Advantest Joins with Malaysian OSAT Fabtronic and Government Group to Establish First Shared-Services Lab in Southeast Asia

Region’s Semiconductor Test Engineers to Train and Develop Professional Skills on Advantest’s Industry-leading Test Solutions 

Munich, Germany, 16.09.2015 – Leading semiconductor test equipment supplier Advantest Corporation’s (TSE: 6857, NYSE: ATE) subsidiary Advantest (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) foundry Fabtronic Sdn Bhd and Malaysia’s Northern Corridor Implementation Authority (NCIA) have entered a strategic partnership to enhance the test-development and product-characterization skills of IC test engineers by establishing a laboratory and professional training center in Malaysia’s Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER). The partner organizations expect the program to help reduce development costs and improve time to market for semiconductor devices made in Malaysia.

The three organizations signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to jointly launch a shared-services test laboratory and skills development training program at the Northern Corridor Technology Development Center (NTDC), located in Phase 4 of the Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone in Penang, Malaysia. The new lab and training program will be run by Fabtronic, which has equipped the facility with a V93000 Smart Scale™ test platform from Advantest. This scalable system is designed to support both engineering and high-volume manufacturing applications.

“We enthusiastically support this cooperative venture to grow Malaysia’s high-tech ecosystem, expand its skilled labor force and improve product-development efficiencies,” said Paul Lau, managing director and CEO of Advantest (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. “Advantest is proud to be a founding member of this three-pronged coalition of private-sector and government groups helping to bring the first shared-services test lab to Southeast Asia.”

About Fabtronic Sdn Bhd

Supported by the government of Malaysia, Fabtronic Sdn Bhd (Fabtronic) provides outsourcing services for the semiconductor industry, particularly in flip-chip product assembly.  Incorporated in April 2007, Fabtronic is the pioneer in the Factory-In-a-Factory (FiF) business model, working in collaboration with a renowned multinational company in the Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone in Penang. With the success of this FiF collaboration, especially in technology, knowledge and skill transfer, Fabtronic is moving up the value chain in the semiconductor industry by providing shared service facilities for test development and die preparation.

About the Northern Corridor Implementation Authority

The Northern Corridor Implementation Authority (NCIA) was established under the Northern Corridor Implementation Authority Act of 2008 (Act 687) as the authority responsible for providing direction and for devising policies and strategies in relation to socio-economic development in the Northern Corridor Economic Region (Koridor Utara), which encompasses 21 districts in northern Peninsular Malaysia in the states of Kedah, Perak, Perlis and Penang. The NCIA’s objectives are to promote and accelerate the development of the Koridor Utara into a world-class economic region and a choice destination for investment, work and living as well as to ensure that social development and sustainable development remain priorities while driving economic growth.