Mr Jeremy Fong, Chairman of the Singapore
Precision Engineering and Technology Association,
Ms Lindy Wee, Chief Executive of Singapore
Exhibition Services,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good morning.
Introduction
Let me extend my warmest welcome to all exhibitors
and visitors to MTA 2015.
This year marks the 20th edition of MTA,
and I would like to congratulate the organizers on reaching this significant
milestone.
As an up-to-date exhibition, MTA 2015 has introduced
a new technical conference titled “Future Factories & Manufacturing Asia”. Such
forward-looking vision is important for businesses in Singapore as we are
always looking out for new technologies to embrace.
The Government is committed to develop
Singapore into an advanced manufacturing hub
At one-fifth of Singapore’s GDP and employing
half a million people, our manufacturing sector is re-structuring. It is heading
towards high value-added engineering production. A number of our firms enjoy technology
and market leadership in sub-sectors such as semiconductor equipment, diagnostic
tools, biologics, hard disk drive media and offshore oil and gas platforms.
Building on these achievements, we aspire
to become an advanced manufacturing hub of tomorrow. To achieve this, the Government
has set aside substantial resources to help companies’ undertake R&D and
adopt new technologies. Let me
illustrate this through our efforts in Additive Manufacturing (AM).
Additive Manufacturing (AM)
Additive manufacturing (AM), more commonly
known as 3D printing, is not entirely new, and has long enabled rapid
prototyping. Its commercial proposition has strengthened in recent years with
declining equipment prices and a wider range of materials that can be manufactured
in this fashion – extending beyond plastics into metals, composites and
ceramics.
AM has the potential to enable cheaper
low-volume production, responsive production, shortened supply chains,
optimized designs and mass customization.
While some hurdles still exist, we have begun investing ahead of time to
build up upstream R&D and downstream commercialization capabilities. We
have also started to train the relevant talents in support of growth
opportunities in the AM industry.
For example, Nanyang Technological
University has set up the Singapore Centre for 3D Printing (SC3DP). It collaborates
with the industry to try out novel AM materials, printing processes and
next-generation AM equipment. The Centre
will also build up our talent pool in 3D printing by equipping up to 150
engineering graduates at the Masters and PhD levels with knowledge in AM over
the next 5 years.
This year, A*STAR will launch a new Additive
Manufacturing Centre to accelerate the adoption of AM technologies in
Singapore. It will house state-of-the-art industrial-grade AM equipment and
will work with industrial partners, such as Rolls-Royce and others to explore
new applications using AM methods.
In addition to university-level training, Nanyang
Polytechnic is expanding its Additive Manufacturing Innovation Centre (AMIC) to
develop commercialization capabilities in the design, pre- and post-processing
of additive manufactured parts. The Polytechnic also plans to conduct training
programs for practicing engineers and technicians to apply AM technology.
Other Emerging Technologies -- Robotics and
Digital Manufacturing
Apart from AM, we also recognise the
potential in other emerging technologies such as robotics and digital
manufacturing. Robotics is also not a particularly new technology. However, latest robotics are more easily-programmable
and hence adopted. Together with digital manufacturing, integrated production processes
would lead to faster and error-free production.
Staying at the forefront of technologies is
crucial to the competitiveness of our manufacturing industry. The Government is
committed to supporting public-private partnerships in these technology areas.
I invite interested participants to engage the EDB for further discussions on
your areas of interest.
Innovative Factories of the Future
Beyond acquiring technologies, the
Government is also providing more special-purpose industrial buildings. The JTC
Space @ Tampines North is a good example of a future-ready production space
which could house vibration-sensitive operations. Its high floor loading and
high ceiling features would accommodate stringent requirements of AM and
robotics applications. Its design also allows knock-out slab panels to be used
for greater flexibility in future expansion.
Conclusion
In conclusion, let me say that our
manufacturing firms need to stay ahead of competition by aggressive adoption of
the latest technologies, including additive manufacturing and robotics. The Government
will continue to provide a nurturing environment and supporting infrastructure to
help our firms succeed in their quest for upgrading and moving up the value
chain. May I wish you a fruitful and successful event.
It’s my pleasure to now declare MTA 2015
open. Thank you.