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SINGAPORE : Constantly upgrading and innovating its manufacturing operations and ensuring its processes are sustainable for the long term are some of the winning qualities which helped Yokogawa Electric Asia clinch the Manufacturing Excellence Award (MAXA) on Thursday.
The annual award is the most prestigious manufacturing accolade in Singapore.
Launched in 2006, the award aims to raise the bar in manufacturing operations and standards in Singapore. Since its launch, the award has attracted over 40 nominations.
It is presented by the Economic Development Board, McKinsey and Company, Singapore Manufacturers' Federation and the Singapore-MIT Alliance.
Yokogawa, which has been based here for the last 36 years, now has an annual turnover of S$1 billion.
The Japanese company's Singapore facility accounts for 75 per cent of the group's global supply of distributed controls systems and measuring instruments.
Its 65-year-old managing director, Lai Ah Keow, credits the employees for helping the company achieve such results.
He said: "We have the achievements of today not only based on the hardware but rather based on the software, based on the human capital investment. We've never retrenched any of our staff for the past 36 years, even during bad circumstances like economic recession.
"We want to make the employees feel that the company's achievements are their own achievement. So they work as a team. They should learn from ... how to turn the employee from single skill to multi-skill and multi-functional staff in their day-to-day operations.
"By getting this award, this will further give us the confidence. We will improve here and we (are not considering) looking for a low cost country to move out our operation (to)."
Aside from catering to sectors like oil and petrochemical, Yokogawa has pumped in S$10 million this year to develop LCD screens for the aerospace industry, which will end up in the cockpits of aeroplanes such as the A380.
The company plans to invest an additional S$40 million in its regional headquarters here over the next two years.
As for the Manufacturing Excellence Award, judges hope the winner and finalists will be able to contribute to improving the manufacturing standards here.
Wong Fook Seng, judge, Manufacturing Excellence Award, said: "By recognising them, we're hoping to promote this manufacturing community to create this kind of awareness that regardless of whether you're big or small, you can excel.
"In fact, you'd probably be even under greater pressure to ensure that you're befitting of that award, to stay ahead of the pack and through sharing and all that with the community. I guess we hope to encourage the others to also vie for this award."
Biosensors Interventional Technologies won the Growth Award, the first accorded this year to promising Singapore companies as they strive for manufacturing excellence.
The other finalists are Becton Dickinson Critical Care Systems, Nestle Singapore and STATS ChipPac Singapore.
- CNA/al
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