Basler: A global player from Singapore

Basler today is the largest manufacturer of industrial cameras worldwide. The German company produces 365,000 devices each year with a turnover of US$192.38 million (S$256.79 million). Its ‘machine eye’ cameras capture information which is primarily used in automated production lines. As more than 80 per cent of its products are manufactured for export, the company recognises the importance of building an international stage for business.

The strategic decision to settle in Singapore in 1995 and launch an advanced manufacturing facility in 2014 strongly contributed to positioning the company as a global player.

Today, the demand for industrial digital cameras in Asia is growing far more rapidly than in any other world region. Singapore plays a key role in this development.

Responding to Asia’s growing customer needs

From the city-state’s commercial hub, Basler is in a position to react advantageously to market fluctuations and supply the region effectively. The highly-automated manufacturing site in Singapore is the company’s most modern and efficient production site, enabling the medium-sized business to deliver to Asian customers’ needs rapidly. The quality standards are high and correspond to those in Germany.

Basler’s facility in Singapore currently produces over 30 different models and makes 350 cameras a day for Asia alone. Thanks to Singapore’s central location in the region, the company – which also manufactures elsewhere in Asia − distributes 250,000 cameras yearly from Singapore to customers in the region.

Advantageous FTAs

In this context, Singapore’s wide-ranging Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) are immensely advantageous. For one, they enable the re-exportation of products and underline the location’s importance as a logistic hub.

Basler can access the Chinese, South Korean and Japanese economies without any complications thanks to the FTAs ASEAN enjoys with these countries.

This has enabled Basler to grow by 15 per cent in Asia from 2015 to 2017. According to Mr Chong, such growth will continue.

Increased high-quality automated production

Beyond production and industrialisation gathering speed in Asia, a shift to high-quality automated production that is replacing labour-intensive manufacturing is being observed in many countries too. This change is accompanied by a trend towards miniaturisation where technically demanding machine vision is needed.

When inspecting components, humans have no other option apart from relying on mechanical optics. As a result, industrial cameras are becoming ever more important for quality controls and Basler is planning to introduce more models in Singapore. Currently, a 10-person production team is manufacturing over 100,000 units a year and this number is set to increase year by year.

Successful ‘local for local’ strategy

Another component of Basler’s success in Asia is their ‘local for local’ strategy. The company solely employs local staff at its Asian locations to forestall cultural conflicts. As such, the Singaporean team offers advisory services for individual customer solutions such as custom specifications and system integrations. 

Smooth communication is vital when targeting these goals. One of the Republic’s advantages stem from its four official national languages – English, Malay, Mandarin and Tamil, and most Singaporeans are bilingual.  This advantage enables them to work closely with colleagues situated across Asia-Pacific and pick up on the cultural nuances. This certainly facilitates expansion, for example, to China and Taiwan.

All employees participate in at least one intensive training course in Germany, designed at familiarising themselves with Basler’s manufacturing system, quality assurance procedures, and corporate culture. This ensures that local staff exhibit the same working standards as their German colleagues, mirroring the headquarters’ production quality.

To boost activities in the Asia-Pacific region, Basler is planning to establish a product management group too. “We expect to grow our turnover above the worldwide market growth”, Mr Chong adds.

This article was first published by German newspaper FAZ in partnership with EDB.