SINGAPORE: US-based Bio-Rad Laboratories has set up its first Asia Pacific manufacturing facility in Singapore.

The company is a major producer of life science research and clinical diagnostic products.

Its new facility here will make high-end diagnostic tools such as those used in genetic research.

Bio-Rad's plant will occupy 20,000 square feet of space in Kaki Bukit.

When full-scale operations start, it will hire over 50 production staff to make products for the company's customers worldwide.

According to Bio-Rad, a major factor in picking Singapore for its first production base in Asia is the island's close proximity to its new customers in the region.

Scott Jenest, Manufacturing Ops Manager, Bio-Rad, said: "We get faster feedback from our customers on the performance of our products and it helps us to improve future design features. We get very good feedback from our sales office in terms of product trends and forecasts.

"The Asia Pacific market is one of our fastest growing markets and feedback is very helpful to us in the planning our production."

The first to come off Bio-Rad's production line here will be the MiniOpticon, which is a device that allows researchers to analyse DNA samples in real-time.

Such products can cost up to S$50,000 each.

The Economic Development Board (EDB) is keen to have more multi-national companies like Bio-Rad to set up in Singapore in order to grow the medical technology sector, which currently employs over 6,500 workers here.

It also wants to help local companies upgrade their standards in order to qualify as suppliers to these MNCs.

Yeoh Keat Chuan, Executive Director (Biomedical Sciences), EDB, said: "Over the years we have built up a strong supplier base, in terms of electronics and precision engineering. And today, these are the companies that are interested to go into the Medtech sector. So they will be manufacturing key components, making sub-systems and assemblies, and all of these will go into Bio-Rad's products.

"In products that go into human beings, the companies that supply to them will need ISO certification, and these are the things that we hope to help our local SMEs attain."

Both the EDB and SPRING Singapore have launched programmes to help local companies upgrade for the medical technology sector.


- CNA/so