Forging the Future Together

In celebration of the SMF’s 88th Anniversary, the SMF reaffirmed its solidarity with its members by waiving membership fees for all existing and new members. Aside from the membership fee waiver, the SMF announced its commitment to assist our members in developing their business capabilities to advance the manufacturing sector in Singapore. Initiatives in business matching, business continuity planning, digitalisation and training will be expanded and made available to our members. SMF President Mr Douglas Foo made this announcement during the SMF’s first virtual Annual General Meeting (AGM), which also marks the SMF’s 88th year since its establishment. The SMF had been planning to celebrate this momentous milestone since 2019. However, COVID-19 came, and like many SMF members, the plans had to be shelved. Therefore, recognising the challenges SMF members are going through, the SMF decided to celebrate our 88th in a meaningful way, by standing in solidarity with our [...]

In this financial year, the SMF is honoured to meet with delegations from the Singapore Business Federation (SBF) and Enterprise Singapore on separate occasions. These meetings are a testament of the SMF’s standing in the Singapore manufacturing sector and a recognition of the SMF’s efforts to help companies transform and emerge stronger. MEETING WITH THE SINGAPORE BUSINESS FEDERATION On 3 August 2020, the SMF received the SBF’s new Chairman Mr Lim Ming Yan, who was elected in July 2020, and his delegation from the SBF. During the meeting, both Federations shared some possible collaborative opportunities that will benefit the business community during these challenging times. This meeting also introduced new leaders of the Secretariat of both Federations – SMF Secretary-General Mr Lawrence Pek, who was officially appointed to office on 1 August 2020, and SBF Deputy Chief Executive Officer Mr Lam Yi Young, who will be succeeding Mr Ho [...]

With the future world of manufacturing changing rapidly, Singapore’s manufacturing sector is poised not just for resilience, but also for growth. Singapore’s manufacturing community has been gearing up for Industry 4.0, with a growing number of technologies available to the manufacturing sector. With our rich knowledge base, conducive business environment, smart nation infrastructure, precision engineering, and creative and technical design capabilities, we are able to empower manufacturers on their next step. To allow visitors to explore these exciting possibilities, the SMF led a virtual Singapore Pavilion with Enterprise Singapore at the Industrial Transformation ASIA PACIFIC (ITAP) this year. The third edition of ITAP is also the SMF’s third time running the Singapore Pavilion at ITAP. The ITAP was held from 20 October to 22 October 2020, with some 20 local companies showcasing their offerings under the jointly led virtual Singapore Pavilion. Visitors to the virtual Singapore Pavilion saw companies presenting [...]

To help SMF members overcome challenges brought upon by COVID-19, and emerge stronger in the process, the SMF launched a number of initiatives to provide assistance during this difficult time. These initiatives range from a 24/7 helpline to funding to business matchings that will build members’ business capabilities and resilience against future crisis. Companies who needed help could easily tap onto these initiatives by contacting the SMF Secretariat. These are the new initiatives launched by the SMF during this financial year: Launch in August 2020, the SMF Helps! Telegram Group Chat started out as a 24/7 helpline for businesses when they require advise on Government policies changes. Since the pandemic started, Government policies were frequently changed in tandem with the escalating situation to protect the population from the virus. Members could use the group chat to reach out to SMF Secretariat who would be on hand to advice companies [...]

The Packaging Partnership Programme (PPP) is an industry-led initiative by the SMF, in partnership with the National Environment Agency (NEA). Through workshops and training organised by the PPP, the programme aims to develop industry capability in the sustainable management of packaging waste, and more importantly, help companies to better understand their Mandatory Packaging Reporting (MPR) obligations. The programme was officially launched by the SMF and NEA on 24 March 2021 during the Singapore Packaging Agreement (SPA) Awards. Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Ms Grace Fu was the Guest of Honour for the event. In Minister Grace Fu’s opening remarks, she spoke of the recent national movement – the Singapore Green Plan 2030, which strengthens Singapore’s efforts in sustainable development. Singapore will front-load its waste reduction efforts to divert waste from the landfill and aim for a 20 per cent reduction by 2026. She also shared the government’s plan to [...]

The SMF organises closed-door ministerial dialogue sessions as a platform for our members to converse directly with ministers and government officials to better understand policies and provide candid feedback on the challenges that the manufacturing industry face at the ground level. In 2020, businesses were facing unprecedented challenges due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Therefore, in October 2020, the SMF organised separate hybrid dialogue sessions with then Minister for Trade and Industry, Mr Chan Chun Sing as well as then Minister for Manpower, Mrs Josephine Teo for members to give their feedback and queries to the Ministers. The SMF also organised a dialogue session with National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) Secretary-General Mr Ng Chee Meng in November 2020 that covers a wide range of topics from training and employment challenges arising from the pandemic, competitiveness of the Singapore workforce and the support available for businesses from the NTUC network. Held at [...]

To raise awareness on machinery safety and preventive measures that can be put in place in, the SMF, together with Workplace Safety and Health Council (WSHC), launched the Safe Hands Campaign virtually, with the first campaign on 19 May 2020. The campaign also serves as a reminder on the importance of protecting our hands while at work. Almost 300 companies pledged their commitment to prevent hand injuries in the workplaces during the 2020 campaign and were acknowledged during the campaign. The Safe Hands Campaign 2021 was launched on 25 March 2021 as a webinar, with 450 industry professionals in attendance. SMF President Mr Douglas Foo gave his welcome address in which he shared how companies can improve workplace safety and health with implementations of Industry 4.0 technologies. Senior Minister of State for Manpower Mr Zaqy Mohamad delivered the opening address and conducted a site tour at 3M Innovation Singapore Pte [...]

To engage the young to be part of the manufacturing community, the SMF is going to schools, with the aim to find the next generation of manufacturing leaders. On 19 October 2020, the SMF was invited to conduct a career talk and virtual factory visit to 300 students from Victoria School. SMF Secretary-General Mr Lawrence Pek led the career talk by introducing cutting-edge technologies like Internet of Things (IOT), 3D Printing, and Artificial Intelligence that are giving the manufacturing sector a new definition. SMF Council Member Mr Chan Hai Kiang then solidifies that image by showing his latest technologies in his factory showroom. In November and December 2020, the SMF went to Nanyang Technological University (NTU) to see how NTU students are learning about the latest manufacturing technologies and enhancing these technologies to support manufacturing industries with their technological needs. The SMF conducted a virtual career talk with 300 [...]