SINGAPORE - British engineering giant Rolls-Royce, the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star) and Singapore Aero Engine Services are investing up to $60 million to set up a joint lab to develop smart manufacturing technologies here.

The five-year collaboration will develop next-generation aerospace manufacturing, as well as maintenance, repair and overhaul capabilities enabled by advanced processes, automation and digital technologies, they announced in a joint statement on Monday (Sept 18).

The joint lab is seen as a significant milestone in Singapore's push for the future of high-value manufacturing. It will develop cutting-edge manufacturing technologies, such as the additive manufacturing or 3D industrial printing of complex aero-engine components, as well as advanced robotic and automatic solutions.

This could subsequently carry significant spin-off benefits for other relevant local industry sectors, such as precision engineering.

Manufacturing accounted for 20 per cent of the country's gross domestic product in 2016 and employed 14 per cent of the total workforce.