Featured Stories | Singapore Economic Development Board

Official opening of Centre for Digital and Precision Engineering

Nanyang Polytechnic, EDB and SPRING officially opened the Centre for Digital and Precision Engineering in January 2010. The Centre, set up in 2008, is the first-of-its kind training facility in Singapore, and NYP is the only institution to offer PE training at the polytechnic level. To date, the centre has supported over 40 PE companies in joint projects. Students also stand to be awarded the National Precision Engineering Scholarship by EDB and SPRING, which covers course fee, monthly allowance and opportunities for overseas internship. The NPES is part of the S$76 million Precision Engineering Manpower Initiative to train 2000 technologists for the PE industry over 5 years. Under the PE Manpower Initiative, EDB and SPRING take the lead to work with various government agencies, institutes of higher learning such as NYP and industry to attract a new generation of talent to join the PE industry, and to upgrade and deepen the capabilities of Singapore PE manpower base.

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.