Mr Lim Hng Kiang at the Official Opening of Pfizer Nutrition Expanded Facility, 8 July 2010

SPEECH BY MR LIM HNG KIANG, MINISTER, MINISTRY OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY, AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF PFIZER NUTRITION EXPANDED FACILITY ON 8 JULY 2010, 1000 HRS AT NO. 1 TUAS SOUTH AVE 4

Your Excellency David Adelman, US Ambassador to Singapore,

Mr. Jeffrey Kindler, Chairman and CEO, Pfizer,

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Introduction

Good morning. It is a pleasure to join you in celebrating Pfizer’s expansion of its Singapore nutritionals manufacturing site. I am delighted to note that this expansion will establish Singapore as the largest nutritionals site within Pfizer’s global manufacturing network.

Pfizer has been a long-standing partner of Singapore. Since 1964, Pfizer’s operations have grown from a sales office to encompass a diverse range of activities that include clinical trials, commercial operations, pharmaceuticals and nutritionals manufacturing. Today marks yet another milestone in this partnership – a reflection of Pfizer’s continued confidence in Singapore as a location for global manufacturing excellence and business hub in the heart of dynamic Asia.

Manufacturing will continue to be important for the Singapore economy. In February this year, the Economics Strategies Committee has affirmed its commitment to retain a globally competitive manufacturing sector at 20-25 per cent of the Singapore’s economy.

The biomedical manufacturing sector is a key part of our manufacturing industry, with the highest value-added per worker among the various manufacturing sectors.

Trusted Partner for Nutrition Companies in Asia

The global infant nutritionals market is expected to grow at close to ten (10) per cent a year from an estimated US$23 billion in 2009 to US$32 billion in 2014 [1].Asia will be the fastest growing region, contributing more than fifty (50) per cent of this growth over the next five years, and will constitute more than forty (40) per cent of the global demand for infant nutritional products.

With rising affluence, parents in Asia will increasingly demand safe and high-quality nutritional products for their children. Singapore plays a pivotal role in addressing this need, where being “made in Singapore” invokes a sense of quality and trust.

This recognition of trust and quality is one that has been built over many years. Anchored by a strong foundation in science and engineering, we have built a highly skilled biomedical manufacturing workforce that has enabled companies to achieve zero major observations during inspections by international regulatory bodies and ISO certifications. As a result, we have earned the confidence of leading global healthcare companies such as Pfizer that call Singapore their home for manufacturing in Asia.

Commitment to Enhance Manufacturing & Nutrition Sectors

However, to continue to play this pivotal role and maintain our competitive edge as a trusted manufacturing base, we need to continue to work closely with companies to further increase productivity, enhance operational efficiencies and strengthen their supply chains.

On this note, I would like to commend the Biopharmaceutical Manufacturers’ Advisory Council (BMAC) that comprises the site directors of major biomedical manufacturers in Singapore and representatives from government agencies such as EDB and JTC. In June 2010, the BMAC agreed to work on enhancing workforce productivity, operational efficiency of the manufacturing plants and the infrastructure at Tuas Biomedical Park. These efforts point to the close-knit industry community in Singapore that facilitates industry forums to address common challenges.

At the company level, Pfizer has shown leadership in manufacturing excellence. In 2007, the company’s chemical synthesis plant partnered Tuas Power in adopting a tri-generation facility, which resulted in an eight (8) per cent reduction in annual utility costs and 17% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions from the site. This nutritionals facility expansion also incorporates the latest technologies to reduce manufacturing cost and energy usage, enhancing both productivity and sustainability.

Complementing our position as a trusted manufacturing base is our focus on nutritionals education and research. The government has been working closely with the tertiary institutes and research institutes to build up a strong talent pool in nutrition. These include the Food Science and Nutrition diploma programmes at our polytechnics and the Food Science & Technology programme at the National University of Singapore. The Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences also carries out research in nutrition under its Growth, Development and Metabolism Programme. Through research, new nutritionals products will be developed to address the needs of the growing Asian market.

Conclusion

We are confident that these efforts will position Singapore as a key node in Asia for manufacturing and innovation to address Asia’s fast-growing demand for high-quality nutritionals products.

In closing, let me once again congratulate the management and team for the successful completion of the manufacturing expansion. Singapore is proud to be your home for manufacturing and look forward to strengthening our partnership. I wish the team every success.

Thank you.

 
[1] Source: ERC Group Plc Infant and Children’s Sales by Country, September 2009.