In its aim to facilitate partnerships between the Lion City and Chinese firms, the International Enterprise (IE) Singapore and Ascendas-Singbridge unveiled a one-stop shop in Guangzhou, China.
The Singapore Manufacturing Innovation Centre (SMIC) is pegged to help Singapore firms tap the rising demand in China, following the "Made in China 2025" initiative (MIC 2025) which is aimed at leveraging technology to boost traditional industries and develop its advanced manufacturing sector.
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The pioneering batch of five Singapore tech firms that will support the centre include motion control solutions specialist Akribis Systems; energy efficiency technology provider Barghest Building Performance; innovations solutions provider K-One; industrial information technology provider Plant Werx; and autonomous technology specialist SESTO Robotics.
The opening of the advanced manufacturing centre was graced by Minister for Education Ong Ye Kung and Huang Pu District Mayor and Executive Vice Director of Guangzhou Development District Administration Chen Xiao Hua.
To recall, Ong is the Co-Chairman of the Singapore-Guangdong Collaboration Council (SGCC).
In line with MIC 2025, the Guangdong government has pledged approximately S$190 billion to boost the upgrade of its manufacturing sector. The fund is also aimed to promote the adoption of robotics to cope with rising labour costs and shortage of skilled labour.
The five firms stated earlier will be partnering with Chinese manufacturers in this drive, jointly creating solutions that contribute to the advancing of the country's manufacturing sector.
Some of the areas of collaboration include Industrial Internet-of-Things, robotics, industrial automation, additive manufacturing, augmented reality, and data analytics.
In a statement, IE Singapore CEO Lee Ark Boon said Singapore's expertise in the field of manufacturing is of big help in realising the purpose of the centre.
"These companies can partner and co-create solutions with Chinese manufacturers as they move up the
value chain. The SMIC serves as a one-stop shop for Singapore and Guangdong enterprises to collaborate on Singapore Industry 4.0 solutions, and scale up in other parts of China," he said.
IE Singapore and Ascendas-Singbridge will be connecting SMIC member firms to potential business leads. These firms will benefit from seminars, workshops, tradeshows and demonstrations that facilitate networking and business matching.
