BT: Teaming up to stay ahead

Business Times - 31 Oct 2009 Teaming up to stay ahead MANUFACTURERS, logistics industry players and Spring Singapore are teaming up to prepare the industry for future challenges as they strengthen Singapore's supply chain management and transshipment hub capabilities. 'Singapore as a thriving transshipment hub will position us as an important global supply chain control tower. This will attract manufacturing and logistics companies to set up operations here. It is therefore imperative to continuously improve our supply chain capabilities to maintain our lead,' said Spring industry development group director Victor Tay at the signing of two Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) yesterday. The first MOU between the Singapore Manufacturers' Federation (SMa) and The Logistics Institute - Asia Pacific (TLI-AP) aims to identify, develop and promote the adoption of supply chain best practices among local manufacturers. SMa and TLI-AP will launch a competitive study for the manufacturing industry which will first form a high level task force to examine the external environments for threats and opportunities for Singapore, followed by the recommendation of some strategic programmes that will build on existing strengths within the manufacturing industry to spur the industry up the value chain. In the second MOU between TLI-AP, Singapore Logistics Association (SLA) and Spring, the partners will embark on a competitiveness study assessing Singapore's challenges and unique propositions as a transshipment hub. The industry-wide study will be conducted to uncover opportunities to strengthen Singapore's status as a transshipment hub against regional players in air and sea freight. Leveraging on Spring's LEAD Programme, SMa and SLA will gain insights from the competitive study to develop an industry roadmap with strategic projects that can be implemented for the entire industry. This could be either in terms of exploiting of new technologies and infrastructure or upgrading manpower capabilities and managerial competence. The outcome of both studies will also foster deeper understanding of industry trends and requirements so as to develop industry specific strategies. Copyright © 2007 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. All rights reserved.