Skilled workforce key in shaping future of manufacturing in Singapore

Singapore

SINGAPORE'S approach towards Industry 4.0 is "not simply about technology", said Senior Minister for Trade and Industry Koh Poh Koon on Wednesday.

At the heart of its manufacturing strategy is how the city-state can better organise itself, and how the workforce and companies can respond more nimbly to rapidly-changing economic and technological trends, he added.

Dr Koh was speaking at the Future of Manufacturing Summit, the flagship conference on the second day of the Industrial Transformation Asia-Pacific (ITAP) - a Hannover Messe event, held at the Singapore Expo. In his speech, he noted that public-private sector partnerships, as well as a skilled workforce, are key to Singapore's efforts to shape the future of manufacturing.

At the event, he unveiled a slate of initiatives on those fronts.

One instance of collaboration is the Industrial, Internet of Things, Innovation (I3) Platform established by A*Star as a consortium to develop and accelerate the adoption of Internet-of-Things technologies and solutions by the industry.

To date, some 17 companies, including Rolls-Royce and local SME Genesis Networks, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to establish long-term partnerships with I3. The platform will focus on developing and integrating smart manufacturing technologies such as sensors, industrial data analytics, and cybersecurity.

Dr Koh also presented awards to successful companies for three promising research projects that have been selected in the areas of Additive Manufacturing and Enhanced Ultraprecision Manufacturing.

This was the result from an earlier bilateral call for grants under the first "Singapore-Germany 2+2 Cooperation Framework" by Germany's Federal Ministry of Education and Research and Singapore's economic agencies, led by A*Star. It aims to support research and development cooperation between Singapore and Germany.

At the event, global safety science company Underwriters Laboratories (UL) also signed an agreement to establish its international headquarters in Singapore. This added investment will strengthen UL capabilities in cybersecurity, inter-operability and connectivity, and sustainability management, aligning closely with the Singapore government's vision of a Smart Nation.

Dr Koh elaborated on the need to build a "skilled and future-ready workforce" to enable the manufacturing industry to transform. He explained: "A successful Industry 4.0 in Singapore is only possible with 'Worker 4.0'."

To that end, SkillsFuture Singapore has developed an Advanced Manufacturing Continuing Education and Training (CET) Strategy to drive talent attraction, retention and development in the field.

Meanwhile, Temasek Polytechnic (TP) and Harbin Institute of Technology Robot Group (HRG) have forged a partnership to set up a training facility in the campus, allowing SMEs to trial and implement robotics solutions. TP will also tap HRG's expertise to enhance its CET capabilities in Industry 4.0, and develop Train-the-Trainer and industrial attachment programmes for local firms.

Singapore Polytechnic and local enterprise Univac Precision Engineering also signed a memorandum of collaboration at the trade show to develop flexible workplace learning models that can be adopted by the precision engineering industry.

The ITAP, slated to be the Asia-Pacific's largest advanced manufacturing trade show, is expected to draw over 10,000 visitors from around the world over the three days.