Featured Stories | Singapore Economic Development Board

Globally Competitive Suppliers

Many local suppliers started off by supporting the electronics and hard disk drive (HDD) sectors with simple parts and components. In tandem with the transformation of the manufacturing landscape in Singapore, home-grown suppliers deepened their capabilities and diversified into new growth areas such as aerospace, oil & gas, medical devices and complex equipment. For example, Meiban Group Ltd, a local plastics company, progressed from providing simple plastic injection moulding services to contract manufacturing with R&D and design capabilities; MMI Holdings Limited and UMS Holdings Limited made significant investments moving into the aerospace and oil & gas sectors. Our local suppliers have also adopted an extended manufacturing footprint to enhance global competitiveness. For instance, Hi-P International Limited has grown from a small tool maker into a global supplier with revenues exceeding S$900M and 25 manufacturing plants spread across Singapore, China, Mexico, Thailand and Poland. A strong base of these globally competitive suppliers is critical to supporting complex manufacturing in Singapore.

Applied Materials Broke Ground in Singapore

Applied Materials, a leading supplier of manufacturing systems to high tech industries, including semiconductor, LCD and photovoltaic, is setting up a US$70 million Asia Operations Centre in Singapore. The Centre will serve as a key manufacturing and consolidation centre for a wide range of Applied Materials' products, including its most advanced chip equipment for the 45-nm technology node and below. “Sitting at a virtual crossroads between India and China, Singapore has proven to be a friendly and great place to do business with its strong transportation and logistics network, extensive supplier base and talented workforce,” said Mike Splinter, president and CEO of Applied Materials. The Asia Operations Centre will help Applied Materials achieve reductions in material cost and cycle time while expanding the company’s merge-in-transit and global supply chain capabilities.