to Penang and will be an important new pillar in Eppendorf’s global manufacturing network,” she said.
The company is also seeking LEED Gold certification for the plant, with plans for solar panels, building systems that cut energy use, electric vehicle charging points and water-retention systems. Eppendorf has operated in Malaysia since 1995, when it opened an office in Kuala Lumpur. The Penang plant is its first manufacturing operation in Southeast Asia and its first new greenfield production site in more than 50 years.
Chow also invited Eppendorf to explore the Malaysia Automation, Test and Equipment campus in Penang, a shared facility backed by RM25 million in federal funding from the Ministry of Economy under the 13th Malaysia Plan, with 10 acres of state land. InvestPenang is working with the campus steering committee and the Penang Skills Development Centre on a shared laboratory for local companies.
InvestPenang chief executive officer Datuk Seri Loo Lee Lian, Penang Development Corporation chief executive officer Datuk Abdul Latiff Abd Aziz, MIDA Penang director Muhammad Ghaddaffi Sardar Mohamed and Eppendorf supervisory board chairman Philipp von Loeper attended the ceremony.
