The Star Online: Business
The Star Online: Business |
| Dialight to expand LED ops in Penang Posted: 12 Oct 2012 06:41 PM PDT GEORGE TOWN: Dialight Europe Ltd will expand the operational activities of its light-emitting diode (LED) assembly plant in Penang soon to include moulding and surface mounting technology (SMT) operations. Dialight chief executive Roy Burton said that moulding operations would start before the end of the year for Dialight Penang Sdn Bhd, while SMT activities would begin next year. "Production activities of the plant will also be expanded to include Dialight's industry-leading LED fixtures for industrial hazardous applications," he said after the launch of Dialight Penang by Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng. Burton said US$1mil (RM3.06mil) had been invested in the 40,000-sq-ft facility in Penang with another US$1mil to be invested in the near future. He said the Penang plant would supply high brightness LED lighting for use in the oil and gas, mining, and the hazardous industrial sectors in Asia. "This is our first facility in Asia. Malaysia was chosen because of its low labour cost, ease of doing business and the government support. "Coming to Penang is in line with our global expansion plans that bring us closer to our customers in Asia. "Prior to coming to Penang, we were supplying the Asia market from our plant in Mexico. "We will source about 50% of the raw materials used in our LED lighting products from small and medium enterprises in Penang," he said. Last year, Dialight sales of LED lighting products increased more than 128%, Burton said. "This year we expect sales in Asia to grow more than double," he added. Lim said Malaysia had a 10% world market share for LED, with three of the world's five largest LED makers located in Penang. |
| Posted: 12 Oct 2012 06:28 PM PDT EARLY this week, I was in Putrajaya for an assignment at a government agency building in Precinct 2. Getting to Putrajaya is never a problem. In fact, it was a breeze with all the highways. I've been to the federal administrative centre numerous times for work as well as cycling in those beautiful parks in my free time. However, this time I had difficulty in locating the particular office building for my assignment. Although the Diamond Building has a very unique design, it pales in comparison to the massive buildings it is surrounded with. Those who have seen the building will be able to recognise it immediately as true to its name it's shaped like a diamond. I found my way to Precinct 2 easily but I have no idea how to get to where the building is located. I went up and down a road behind the Diamond Building passing by the sprawling Palace of Justice trying to find the venue. Getting lost is no fun. No one likes to get lost and being stranded on the side of the road trying to figure out one's way. I was trying to look for a signboard to tell the direction but somehow I didn't find any that point towards the Diamond Building. Perhaps, I missed the signs. Some say the signboards in Putrajaya are very confusing and some friends have been complaining about it as well. However, I noticed the authorities had been improving on existing signboards a fair bit. I believe there's still room for improvement in this area by putting up more signages or names of buildings to advise motorists. Early this year, The Star reported that motorists in Putrajaya find it difficult to rely on signages. Many motorists, especially first-time visitors, complained that the traffic signages in the administrative capital are rather confusing. I'm not giving excuses that I cannot find the Diamond Building by blaming the signboards or the lack of it. Since I was getting nowhere, I took out my Google maps to search for the location. Found the place within five minutes. Yes, I know I should have used one of those apps to help me get around while staying on track. Upon reaching the building, like most offices in Putrajaya, underground parking are mainly reserved for staff. Visitors will have to park their vehicles on empty land adjacent to these offices. While these empty plots provide some parking lots, the lack of proper visitor parking at some offices is a hassle. Many cars were also seen parked by the roadside and even double parked thus congesting some roads. I'm not sure though if they parked on the roadside because of the lack of parking or for convenience. I understand that there's Park and Ride facilities in Precinct 7 but it is just not conducive for some of us. Perhaps, more parking bays should be made available to the public near these offices. |
| Posted: 12 Oct 2012 06:28 PM PDT A COUPLE of weeks back, I wrote an article titled "Can you retire with RM1mil?" whereby the premise was whether it was possible to survive on an average of RM3,333 a month for 25 years. I threw this suggestion to a number of my colleagues and their unanimous reply was that in today's day and age, it's not possible. Even the general consensus from the experts I quoted in my story was that "it would be difficult." As I wrote the story, I couldn't help recall a time in my life when money was tight, and wouldn't hesitate to argue (based on personal experience) that even by today's standards, RM3,333 a month can be a luxury for some. When I first entered the workforce nearly a decade ago, my starting salary (with an honour's degree in Law) was just RM550 a month. So, how did I get by with so little money every month, you ask? I didn't, or rather couldn't. That's where my mum, whom I was living with (and still do today), comes in. Fortunately, because my mum was a retired civil servant drawing a pension, we were able to make do. Our collective monthly income was below RM2,000 a month, but we survived. It was also a good thing that there was no housing or car loan to service. After four months, I switched jobs (still in the legal line) and my salary was almost doubled. Life got a little bit better but money, as always, was still tight. Food was mostly home-cooked. My mum (God bless her soul), would wake up everyday in the wee hours of the morning and cook my lunch so that I could take it to work and not have to eat out. Mondays and Thursdays were my favourite meatball curry and rasam (a kind of soup). My daily mode of transportation was a trusty 1962 Volkswagen beetle, which, up to that point in time, had been serving me for over 20 years. Fortunately for me, daily driving cost me between RM30 and RM40 a week. To help reduce my costs further, I also learnt basic maintenance jobs for my car so that I could minimise my trips to the workshop. But whenever something broke down or needed major repairs, then I'd practically be left "scraping the bottom of the barrel." I survived this way for nearly three years and can say from personal experience that RM3,333 a month (even by today's standards) is definitely sufficient to live on (provided you live within your means and have no big financial obligations). Of course, many would say "that was then and this is now." True, but as the cost of living increases over time and though it might not be in tandem so does one's salary and marketability (provided you remain employed and productive). Life, of course, is a lot better today and I really don't miss my pre-journalism days. However, I do miss mum's meatball curry and rasam from time to time. |
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