Japanese electronic parts maker Taiyo Yuden Co. plans to build a new plant in Malaysia to produce multilayer ceramic capacitors -- essential components for high-performance electronic devices.

The company said it will invest 680 million ringgit ($162 million) in the facility to be located in the premises of its local unit, Taiyo Yuden (Sarawak) Sdn. Bhd., in Kuching, Sarawak state.

The plan is part of Taiyo Yuden's efforts to ramp up the production of multilayer ceramic capacitors used to regulate flows of electricity. Demand for the products is growing rapidly for use in automobiles' electronic control systems, 5G smartphones and communications infrastructure, among other settings.

Construction work will start later this month with completion scheduled for March 2023. The plant will have a total floor space of 68,900 square meters.

The investment by Taiyo Yuden was discussed in April when Malaysian International Trade and Industry Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali visited Japan and met officials of the company, according to a statement released by the Malaysian Investment Development Authority.

The project is expected to create 2,000 job opportunities, the minister was quoted as saying in the statement. (NNA/Kyodo)

==Kyodo

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