Manufacturers in the semicon-ductor and pharmaceutical industries have been identified as front runners in their adoption of Industry 4.0 initiatives here, the Economic Development Board (EDB) said yesterday.
This was among the findings that emerged in the EDB's Smart Industry Readiness Index (Siri) manufacturing transformation insights report, based on data from 200 manufacturers across 12 major industries here.
The report, which analyses how much industries have progressed in their transformation, said manufacturers from the semiconductor and pharmaceutical industries scored well across 16 dimensions assessed in Siri - from shop floor automation to enterprise connectivity.
"They demonstrated improvements in key capabilities such as processes, technology adoption and change management, thus ensuring a uniform acceptance and adoption of Industry 4.0 in their organisations," said the EDB.
In the pharmaceuticals industry, platforms such as the Biopharmaceutical Manufacturers' Advisory Committee were also strong catalysts driving transformation, the EDB added.
Companies under the committee banded together to consolidate their Siri scores, identify common problems and prioritise areas they could work on together, helping them tackle industry challenges.
Siri, launched two years ago, was created by the EDB in partnership with leading technology companies, consultancy firms as well as industry and academic experts.
Yesterday, the Singapore Standards Council, Singapore Manufacturing Federation-Standards Development Organisation as well as Enterprise Singapore also enhanced their "standards for Industry 4.0 tool", aligning it to key performance indicators in Siri.
The aim is to guide companies to adopt standards in line with areas they want to address, and the online tool includes more than 60 international and national standards related to Industry 4.0 solutions.
The tool allows users to view case studies on how implementing the standards has benefited others, and find relevant training courses.
Enterprise Singapore said yesterday that five trade associations and chambers will be forming a "manufacturing alliance" to look into companies' needs and support them in Industry 4.0 initiatives.
For a start, this will focus on the precision engineering and food manufacturing sectors. Micro enterprises will be able to access the latest technologies in packages.
