Develop unique capabilities, Gan urges manufacturing firms

Manufacturing firm Akribis Systems used to make only motor components for machines, but it has enhanced its capabilities in recent years to produce complex systems for sectors ranging from healthcare to electric vehicles.

The company, which has a presence in around 10 countries, plans to widen its footprint overseas - with Ohio and a production facility in South Korea on the cards - and boost its local talent pool to support its expansion plans.

Such investments in business transformation, innovation and development of workers is important for enterprises to compete on the global stage, said Trade and Industry Minister Gan Kim Yong.

"The global economy is a very competitive place. All the enterprises outside Singapore are getting better, moving faster and many of them are getting cheaper.

"It is important for our enterprises to continue to upgrade themselves... so that we can offer unique products and services, and develop unique capabilities," said Mr Gan during a visit yesterday to Akribis' headquarters at Techplace II in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5.

It is also important for companies to invest in research and development, and own intellectual property rights, said Mr Gan, noting that Akribis has 65 patents under its name.

"This will give them the competitive edge when they compete in the global marketplace," he said, adding that the Government will work with manufacturers to create customised solutions that support firms' overseas expansion.

The minister reiterated Singapore's focus on working with enterprises to invest in the training of young graduates as well as the existing workforce.

The M2030 Careers Initiative, announced by Mr Gan this month during the debate on his ministry's budget, aims to ensure that Singaporeans can access good job opportunities in the manufacturing sector. The initiative will target polytechnic and Institute of Technical Education (ITE) graduates who have been trained with industry-relevant skills.

Akribis chief executive Leow Yong Peng said it is tough to attract Singaporeans who are willing to do hardcore engineering research, and the company has been ramping up its outreach efforts in schools and universities.

Around 40 per cent of Akribis' workforce of 400 here are local workers, and the company aims to increase this proportion to 60 per cent in the coming years.

"As we go into advanced manufacturing, the headcount will come down and more high-value jobs have to be created. This requires more highly trained staff whom we need to start training now," he said.

Assistant engineer Soon Zi Hui, 29, joined Akribis in 2017 as an assembly technician.

The Singaporean, who has a diploma in telematics and media technology, was sponsored by the company for a specialist diploma in robotics and automated systems design at Nanyang Polytechnic from 2019 to 2020, with the help of a Workforce Singapore grant.

She said: "My previous job was more hands-on and I was assembling without fully understanding the end product, but now I have a better understanding of the various product applications."