Malay electronics: Euro slump blamed for dip in exports

Semiconductor and components in mobile devices, ultra book servers for cloud computing, optoelectronics and embedded technology would have been the areas of growth

Electronics companies in Malaysia are projecting a single-digit decline in export sales for the second half of 2012 compared with the first six months.

The chairman of the Malaysian American Electronics Industry organisation (MAEI), Wong Siew Hai, attributed the anticipated drop to the weakening economies in Europe.
Wong suggested another reason could be that many companies are waiting for the Windows 8 operating system to be commercially available before placing orders for laptops.
MAEI has a membership of 21 American companies comprising both semiconductor and non-semiconductor firms operating in Malaysia.
As recently as May this year, MAEI had projected semiconductors and electronics exports to increase three per cent in 2012 over last year to $16.6bn.
Semiconductor and components in mobile devices, ultra book servers for cloud computing, optoelectronics and embedded technology would have been the areas of growth.