Makino Asia unveils smart factory in Singapore as part of Industry 4.0 transformation

PRECISION engineering firm Makino Asia on Thursday launched its smart factory at 2 Gul Avenue, marking a milestone in its digital transformation journey that began in 2016.

The facility consists of an existing assembly factory and a new state-of-the-art machining factory, designed with Industry 4.0 and Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT) capabilities to increase productivity and connectivity between its systems. The revamp is expected to nearly double the facility's machine production capacity.

It is part of Makino Asia's digital transformation plan involving a S$100 million investment over five years to expand and boost the capabilities of its facility in Singapore. As part of this plan, the company also established two new departments focused on automation and digitalisation.

Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Koh Poh Koon, who was the guest-of-honour at the event, commended Makino Asia for undertaking the challenge to implement a smart factory in Singapore.

"Advanced manufacturing technologies, such as additive manufacturing, robotics and augmented reality, are already transforming our production processes and supply chain configurations," said Dr Koh.

"Makino Asia clearly understands the opportunities brought about by digital technologies and advanced manufacturing, and therefore is transforming itself to collect, analyse and disseminate data-driven insights to enable greater flexibility and productivity in operations."

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The smart factory's energy-saving and efficient solutions include solar panels in the compound generating about 2,400 megawatt hours of energy annually, the equivalent of taking 200 cars off the road and avoiding 1,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions over the same period.