National Instruments Opens Penang Office

National Instruments has opened temporary offices for its planned R&D and operations facility in Penang, Malaysia. The permanent building is currently under design, and National Instruments plans to break ground on the new facility in 2011. National Instruments also is actively recruiting for key R&D and IT positions for the planned facility, which will eventually employ 1,500 people in manufacturing, product development, R&D, IT and finance positions.

"National Instruments is excited to open our temporary offices in Penang and progress further with our plans to establish a world-class R&D and operations facility there,” said Alex Davern, chief operating officer at National Instruments. “A key factor in choosing Penang was its talented workforce, and we already have seen great contributions from the people working in the Penang offices. We will continue to hire the best and brightest Penang has to offer and, together, drive the company to greater success.”

The temporary offices in Penang currently are occupied by R&D, IT and manufacturing employees. National Instruments also has set up a distribution center in Penang for faster and more efficient product delivery to customers in the region.

"The combination of our skilled workforce and favorable business climate has made Penang a great investment for many multinational corporations, including National Instruments,” said Lim Guan Eng, chief minister of Penang. “We are pleased to have National Instruments in Penang and feel confident that the exceptionally talented people of Penang are ideally suited for the high-value jobs and opportunities the company brings to the region.”

The planned R&D and operations facility will be built on 17 acres of land in Bayan Lepas, an industrial area home to several global high-tech companies. National Instruments is developing the facility as part of the company’s ongoing plan to expand global operations.