Moving into Industry 4.0?

Are you a company trying to understand what Industry 4.0 is or do you know one that is looking to find out more?

We know that there may be many concerns, such as whether you have the means to get there or what technologies you should invest in.

Well fret no more, a new initiative by NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute), the Step-up Industry Programme (SIP), is looking to address all these.

The SIP has helped more than 50 SMEs in robotics and automation, process optimisation, and data mining and tracking since its soft launch in April 2017. Dynamold Precision for example, had tapped on smart storage and quality inspection systems to enhance its operational efficiency.

Before you worry about where to begin or whether your employees can adapt to the changes, know that the SIP is not just a funding scheme. To provide holistic support, it also connects you with technology enablers and training providers. The technologies are classified into entry, intermediate and advanced levels, so you can pick what suits your company’s pace of development best.

Partnership Agreement

The programme is made possible thanks to a partnership agreement signed on 3 November 2017 at Trade Association Hub between e2i and Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCCI). The aim is to help small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across 23 sectors that will be transformed to cope with disruptions.

“SMEs account for 70 per cent of the workforce. We need to work with aggregators to multiply our efforts and reach out to as many of them as possible. As we move into industry 4.0 and the future, we do not want any local company and worker left behind,” said e2i CEO Gilbert Tan.

SCCCI, which houses some 160 trade associations, is working with e2i to reach out to 2,000 workers and 1,500 SMEs with courses relating to Industry 4.0, productivity, digital skills and technology.

Sprucing Up Jobs

If you’re still unsure about what technology can do for you, then hear from the Container Depot and Logistics Association, one of the 160 trade associations under SCCCI. To attract the younger generation to join the industry, President Peter Ho said it is trying to make it more technology-based.

He added: “As an association, we are always on the lookout for technological solutions for industry use. Three years ago, we partnered a vendor to implement the Container Management System. Now, about 80 per cent of our members are using it, reducing the amount of paperwork.”

Examples of What You Can Do

Interested parties can contact e2i industry specialist at chuyuan_zhao@e2i.com.sg.