Insulet Corporation the US-based medical devices company has selected Gelang Patah in Johor, for one of its manufacturing locations to produce its Omnipod Insulin Management System, the new site that will expand upon its existing manufacturing capacity in the USA and China.
Insulet’s investment was discussed during the recent Trade and Investment Mission to the USA led by Dato’ Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali, Senior Minister and Minister of International Trade and Industry, which included a meeting with Insulet Corporation’s representatives in Washington DC.
The firm is expected to invest around RM800-RM1 billion over the next 5 years to set its facilities in the state.
Datuk Arham Abdul Rahman, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) echoed the Senior Minister, saying, “Insulet’s entry into Malaysia is a testament to our attractiveness in bringing premium and high-tech medical devices product manufacturers into the country, consistent with our aspiration in making the country as the regional medical devices manufacturing hub to serve ASEAN as well as the rest of the world. We welcome Insulet’s global expansion and its addition to Malaysia’s ever-growing medical devices industry ecosystem. We look forward to having Insulet open up new business opportunities for technology transfer and integrating of our local vendors into its global supply chain network.”
Charles Alpuche, Insulet’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer shared, “At Insulet, we are driven by our mission to improve the lives of people with diabetes globally. That is why our top priority is to ensure our customers have continued access to our Omnipod products. Johor Bahru, Malaysia offers a strategic location in the ASEAN region with excellent accessibility to ports and a qualified workforce to staff our next manufacturing facility.”
Malaysia is well-positioned to be the manufacturing hub for the medical devices industry in Asia. Presently, Malaysia is home to over 200 manufacturers, with more than 30 medical devices MNCs producing high value-added medical devices. The second and third tiers of medical device manufacturers for parts and components of medical devices have increased opportunities for local vendors to be integrated into the global supply chain of this industry.
This announcement with Insulet Corporation is yet another example of how global companies in the USA base their decisions on fundamentals. This is an exciting opportunity for Malaysia, which has evolved itself as a manufacturing hub for medical devices in Southeast Asia.
