Speech by MOS Alvin Tan at the Automation SolutionGO Opening Ceremony

Mr Terence Teo, President, AutomationSG

Mr Soh Wai Wah, Principal and CEO of Singapore Polytechnic

Ladies and Gentlemen, Distinguished Guests

Introduction

1. Glad to join you today at the opening of the second edition of the Regional Industry Networking Conference (RINC) and Automation SolutionGO! event. 

2. Last year, at our inaugural RINC and Automation SolutionGo!, I spoke about mindset, skillset and behaviour. On mindset, we need to be aware of the landscape we operate in which is increasingly uncertain but holds many opportunities. Skillsets are important and that is why we have Company Training Committees and job redesign. On behaviour, with the right mindset and skillset, we must act on it. I used these analogies last year because we had just honoured our Olympians and Paralympians in Parliament the day before.  

3. Yesterday, at the World Aquatics Championships, Gan Ching Hwee competed in the 1500m freestyle finals and became the fourth Singaporean to reach the world finals and the first woman since Tao Li in 2007. She slashed three national records over the last two days and last night, finished seven seconds faster than her own previous record set in the Paris Olympics. 

4. Why do I share this? Well, because as an industry, we too can learn from Gan Ching Hwee and our amazing Team Singapore swimmers. What do they need? Let’s dive right in.

A Good Swimming Pool 

5. The Jurong Innovation District enables Singapore-based firms such as VFlowTech to tap National Technology University’s (NTU) researchers and labs. This enables these firms to scale-up their projects, which otherwise be difficult to undertake alone. These are good swimming pools where all our swimmers can swim.

6. Multinational companies (MNCs) such as Makino Asia, Hyundai Motor Group and Shimano Inc are also attracted to the Jurong Innovation District due to the ready access to talent and business opportunities. This creates opportunities for smaller firms co-located in the district to similarly tap on their expertise.

Expand the Pool

7. We also need to expand the pool and make it bigger. One of the reasons why we host world class sporting events in Singapore, is to give our athletes the platform to compete with the world’s best. To challenge themselves and push themselves, and to learn from others. 

8. This is much like Singapore Polytechnic’s (SP) regional partnerships with Malaysia through the Enabling Platform Partnership. The Partnership will help build a pool of skilled, industry-ready talent for our industry in the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ). This platform will also enable SP students and their counterparts from other Malaysian Insitutes of Higher Learning to benefit from more cross-border educational opportunities, such as hackathons to develop tech solutions to address sustainability challenges. It will give Singapore-based companies the platform to grow their operations and capture new opportunities in the region, through the SEZ. 

9. As Singapore’s pool is limited, we must compete in a larger pool with larger fishes. This is one of the reasons we are working hard to make the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone complementary, leveraging Johor’s strengths in resources and land, and Singapore’s strengths in research development. When companies come to the region, they would then see Johor and Singapore as a place to invest in collaboratively.

Swim With and Alongside Others in the Pool

10. Third, having a good and bigger pool is important but it is not enough. We must then swim with and alongside others in the pool. This means deepening partnerships, including partnerships across the advanced manufacturing ecosystem.

    1. For example, Coca-Cola Singapore and A*STAR’s Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Centre co-developed a robot, or “cobot” to automate the assembly and packing line in Coca-Cola’s plant. With expertise from local systems integrator Kowa Skymech Pte Ltd, Coca-Cola can now integrate the “cobot” into their existing production line – improving the plant’s operational processes and supply chain management.

    2. Additionally, thanks to strong support from National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Cluster and Enterprise Singapore, one of our local SMEs, Moveon Technologies, is on track to launch a 3D printing solution at Formnext 2025. This technology can print optical components such as ophthalmic and prescription lenses, which are critical in augmented reality/mixed reality (AR/MR) technologies.

    3. Finally, RoboCluster is an initiative under the National Robotics Programme, which brings together key players in our robotics ecosystem to work together to build novel robotics solutions that meet real-world needs. A RoboCluster initiative which AutomationSG is part of has also been extended to the Healthcare sector, resulting in a project by NTU and Articares that is currently in progress for approval. The project supports rehabilitation of the lower limbs through a robotics-assisted solution that brings therapy directly into patients’ homes and communities – improving access, continuity of care and recovery outcomes.

11. Partnerships are crucial to growth and innovation. That is why we are gathered today – jobseekers, technology providers, systems integrators, trade associations, education institutes, public agencies alike. Events like Automation SolutionGO! and RINC are valuable because they facilitate the conversations, collaborations, and co-investments that move us forward together.

Take Action - A Training Pool 

12. For all our budding champions today, to get to world class, you need an excellent training programme and a training pool. That’s what AutomationSG, SP and its partners are building for you.

13. At last year’s inaugural Automation SolutionGO!, AutomationSG, NTUC’s e2i, SP and U SME, and Singapore Polytechnic signed a Memorandum of Understanding, to provide training through Career Conversion Programmes and Company Training Committees. Automation SolutionGO! builds on this MOU this year in the second edition.

14. Please then dive into the training pool. The organizers have prepared a job fair today with nine companies offering more than 100 job opportunities – from software development and systems analyst to production operations. Jobseekers can attend the available career workshops and explore the industry showcase, as well as better understand the technologies shaping the future of work. There are also keynote speeches and panel discussions on being future-ready in an age of automation.

Medals and Awards

15. Finally, in competitive swimming, we also award medals. Today we recognise outstanding solution providers and end-users that have excelled in Business Growth, Sustainability, and Technology Utilisation. These are the GO! Award winners, and we hope they will be role models for the industry to learn from and be inspired.

Closing

16. Last year I spoke about mindset, skillset and behaviour. These are important ingredients to any athlete that we can apply here. Today, I built upon it, by speaking about what it takes to train a champion swimmer - a good pool, a bigger pool, and competing with and alongside others in the pool. 

17. I thank Mr Terence Teo, President of Council, AutomationSG and Mr Soh Wai Wah, Principal and CEO of SP for the warm welcome to the event. To all participants, I hope the conversations here spark new ideas and lead to action. Let’s dive right in. Thank you.