Optics Balzers now producing in Malaysia

In early September, Optics Balzers started production with around 30 new employees in Penang on the west coast of Malaysia. The official opening is scheduled for November 21, 2016. According to Alex Vogt, CEO of Optics Balzers, it is becoming increasingly clear that the decision to establish a new production site in Malaysia was a good one: “There have been various inquiries about high-quantity production projects from potential customers in Asia, and these resulted in actual orders very quickly.” Vogt explains that the prompt start of production is only possible because a team of about ten staff members was sent from Balzers, Liechtenstein to Malaysia to support the start-up phase. However, a significant share of the staff was recruited in Malaysia. “The new production site enables us to exploit the market opportunities immediately and helps us to purposefully expand our market shares in Asia with new customer projects and new products.” The company’s focus is going to be on optical solutions for applications in future markets – augmented reality and virtual reality would be two examples. Another example of the fields of application for Optics Balzers products are mini- or pico-projectors. The demand for these devices is enhanced further by two current trends which call for sophisticated optical components: wearables and internet of things (IoT).