Intel invested $1.6 million to start its first offshore assembly plant in Penang in 1972. The factory, built in a muddy paddy field, later burned down. Intel Vice President and Oregon Site Manager Keith Thomson, who joined Intel in 1969, recalls that Intel was in production the next day at a nearby facility owned by National Semiconductor.

When the Intel Penang plant opened, the workforce consisted of 100 batik-clad employees -- the batik was created specifically for the Intel workers. Keith Thomson recalls that at the time employees were promised transportation, a hot meal and uniform. The workers were predominantly women, here seen working at bonding stations, because they often performed better on dexterity tests.