SINGAPORE -The $570 million Bulim Square being developed by industrial landlord JTC Corporation will house key advanced manufacturing tenants once it is completed late next year.
Japanese technology giants Fanuc and Konica Minolta have already announced that they will occupy space at the facility, partly to showcase their latest innovative technologies.
Fanuc will also locate its new regional headquarters there, while Konica Minolta plans to provide equipment maintenance and servicing at its premises.
The new 1.7 million sq ft facility is located in the upcoming 150ha Bulim precinct, which is within Jurong Innovation District (JID), a state-of-the-art campus where high-tech firms can collaborate.
Bulim Square’s high-specification space will allow tenants to house the entire range of functions at the same site, including their headquarters, research and development, prototyping, manufacturing and distribution.
It will be connected to Singapore’s first underground District Logistics Network, which allows goods to be transported without heavy vehicles congesting traffic at road level.
The facility’s high ceilings and floors can withstand industrial-type loads, which will facilitate the seamless movement of goods on a tenant’s doorstep.
Separately, two research centres under the Agency for Science, Technology and Research – the Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech) and the National Metrology Centre – moved into their new homes at JID’s CleanTech Park on Thursday.
They are expected to usher in a new wave of sustainability research and collaboration opportunities at JID.
One important focus is to help Singapore achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 in the manufacturing industry, which accounts for 20 per cent of the country’s total carbon emissions.
SIMTech will co-develop high-value manufacturing technology and human capital with industry partners to enhance the competitiveness of Singapore’s manufacturing industry.
The National Metrology Centre’s enhanced accuracy of measurements and standards will help to promote fair trade and a safer environment, as well as better productivity and product reliability.
JTC chief executive Tan Boon Khai told the opening ceremony on Thursday for the two research facilities at CleanTech Park that they will be helping to create the mutually reinforcing ecosystem envisioned when JID was first conceived.
“JID was conceptualised to fundamentally change the way organisations collaborate by bringing the various nodes of the advanced manufacturing ecosystem together to create a one-stop campus,” he said.
The goal is to allow small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups to collaborate with multinationals and large local enterprises on initiatives to boost innovation.
There are now more than 100 players in the value chain, with JTC attracting the likes of Hyundai Motor Group and a cluster of advanced manufacturing companies, including Shimano, Bosch Rexroth, Sodick, Makino and DMG Mori.
These companies, because of their proximity to one another, will create synergies that will strengthen the links between them and allow them to make the most of being part of the ecosystem.
Mr Tan welcomed other recent entrants, such as the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Cluster, Entegris, Sulzer Singapore and Element Materials Technology.
“These new and existing players take us a step forward to achieving our Manufacturing 2030 ambition to become a global business, innovation and talent hub for advanced manufacturing,” he said.
