SCHOTT Completes New Production Facility in Kulim, Malaysia

SCHOTT announced the successful completion of its new production facility in Kulim, in the State of Kedah, Malaysia. This milestone was celebrated by Dr. Andrea Frenzel and Marcus Knöbel from the SCHOTT Board of Management, with more than 300 Malaysian employees in Kulim.

This new site will significantly enhance SCHOTT’s production capacity, complementing the existing facility in Penang, Malaysia, where SCHOTT has been producing specialty glass for consumer electronics, semiconductors, diagnostics, and other high-tech sectors for 50 years. The expansion underscores SCHOTT’s commitment to growth and innovation in the region.

Strategically located in Kulim, a bustling high-tech hub near the Penang site, the new facility is dedicated to the production of optical components that SCHOTT supplies to global high-tech industries such as augmented reality (AR).

The state-of-the-art facility, successfully completed in less than 12 months, will significantly boost SCHOTT’s capacity in optical precision manufacturing, adhering to the highest standards of quality and innovation.

“This is a great achievement for SCHOTT,” says Dr. Frenzel, a SCHOTT board member. “Half a century ago, SCHOTT established our first production site in Asia right here in Penang. Today, we are very thrilled to continue this journey by expanding and strengthening our presence in Malaysia.”

SCHOTT’s Advanced Optics business unit has many years of experience in delivering high precision optical components. Malaysia is part of its global manufacturing network, which works with centers of excellence in Germany, North America, Switzerland, and China to mass-produce innovative products that meet customers’ most demanding needs.

As a pioneer in the emerging market of augmented reality, SCHOTT has established several product lines that enable an uncompromised user experience through pristine image quality, an ultra-compact and lightweight form-factor, and an immersive content experience.

AR is set to become a transformative technology across various industries. For example, the entertainment and gaming industries can create new forms of interactive experiences by blending digital and physical worlds. Additionally, AR can enhance remote collaboration by enabling virtual meetings with interactive 3D models.

Building on a 50-year heritage in Malaysia, SCHOTT has grown its regional set-up to a strong innovation hub in optical components for the global market, such as consumer electronics, medical, and industrial.

Registered in 1974, the site in Penang was SCHOTT’s first production site in Asia. It has grown to a highly advanced plant that employs and trains more than 1,300 skilled engineers and production workers.

The site manufactures cutting-edge optical components and specialty materials, including glass wafers and MEMS packaging for the semiconductor market. The new Kulim site reinforces Malaysia as a global manufacturing hub for SCHOTT to supply high-end specialty glass solutions.