HP has opened its first smart manufacturing centre in the tiny city-state of Singapore.
The Smart Manufacturing Applications and Research Centre, or Smarc, is the first such facility HP has opened anywhere in the world, according to the Business Times of Singapore.
The 6,000 square foot facility – dubbed the “Asia-Pacific Japan campus” – is said to accommodate a team of engineers who oversee more than 50 manufacturing supply lines globally.
The campus will also bring together more than 3,000 employees into one single location for work in sales, operations, logistics, research and development, and marketing for the region
Business Times says the facility will utilise technologies such as additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, advanced robotics, and big data analytics.
Richard Bailey, president for HP Asia-Pacific Japan, said: “The Singapore campus is a reflection of our drive to constantly reinvent the way we work as well as develop new technologies to enhance productivity and efficiency across our global operations.”
Singapore’s Minister for Trade and Industry, S Iswaran, was guest of honour at HP’s opening event.
Iswaran said the government was committing $2.4 billion to research and development in advanced manufacturing and engineering as part of its “Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2020” plan.
“HP is also an important partner in our efforts to raise the capabilities of our small and medium enterprises,” says Iswaran.
