HP unveils Apac-Japan campus, smart manufacturing research centre in Singapore

HP has officially opened its new S$100 million Asia-Pacific and Japan (APJ) campus in Singapore, bringing together for the first time more than 3,000 employees from 35 nationalities onto a single location to carry out sales, logistics and research and development for the region.

Located at Depot Close, it spans over 450,000 square feet and is designed to leverage natural lighting and intelligent controls to conserve energy. It includes collaborative spaces, mobility solutions, as well as a research and prototyping facility.

The APJ campus also features a new Customer Welcome Center that will allow customers and partners to explore tailored HP solutions based on their needs or target vertical markets.

Richard Bailey, president for APJ at HP, said: "The Singapore Campus is a reflection of our drive to constantly reinvent the way we work as well as develop new technologies to enhance productivity and efficiency across our global operations."

HP on Wednesday also unveiled its world's first Smart Manufacturing Applications and Research Centre (Smarc), a 6,000 square feet facility located within its new APJ campus. Smarc seeks to "help digitally transform and reinvent" HP's supplies manufacturing processes by using digital technologies such as additive manufacturing (3D printing), advanced robotics, and large-scale data analytics.

Smarc's target is to improve productivity in HP's supplies manufacturing processes by at least 20 per cent. The centre, which comprises four lab, is manned by a team of engineers who oversee more than 50 supplies manufacturing lines globally. Successful developments from Smarc will be implemented across HP's supplies manufacturing lines across the world.

S Iswaran, Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry), who was guest-of-honour at HP's official opening event, highlighted Singapore's commitment to ensure the sustainability and competitiveness of its manufacturing sector.

He added: "HP is also an important partner in our efforts to raise the capabilities of our SMEs (small and medium enterprises)."

The minister said that HP has for instance, partnered local SME suppliers Mega Plus Technology and Super Pak Manufacturing - under the Partnership for Capability Transformation programme - to create a more environmentally-friendly packaging for ink canisters.