(Yicai) April 28 -- Trensor, a Chinese manufacturer of pressure sensors for the automotive and industrial fields, will put its first overseas factory in Malaysia into operation next year.

The plant, located in Penang, known as the 'Silicon Valley of the East,' will produce pressure sensors for the Southeast Asian and global automotive markets, Stephen Zhou, director of Trensor's Malaysian subsidiary, told Yicai at the 21st Shanghai International Automotive Industry Exhibition.

Initially, the factory was expected to have an area of 2,000 to 3,000 square meters but was later expanded to 10,000 sqm, Zhou noted, adding that it will provide between 200 and 300 local jobs.

The plant is expected to produce 10 million pressure sensors per year using its flexible automatic production lines.

The Wuxi-based company's custom-made and self-developed equipment, which incorporates proprietary sensor manufacturing techniques, impressed representatives of the Malaysian Investment Development Authority during their visit.

Malaysia is very interested in Trensor's plans in the country, according to an industry analyst. "Malaysia hopes to achieve industrial upgrading and escape the middle-income trap by attracting high-tech enterprises," the analyst noted.

"Our products are already used in vehicles from Perodua, Malaysia's best-selling car brand with a local market share of over 40 percent last year, through indirect supply channels," Trensor's sales chief said. “With a local factory, we will be able to serve Malaysian customers better and further expand into Southeast Asia.”

Global Strategy Amid Supply Chain Shifts

Against the backdrop of global supply chain restructuring, Trensor's overseas expansion proved forward-thinking.

The Malaysian factory was initially planned to address the tariffs implemented by US President Donald Trump's first administration and meet customer demand, Trensor’s executives explained. But changing geopolitics made this move even more strategic, they noted.

"Our investment in Malaysia isn't merely transferring production capacity but also a crucial step in our globalization strategy," Zhou said. “In the long term, this will enhance our overall competitiveness through global deployment rather than weakening our Chinese operations.”

Technological Edge in Global Markets

"Our piezoresistive ceramic thick film pressure sensors offer a short bill of materials, high accuracy, large overload capacity, strong electrical insulation, corrosion resistance, shock-proofing, flexible encapsulation, compatibility with most mediums, and versatility for measuring various pressure types," Zhou noted when asked about competing with international giants.

These technological advantages have enabled Trensor to steadily increase its market share. "Projects that were once exclusively supplied by international giants gradually opened to us," Zhou pointed out. “We secured an initial market share that continued growing.”

Most of Trensor's products are exported to Europe and North America and are supplied to leading automotive original equipment manufacturers and system integrator firms, such as Cummins and Ford Motor. For some projects, Trensor has achieved exclusive global supplier status.

Zhou also mentioned that a European tier-one automotive supplier, which is also a long-established global leader, recently entrusted Trensor with its global pressure sensor orders after inspecting their production facilities.

Future Growth

"The global automotive pressure sensor market is enormous, and we still have significant room to increase our presence," Zhou said. In the next three to five years, the company will continue to focus its growth on technological innovation and high-quality global customer service, he added.

Thanks to the automotive electrification and intelligence trends, especially with features like air suspension systems becoming standard in mid-price range vehicles, applications for pressure sensors continue expanding.

"In new energy vehicles, demand for sensors for thermal management and chassis systems has increased," Zhou noted.

"Pressure sensors may seem small, but they function as the eyes and nerves of automotive electronic control systems," he added. “Our vision is to become an indispensable partner for auto industry giants, creating customer value through technological advancement and brand building.”

Editor: Futura Costaglione