Mr Lim Hng Kiang at the Eurocopter Southeast Asia’s Opening Ceremony, 11 Jan 2011

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.