14 firms to represent Singapore at Hannover Messe tech show in Germany

FOURTEEN Singapore companies will represent the Republic at the world's largest industrial technology trade show in Hannover, Germany from March 31 to Apr 4.

They will showcase their advanced manufacturing solutions, products and services, as well as developments Singapore has made in the Industry 4.0 space under the Singapore Pavilion at the Hannover Messe fair. The fair also provides a platform for partnering German and European companies to co-innovate new solutions or work together to expand their companies.

This is the second year that Singapore is participating in Hannover Messe, which attracts more than 6,500 international exhibitors and 220,000 visitors annually. Last year's participation in Hannover Messe and business missions resulted in 40 project leads for Singapore companies, according to Enterprise Singapore.

Of the Singapore exhibitors this year, which range from listed corporations to startups, three will be launching their latest Industry 4.0 solutions at the show: Sesto Robotics, Akribis and Component Technology.

Advanced manufacturing, or Industry 4.0, combines machines with digital technologies such as data analytics and artificial intelligence to create what is known as a "smart factory". It has been identified as a key driver of Singapore's future economic growth.

Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Koh Poh Koon will lead a delegation of government officials to Hannover Messe, accompanied by officials from various ministries and economic agencies, including the Economic Development Board (EDB), Enterprise Singapore, JTC Corporation and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star).

At the fair, Dr Koh will launch the Smart Industry Readiness Index (SIRI) Prioritisation Matrix. It is a computational tool - said to be the world's first - which helps companies prioritise digital initiatives that have the greatest potential impact for their businesses. It builds on an existing Assessment Matrix under SIRI, which was launched in 2017.

Dr Koh will also deliver speeches at the Singapore Networking Event on Apr 2 and Forum Industrie 4.0 on Apr 3.

At the Singapore Networking Event, hosted by Singapore's Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany Laurence Bay, Dr Koh will highlight opportunities for enterprise collaborations and industry partnerships between Germany and Singapore.

At the Forum Industrie 4.0, he will share how Singapore serves as a gateway for companies looking to break into the Asean market, and how initiatives like the Jurong Innovation District can support companies in their journey towards advanced manufacturing.

On the sidelines of Hannover Messe, Dr Koh will hold bilateral meetings with German State Secretary of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy Ulrich Nussbaum, and Minister-President of Lower Saxony Stephan Weil.

Aside from the Singapore Pavilion, there will be a Whole-of-Government booth to profile Singapore as a world-class manufacturing hub.

Singapore's government agencies will also be promoting Industrial Transformation Asia-Pacific, the Asian edition of Hannover Messe which will be held for the second year in Singapore this October.