A visitor uses mobile phone to capture operation of a robot model in the event. — VNS Photo Mai Huong

Mai Hương

SINGAPORE  Industrial Transformation Asia-Pacific (ITAP) 2019, the biggest Industry 4.0 event in the region, opened its doors at the Singapore Expo on Tuesday with 350 exhibitors from more than 30 countries.

At this year’s event, companies can find out how to optimise the appropriate technology, process and get the best out of people to achieve growth. This is meaningful as world trade tensions rise, slowing Chinese economic growth and uncertain Eurozone which cast a shadow on a strained economic growth.

“Whether companies are big or small, they need to advance on transformation journey,” said Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat at the opening.

He emphasised new technology and 3D printing had enabled companies to produce cost effectively and in a shorter space of time.
Technology had brought disruption to many areas, including farming and job creation and the transformation was more acute when taking place when the economy was facing significant headwinds, the Deputy PM said.

He said: “Southeast Asia is well-positioned to be a regional manufacturing powerhouse and the home for factories of the future.”
But to realise this potential, ASEAN must work together to attract and build regional capabilities, Keat said.

Growth in the region continued to outperform the global expansion in real GDP term and by 2030, ASEAN is projected to be the 4th largest single market after the US, China and EU. Keat said many countries in the ASEAN region are implementing plans to drive innovation in manufacturing and adoption of technology, including Indonesia, Malaysia and Việt Nam.

ITAP, the regional edition of the iconic Hannover Messe – the world’s leading trade show for industrial technology - offers various platforms for key stakeholders in the technological ecosystem to collaborate and exchange understanding of the future of manufacturing and the adoption of Industry 4.0 solutions.

“With the comprehensive personalised learning opportunities provided for the attendees, the show will help them – especially beginners and early adopters – find the right fit for Industry 4.0 solutions with their stage of business development,” said Aloysius Arlando, CEO of SingEx Holdings – the event organiser.

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) would find a support system where industry players can provide customisable and cost-effective solutions to help them optimise manufacturing processes or reinvent business models that satisfy client demand and expand into new markets, Arlando said.

The manufacturing industry today faces very different challenges compared to only a few years ago, according to Dr. Jochen Kockler, CEO of Deutsche Mess AG.

“Customers want individualised products and same-day delivery at lower prices. In order to remain competitive in the global marketplace, companies need to embrace digitalisation,” Kockler said.

Piera Man, a representative of ABB – a major global player in industrial manufacturing – told Việt Nam News: “We have solutions for large and small companies, with specific area for SMEs to show concrete type of solutions with affordable cost.”

Man said from just US$50-100, a company could apply digitalisation and improve smartness of their operation. She said ABB ability smart censor – a smart wireless monitoring device – for example, is priced $52.

At the event, Singapore Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star) introduced its new technology for hyper-personalised manufacturing for fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector.

This type of production line allows manufacturers to steer production from mass to higher level where certain features of the product could be selected.

A*Star also kicked off a new $38 million industry initiative to develop advanced manufacturing technology for companies to digitally transform their processes to bring hyper-personalisation to customers.

ITAP 2019 will end on Thursday. It is organised by SingEx Exhibitions and international partner, Deutsche Messe with support from the Singapore government agencies such as A*Star, Economic Development Board Singapore (EDB), Enterprise Singapore (ESG), JTC Corporation and Singapore Tourism Board (STB). — VNS