Malaysia - Zon Perindustrian Bebas Bayan Lepas
The Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone is a high-tech manufacturing area in Bayan Lepas, near the southeastern tip of Penang Island in Penang, Malaysia. Created in 1972, the area is Malaysia’s first free-trade zone and is now home to various multinational firms, including Bosch, Motorola, Dell, Intel and Hewlett-Packard.
Additional Details for Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone
- Total area: 1,400 acres
- Year opened: 1972
- Key industrial sectors: Semiconductor, Electrical & Electronics, Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) & LED
- Seaport: 27 km to Butterworth Port
- Airport: < 1 km from Penang International Airport
List of tenants at Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone
Intel, Radiola Corporation, Cristal Precision, Okuni Seiko, Sanyo, Lumileds Lighting, Western Digital, Advanced Micro Devices, Agilent Technologies, Great Technology, Unico, Aurona Mars, Seagate, Flexcircuits, Cincaria, Geotrade Filters, Asiatic Motor, Sri Communications, Teoh Kim Chey Food, Air International, Sansai Kako and GA Blue.
Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone, or FIZ, is a high-tech industrial zone on the southern part of Penang Island. Along with the Perai Industrial Estate, it is instrumental in propelling Penang to become the third largest economy in Malaysia after Selangor and Johor., Its aim is to reduce the state’s reliance on tourism as the main income earner.
The zone was the brainchild of the second Chief Minister of Penang, the late Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu. The earliest phase of the industrial zone was developed in the early 1970’s. It was known as the Bayan Lepas Free Trade Zone, and today the name is still used to denote Phase I and II of the industrial zones.
Four phases of Bayan Lepas Industrial Zone
The Bayan Lepas Industrial Zone has been developed today to cover four phases. Phase Three of the Bayan Lepas Industrial Zone was developed at the former rice fields and mangrove swamps of Kampung Jawa. One third of phase three stands on reclaimed land. It has a composition of companies ranging from the high tech to light industry.
Phase Four of the Bayan Lepas Industrial Zone is the biggest and most recent, developed in the early 1990’s. Much of this area was formerly wetlands, mangrove swamps and land reclaimed from the sea. There are more logistics companies located in this phase, as it is near the Penang Airport Cargo Complex.
Penang Aims to Elevate the Zone into R&D Powerhouse
Penang is set to transform the Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone from a manufacturing hub into a global leader in semiconductor R&D. Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow announced plans to strengthen the state’s role in the electrical and electronics (E&E) supply chain through strategic industry collaborations.
Key initiatives include the Silicon Research and Incubation Space and a chip academy designed to upskill talent for the IC Design Park. With RM15 million allocated for infrastructure and training, Penang aims to reinforce its position as Malaysia’s semiconductor hub, home to 18 out of 20 IC design factories nationwide.