TimMac@Kranji: First high-rise hub for metal, machinery and timber SMEs to be ready in 2020

JTC, the Singapore Cranes Association (SCA) and Singapore Timber Association (STA) announced on Wednesday an agreement to provide shared services and special infrastructure at TimMac@Kranji, the first high-rise development to bring together the metal, machinery and timbre (MMT) industries.

Slated for completion in 2020, the development features ceilings up to 12 metres in height and heavy floor loading of up to 50 kiloNewtons/square metre (kN/sqm) to allow for the use of overhead cranes and accommodate heavy automation machinery.

The facility was conceptualised in consultation with industry associations Singapore Metal and Machinery Association and Singapore Structural Steel Society to ensure it would meet the current and future operational needs of MMT companies.

According to JTC data, TimMac@Kranji has a land area of 5.97 hectares with a plot ratio of 2.26 and a gross floor area of 134,620 sqm. The wing housing SMEs dealing in metals will be four storeys tall, with the timber wing six storeys tall.

The units start in size from 1,200 sq m, and, being modular, allow firms to take up adjacent units to increase their space to up to 4,000 sqm.

This gives companies the "flexibility to configure their operational spaces according to their needs, and to consolidate multiple sites into a single location to improve operational efficiency", JTC said in a press statement.

In a speech at the signing ceremony, Dr Koh Poh Koon, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Trade & Industry and Ministry of National Development, said the clustering of SMEs across the MMT industries in the same place will make it easier for companies in these sectors to "collaborate and find solutions to enhance their productivity and optimise space usage".

Dr Koh added the government will continue to partner MMT companies to help them raise productivity and remain competitive.

Among the 22 companies which have already inked tenancy agreements at TimMac@Kranji are heavy machinery and equipment company Huasing Construction and Trading and timber products company, Thiam Soon Woodproducts Pte Ltd.

JTC's chief executive Ng Lang, said TimMac@Kranji achieves land savings by clustering MMT companies in a high-rise development while meeting the operational needs of companies.

"The shared facilities help businesses to cut down on ancillary space, reduce upfront capital and long-term operating costs," he said.

Director of Thiam Soon Woodproducts Ang Bang Yao said the concept could help companies like his to integrate operations in a single development and help increase our operational efficiency.

"The opportunity to tap on shared services like chemical treatment, sawmilling and warehousing in the development is another bonus," he said.