The InterAct team kicked off a series of InterAct Global research missions with a visit to Singapore at the end of June 2024. InterAct Global is expansion of the project, designed to bring insights from international manufacturing and technological innovation to the UK sector. This visit enabled the team to engage with the manufacturers, technology providers and support organisations that have driven Singapore’s industrial development.
InterAct is hoping to create both local and global impact by exchanging knowledge with international players in the worldwide manufacturing ecosystem. These missions will help to better understand the competitive advantages of other countries, learn from them, and exchange best practices and processes. Providing these insights to UK businesses and policymakers, the project aims to tackle the future challenges of digital transformation across three key areas: ecosystems, economies, and workplaces.
Singapore represents an interesting case study for innovation, with a strong track record of economic growth and clearly defined strategies for industrial development. The nation’s role as a hub for trade, finance and technology in the region demonstrates the potential benefits of a unified approach. The team had the chance to explore this in more depth through visits to various organisations and companies including:
- Augmentus
- ThermoFisher Scientific
- Halliburton
- Hyundai
- A*STAR Advanced Remanufacturing Technology Centre (ARTC) and Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech) facilities
InterAct had the chance to expand upon these visits and discussions with a full day workshop hosted at the ARTC, bringing together staff from various additional businesses, including M, Mitsubishi, Edwards and Kowa Skymech.
This engaging session offered participants the chance to hear from both InterAct Co-directors and A*STAR staff as they discussed:
- Building the next-gen workforce: Professor Jillian MacBryde’s session highlighting the importance of talent acquisition, development, and reskilling to bridge the skills gap.
- Digital transformation: Professor Janet Godsell’s talk shed light on creating efficient digital ecosystems within supply chains and manufacturing landscapes.
- AI-powered future: Dr. Haiyue Zhu showcased cutting-edge AI-powered smart robotics and the transformative potential of automation.
- Singapore’s decarbonisation roadmap: Daren Tan outlined Singapore’s ambitious plans for decarbonisation, addressing environmental challenges head-on.
Attendees also contributed to an extended shared understanding of the challenges and opportunities for the manufacturing sector through two workshops built around the approaches of the InterAct Future of Work and Future of Digital Manufacturing Ecosystems teams.
We want to thank all of our generous hosts and partners for the success of this mission, and look forward to bringing more insights from our further global engagement activities.