Samsung-Apple supplier Goertek to invest $38 mln in central Vietnam

China’s Goertek, a major supplier to Samsung and Apple, will raise its investment in Vietnam’s central province of Nghe An to $38 million to manufacture microphones, accelerometers, and laser sensors.

According to the investment registration certificate granted by Nghe An authorities in late July, also the third adjustment after the first one given in August 2022, Goertek Microelectronics Holdings is the investor, while Goertek Microelectronics Vina Co., Ltd will implement the project.

Goertek is set to pour an additional $17 million into the project by end-October 2024, while $21 million was contributed earlier.

The project will cover 2.76 hectares in WHA Industrial Zone 1-Nghe An, an industrial park invested by Thailand’s top industrial real estate developer WHA.

It will lease the land lot given to Goertek Precision Industry Vietnam Co., Ltd, a sister company and an investor of a $500-million project in the province.

Goertek Microelectronics Vina aims to construct and install equipment for the microphone and accelerometer production line in July-September, towards official operation in October 2024. It has an annual capacity of 356.8 million microphones and one million accelerometers.

For the laser sensor production line, Goertek plans to complete equipment installation in March 2025 and enter official production in April 2025. The annual output is 2.25 million items.

Goertek has a demand for 60 workers during construction and 500 during operation.

Nghe An is expecting to draw 15-20 foreign-invested projects with total registered capital of $710 million this year, only half of the 2023 figure, according to the local Department of Planning and Investment.

It received over $1.6 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2023, surpassing the year’s target by 121%. Of this total, $1.32 billion came from 19 new projects, while the remaining was from additional investments.