SPEECH BY MR S ISWARAN, MINISTER IN THE PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE, SECOND MINISTER FOR HOME AFFAIRS AND TRADE & INDUSTRY, AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF SOLVAY NOVECARE ALKOXYLATION FACILITY ON 10 JULY 2015 (FRI), 11.00AM
Your Excellency, Mr Benjamin Dubertret, French Ambassador to Singapore
Ms Evie Ruymbeke, Deputy Head of Mission & Consul, Belgium Embassy
Mr Emmanuel Butstraen, President of Solvay Novecare
Mr Martin Laudenbach, President of Solvay Asia Pacific
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
A very good morning,
Introduction
I am pleased to join you today to celebrate the official opening of Solvay’s Novecare Alkoxylation Facility. I would like to extend my heartiest congratulations to Emmanuel and the team at Solvay on your first manufacturing plant in Singapore. We are proud that Solvay has chosen Singapore to serve and expand its customer base in the region, and look forward to a fruitful partnership in the years ahead.
There are strong growth opportunities for specialty chemicals in Singapore
The Energy & Chemicals industry in Singapore has a long and well-established history, dating back to 1891 when oil trading activities first started. For many of us, the first thing that comes to mind when “Jurong Island” is mentioned, are the refineries and petrochemical complexes.
What is lesser known, however, is that specialty chemical companies account for a sizeable and growing proportion of investments in this industry. Over the past two years, one-third of the S$6 billion of fixed asset investment secured for this industry has come from the specialty chemicals sector. These investments in specialty chemicals will create over 1,000 skilled and exciting jobs for Singaporeans.
The development of the speciality chemicals sector is spurred by a fast growing middle class population in Asia, which will account for 40 per cent of global middle-class consumption by 2030.[1] This expanding Asian middle-class consumer group will need more energy, expand their caloric intake, and demand increasingly sophisticated consumer care goods.
Specialty chemical companies such as Solvay help to fulfil these demands by producing versatile and yet critical chemicals that are used by multiple end markets. For example, this alkoxylation facility is able to produce customised intermediate chemicals which enhance oil production, increase crop yields, and improve the performance of shampoos and soaps.
Riding on these trends, Singapore is well-placed to capture the strong growth opportunities in specialty chemicals, as this sector builds on the strong foundation of our petrochemical industry base. Specialty chemical companies here have the advantage of easy access to a wide range of critical feedstock produced by other petrochemical companies on Jurong Island. Solvay’s plant, for example, receives ethylene oxide on-pipe from Shell’s plant a few doors down.
Singapore will continue to strengthen our public sector innovation capabilities to support the specialty chemicals ecosystem
We recognise that the specialty chemical sector needs more than just vertical integration with refineries and petrochemical crackers to thrive. In particular, innovation and intimate customer knowledge is critical to stay ahead of the competition in serving the Asian market. Singapore has therefore invested heavily in public-sector research capabilities over the years, to complement and augment the work of the private sector in understanding the diverse needs and intricacies of the Asian market.
An example of the deep public sector research capabilities being built is A*STAR’s Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences (ICES) which set up a specialty chemicals programme to apply its core capabilities to develop new technologies for end markets applications. One area of focus within this specialty chemicals programme is oilfield chemicals, where the research institute is seeking to develop solutions to enhance asset integrity, oil recovery and flow assurance.
On a broader note, Singapore has built up a rich and diverse ecosystem of private and public sector capabilities to help companies better understand and innovate to serve Asia. Examples of this rich ecosystem include the Institute on Asian Consumer Insight; corporate R&D laboratories from companies such as Nestle, Proctor and Gamble, Johnson and Johnson; and corporate Homes for Talent Development such as BASF’s Learning Campus and Unilever’s Four Acres Singapore.
With our rich innovation ecosystem, strong rule of law and good protection of Intellectual Property, Singapore offers specialty chemicals companies a vibrant and conducive environment where they can create the next-generation of specialty chemicals to meet the needs of tomorrow.
The specialty chemicals sector offers exciting career opportunities for Singaporeans
Besides production and innovation activities, the specialty chemicals sector encompasses many other diverse business activities. Using Solvay as an example, apart from this alkoxylation facility and Solvay’s Novecare Research & Innovation Centre for Asia Pacific, Singapore is also host to Solvay’s regional headquarters for its Novecare Global Business Unit and shared services.
These wide range of activities within the sector gives Singaporeans access to a variety of exciting job opportunities, from discovering the next material used in cosmetics, oil production, and paints, to operating world-scale plants, and running businesses in one of the most dynamic industries globally. Singaporeans not only have the opportunity to rotate through diverse job functions, but to also pursue their career aspirations.
For example, Dr Lim Sue Ann started off as a technical specialist before being promoted to become a technical manager in Solvay’s Novecare lab, where she worked closely with the business team to provide technical advice to oil & gas service companies. Last year, she chose to venture into business development, and is now responsible for expanding Solvay’s oil & gas portfolio in Asia. I was told that Sue Ann found her prior experience in R&D useful as it gave her a deeper understanding of Solvay’s products. This knowledge, in turn, has allowed her to be a more effective business development manager.
The specialty chemical sector’s commitment to developing talent is not limited to individuals with PhDs. The wide diversity of activities in this sector means that there are multiple pathways for Singaporeans to maximise their career potential, including those who choose to make a mid-career switch.
Mr Kevinder Singh is a good example. Kevinder began his career as a technician in the aviation industry. While a mid-career switch is a daunting move for many, Kevinder saw it as an opportunity to better himself. Three years ago, he made the switch to join the Chemicals industry through a Workforce Development Agency (WDA) conversion programme, and upgraded himself with a specialist diploma in workplace safety. He is now the Health, Safety, and Environment Specialist at this alkoxylation facility, and was responsible for leading health and safety projects during the crucial commissioning period for the plant.
Conclusion
In closing, I would like to once again congratulate Emmanuel and the team at Solvay on the opening of this state-of-the-art manufacturing plant. We thank you for your trust and confidence in Singapore, and we look forward to many more years of fruitful partnership as Singapore and Solvay grow together.