Speech by MOS Alvin Tan at Lionbot's Robotics Factory Opening

Mr Dylan Ng, CEO and Co-founder of LionsBot

Ms Michelle Seow, Prof Mohan Rajesh Elara, Co-founders of LionsBot

Prof Quek Tong Boon, Chief Executive, NRP

Friends from the Facilities Management and Robotics industries

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Introduction

1. Glad to join you at opening of LionsBot’s new robotics factory.

Strengthening our robotics capabilities to capture new opportunity.

 2. Exciting time now to be part of Robotics industry.

The global robotics market is projected to see substantial revenue growth, reaching ~S$90B by 2028.

3. Singapore has Asia’s 2nd highest robot density. We are committed to strengthening our robotics capabilities and nurturing a vibrant robotics ecosystem.

How are we doing so?

First, Government support through our National Robotics Program

1. NRP (hosted by A*STAR), oversees robotics R&D in Singapore and on stepping up translation of Singapore’s robotics capabilities.

2. It does this through funding R&D and fostering collaborations among research institutes, end-users and robotics companies.

3. LionsBot is a shining example of a homegrown company that benefitted from working closely with NRP and our robotics ecosystem, to become an international player in the production of cleaning robots.

4. I understand LionsBot has sold >2,500 of its made-in-Singapore robots to about 30 countries so far.

5. Today, we celebrate another milestone, opening LionsBot’s new robotics factory. Spanning nearly 5,000 square feet, this facility will boost LionsBot’s manufacturing output significantly and serve as an R&D hub for robot assembly and testing.

a. Beyond the standard quality checks, robots in LionsBot’s new facility are put through a special testing zone for multiple rounds of calibration for cleaning and navigation performance, sensor testing, and mobility perception.

b. I look forward to the exciting developments from LionsBot’s R&D efforts.

6. Building on LionsBot’s success, I encourage companies to partner NRP and our robotics ecosystem, and tap on our initiatives to co-create and accelerate the development of novel robotics solutions.

Second, join our new RoboCluster initiative!

7. MTI recently announced that NRP is rolling out the RoboCluster initiative to catalyse stronger collaboration and translation of robotics R&D to the industry.

a. This initiative will bring together public sector researchers from A*STAR and the institutes of higher learning, end-users and robotics companies like many of you here, to collaborate and co-develop solutions with economic potential.

b. Together, we will identify new use cases for collaborative R&D projects, work together to develop innovative solutions, and translate and commercialise them into industry applications.

c. Some plans include designing adoption roadmaps, and facilitating design thinking workshops, curated R&D projects and deployment opportunities, for more successful business matching and ecosystem collaborations on new robotics projects.

8. RoboCluster will kick off with Facilities Management (or FM) sector this year, the first of the four domains which include Manufacturing, Healthcare and Logistics sectors.

These are key areas where robotics can augment our workforce and enhance productivity, efficiency and safety.

9. Within FM, we are already seeing rise in translation of robotics capabilities in applications such as surveillance, security, delivery and concierge services.

a. For example, navigation stack developed by A*STAR’s Institute for Infocomm Research (I²R) enabled local robotics company Siix-AGT to provide various autonomous mobile robot solutions for surveillance and security. Siix-AGT also commercialised a luggage transportation robot in Taiwan.

10. Thank LionsBot for being among the key players piloting our new RoboCluster initiative.

11. Encouraged to see so many companies, industry partners, end-users, trade associations, and different stakeholders in the FM and robotics industries present today. Please network and forge fruitful collaborations on robotics R&D projects.

Please reach out to our NRP team and join our RoboCluster initiative.

Conclusion

12. Let me conclude by thanking all of you for being a part of our vibrant robotics ecosystem. To the LionsBot team, congratulations once again on your opening.

May today be a fruitful day of networking and fostering connections for everyone.