Infocomm helps Singapore stay on top

February 2009: Singapore is ranked as the top logistics hub in the world, ahead of the Netherlands, Germany, Japan, Hong Kong and China, according to a 2007 World Bank report.

More than 20 of the world's top third-party logistics companies (3PLs) are based in Singapore. The island is also the preferred logistics and supply chain management hub for both the 3PLs and major manufacturers.

With the advent of the global economy downturn, as well as greater public awareness on carbon emission, companies in these two sectors need innovative solutions.

Infocomm technology is seen as both an enabler and transformative force for manufacturers and logistics providers to adapt, survive and thrive in the new world order.

The Infocomm Development Authority, in collaboration with other government agencies, have launched a number of infocomm initiatives.

The main goal is for the Republic to become a High Value Manufacturing Hub and Supply Chain Nerve Centre, powered by infocomm technology.

As a High Value Manufacturing Hub, Singapore is host to high value-added manufacturing and related activities enabled by infocomm. Such activities involve leveraging on technology to enable end-to-end connections across manufacturing supply chains and complex manufacturing activities.

As a Supply Chain Nerve Centre, Singapore is where large-scale manufacturers coordinate and control their regional and global supply chains using infocomm technology. These will be supported by a world-class logistics infrastructure.

The key initiatives include:

• TradeXchange
• Digital Manufacturing
• Collaborative High Tech Manufacturing Plan

• Launched in October 2007, TradeXchange offers a single electronic window for integrated workflow, submissions and enquiries to the Sea Ports, Airports, Maritime Authorities, Customs and Controlling Agencies.

With TradeXchange, the trade and logistics companies enjoy simplified and seamless trade transactions through a single interface.

Benefits include simplified trade information exchange, faster trade documentation processing, reduced errors with minimised data re-entry, and lower operating costs.

• The Digital Manufacturing programme aims to establish Singapore as a high-value manufacturing hub by enabling complex manufacturing activities. The Collaborative Design is a project under this programme. It aims to improve the efficiency and efficacy of product design-oriented manufacturing activities in Singapore. Target sectors are high-tech manufacturing as well as offshore & marine in which product design is a key activity.

Other areas of interest in Digital Manufacturing are Product Lifecycle Management and B2B standards development and adoption. The target audience are companies in electronics, semiconductor and precision engineering industries, and their trading partners; and shipyards and their component suppliers.

• The Collaborative High Tech Manufacturing Plan aims to develop integrated and responsive high-tech manufacturing supply chains in Singapore, linked by ICT and providing end-to-end services from product design to customer management.

Sea port operations

Besides infrastructure and specialised facilities, Singapore also offers excellent sea and airport connectivity. The sea port is linked to 600 other ports in 123 countries via over 200 shipping lines.

Changi Airport is ranked among Asia’s top five, served by 78 airlines with over 4,000 flights connecting to more than 180 cities in 59 countries.

Infocomm technology has been deployed successfully in a number of projects in this sector.

One technology success is the Infocomm@SeaPort programme, a collaboration between the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore.

The $12 million programme aims to help the port community through the use of innovative infocomm technology. It launched the Wireless-broadband-access at SeaPORT (Wiseport), offering mobile wireless broadband network within 15km from Singapore's southern coastline.

Wiseport applications include messaging services that allow ships to communicate more cheaply with other parties. Officers in the ship can also book maritime services faster.

A forthcoming project will explore the use of new infocomm for transshipment operations, in particular car transshipments. In 2006, over 900,000 vehicles were transshipped through Singapore, and this growth trend is expected to continue. New infocomm technology could be used to handle the increasing demand, and new services could be explored.

Another project will examine the use of infocomm to automate current labour-intensive bunker fulfilment processes, provide timely and accurate information to support decision-making, and enhance operational efficiency in bunker trade. Singapore is the world's top bunkering port, supplying more than 28 million tonnes of bunker fuel in 2006.