Accelerating ASEAN’s Smart Manufacturing Transformation
A*STAR and Siemens have signed an MOU to drive innovation and digitalisation across Singapore’s manufacturing sector. This collaboration aims to empower companies with cutting-edge tools like industrial AI and intelligent automation. As an industrial automation engineer, I believe this will accelerate the region’s shift toward Industry 5.0—where resilience, agility, and sustainability are embedded from the start.
SSAM Catalyst: An Innovation Sandbox for Scalable Solutions
Siemens will serve as the first technology partner for A*STAR’s Smart and Sustainable Advanced Manufacturing (SSAM) Catalyst, hosted at the Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Centre (ARTC). This sandbox allows industry players to co-develop, test, and refine digital manufacturing solutions. Based on my experience, innovation sandboxes like this can greatly reduce prototyping costs and time, while enabling faster technology adoption on the factory floor.
Siemens’ Integrated Portfolio: Bridging Digital and Physical Worlds
At the SSAM Catalyst, Siemens is showcasing a powerful mix of automation, electrification, digital twin, and AI technologies. These solutions cover the full lifecycle—from product design to operations. In my view, the digital-physical convergence is no longer optional. Companies that fail to integrate simulation and smart control will quickly fall behind in both efficiency and sustainability.
Tailored Applications for Key Sectors
This initiative targets sectors with high complexity, including aerospace, biomedical, FMCG, and semiconductor equipment. The focus is on real-world applications of AI, automation, and smart manufacturing tools. Having worked with these industries, I can confirm that a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work. Customization is key, and this sandbox enables just that.
Driving Decarbonisation Through Engineering Excellence
A*STAR’s Institute of Sustainability for Chemicals, Energy and Environment (ISCE²) is working with Siemens to develop automation-driven decarbonisation strategies. This includes using digital twins to optimise chemical plant design and operations. From my perspective, this is a significant breakthrough—merging engineering and sustainability for faster, cleaner execution in energy-intensive sectors.
Singapore as the Regional Launchpad for Smart Industry
This collaboration enhances Singapore’s role as a regional innovation hub. It creates a model where public research institutions and global tech leaders co-develop scalable solutions for ASEAN industries. I see this as a blueprint other nations can replicate—where policy, R&D, and industry align to enable high-impact transformation.
Conclusion: A Strategic Shift Toward Industry 5.0
The A*STAR-Siemens partnership isn’t just future-facing—it’s future-defining. It builds a collaborative ecosystem where companies can prototype, test, and scale advanced manufacturing solutions. As an automation engineer, I see this as an ideal model for unlocking digital transformation while staying grounded in sustainability and operational excellence.
