Wednesday 9 August 2017

Pentamaster bullish on operations in first half 2017

Monday, 9 January 2017

BY DAVID TAN


Sales seen to exceed figure achieved in same period last year
GEORGE TOWN: Semiconductor test-equipment Pentamaster Corp Bhd expects its sales for the first half of 2017 to exceed the figure it had achieved in the same period last year.
Group executive chairman C.B. Chuah told StarBiz that the group was confident of achieving more than RM70mil worth of sales for the first half of 2017.
“So far, we have locked in about RM40mil sales for the first of 2017, which is more than half of what we achieved in the same period of 2016.
The demand for testers should remain strong until the second half, as there will be an increase in the number of new smart telecommunication products in the market.
“The new smart products would require testers to check their sensors,” he added.
Chuah said about half of the orders for the first half of 2017 were for the smart device industry, while the automotive industry generated the demand for the remainder.
The semiconductor test-equipment is expected to contribute about 60% of the group’s revenue.
This year, the group will focus on expanding its intelligent automated robotic manufacturing line business (IARM), which is expected to contribute about 15% to revenue, compared to about 5% previously.
“Companies in Malaysia looking to replace skilled workers are our main customers.
“The IARM is growing due to the interest to replace workers where high-precision engineering and fabrication skills are involved,” he added.
On the group’s new RM25mil plant in Batu Kawan, Chuah said construction work for the 100,000-sq-ft facility would begin in the second half of 2017.
“We plan to start operations mid-2018 to produce IARM line. The group develops its own software for the IARM line. The plant will also manufacture medical washers for the export market.
“The medical washers are used for cleaning of essential hospital equipments such as wheel chairs and walking sticks” he added.
According to a Transparency Market Research report, the artificial intelligence is a fast-emerging technology, dealing with development and study of intelligent machines and software.
This software is being used across various applications such as
  • manufacturing (assembly line robots), 
  • medical research and 
  • speech recognition systems.

“It also enables in-build software or machines to operate like human beings, thereby allowing devices to collect, analyse data, reason, talk, make decisions and act,” the report said.
“The global artificial intelligence market was valued at US$126.24bil in 2015 and is forecast to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 36.1% from 2016 to 2024 to reach a value of US$3,061.35bil in 2024,” it added.

Read more at http://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2017/01/09/pentamaster-bullish-on-operations-in-first-half-2017/#Mg5k6rlruUKG01I8.99

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