SPEECH BY MR LIM HNG KIANG, MINISTER FOR TRADE AND
INDUSTRY, AT EUROCOPTER SOUTH EAST ASIA (ESEA)’S OPENING CEREMONY
ON TUESDAY, 11 JANUARY AT 5.30 PM, SELETAR AEROSPACE
PARK
Dr Lutz Bertling,
President and Chief Executive Officer,
Eurocopter
Mr Norbert
Ducrot,
Chairman, Eurocopter South East
Asia
Dr Bernhard
Brenner,
President, Eurocopter South East
Asia,
Your
Excellencies
Ladies and
Gentlemen,
Good
Afternoon.
Introduction
I am pleased to join you today for the opening ceremony
of Eurocopter Southeast Asia’s facility in Seletar Aerospace
Park.
The eurerocopter-Singapore partnership spans more than three
decades. Eurocopter
Southeast Asia, or ESEA , was first established in
1977 as SAMAERO with the Republic of Singapore Air Force as its
first customer.ESEA has grown in tandem with the Singapore economy
and it has since expanded its operations significantly in Singapore
to become Eurocopter’s South East Asian regional headquarters, with
responsibilities for the region’s Maintenance Repair & Overhaul
(MRO) operations, aircraft sales and pilot
training.
I am delighted that Eurocopter decided to establish this
new facility, which will allow ESEA to embark on a wider scope of
MRO activities and set up a new helicopter simulator centre. I
understand that EADS Innovation Works, the corporate R&D centre
of Eurocopter’s parent company EADS, will also co-locate with ESEA
in this facility. This arrangement will enable greater synergies
between the two entities, as they carry out joint research on MRO
technologies.
Seletar Aerospace Park – An integrated environment for
aerospace
companies
The aerospace sector is an important sector of
Singapore’s economy. Singapore is currently the region’s most
comprehensive centre for MRO. We have also achieved some success on
the manufacturing front, with Rolls-Royce’s decision to set up an
aero engine assembly & test, and fan blade manufacturing
facilities
here.
To support the continued
growth of Singapore’s aerospace industry, the government will put
in place the necessary infrastructure for aerospace companies.
Since plans to develop the 300-hectare land around Seletar Airport
were announced in 2006, JTC has been working hard to ensure that
companies have a supply of ready prepared land for their
operations. This development has continued despite the recent
financial crisis, and is a testament to the Government’s commitment
to establish Singapore as a world-class aerospace
hub.
Companies located in Seletar
Aerospace Park, or SAP, will be able to reap the benefits from
economies of scale and synergies through the park’s shared
infrastructure and co-location of related aerospace activities. For
example, JTC has initiated two developments in SAP, the Business
Aviation Complex and General Aviation Centre. The Business Aviation
Complex will provide shared office space and warehousing facilities
for SAP tenants, while the General Aviation Centre will offer
shared hangar space.Companies such as ESEA and Rolls-Royce are also
able to locate R&D centres together with their MRO and
manufacturing operations in
SAP.
Since the Government started
developing SAP in 2007, the park has attracted strong interest from
the industry. For Phase 1 and Phase 2, three-quarters of the land
in SAP have already been taken up or reserved by companies.Both
phases account for approximately 80
hectares.
Developing talent for the
Aerospace
industry
Apart from physical
infrastructure, access to skilled manpower is a critical success
factor for the aerospace industry. Today, the aerospace industry
accounts for over 18,000 jobs, of which 80% are skilled jobs. To
ensure a steady pipeline of ready talent, the Government has
invested heavily in technical education. The first batch of
Aerospace Engineering students in Nanyang Technological University
graduated in 2009 while our polytechnics and Institute of Technical
Education (ITE) have also launched specialised aerospace programmes
or final year specialisations. For example, Temasek Polytechnic
partnered with Lufthansa Technical Training to jointly administer
an Aerospace programme for MRO. ITE has also launched full time
courses in Aerospace Avionics and Aerospace
technology.
I am also pleased to note
that the industry has also been involved with developing our talent
pool. ESEA is a good example. In partnership with Ngee Ann
Polytechnic, ESEA’s instructors have provided training for the
polytechnic’s students. This industry exposure supplements
classroom training and equips our students with valuable and
relevant industry
know-how.
Conclusion
Eurocopter and Singapore have enjoyed a long-standing
partnership, and we are happy to have played a part in ESEA’s
growth and success over the
years.
Let me conclude by extending my congratulations to the
management and staff of Eurocopter on the opening of the new
Eurocopter Southeast Asia facility.
I look forward to a productive and enduring partnership in
Singapore, and I wish you every success. Thank
you.