Match made in Singapore — How global businesses are partnering with local enterprises to develop real-world solutions

Singapore's 286,000 SMEs, approximately 4,500 tech startups¹ and network of R&D players including around 78 public research institutions in Singapore²; offer MNCs a rich pool of potential partners to solve pressing business challenges.

MNCs can also benefit from the range of open innovation platforms in Singapore.

Read about three successful partnerships:
 

SICK Product Centre Asia and Meridian Innovation: Solving industrial manufacturing pain points with thermal imaging
 

THE PARTNERSHIP

Manufacturers of delicate electronic components often struggle to prevent heat damage to components during the production process. Potting, a technique that involves coating and encapsulating components in resin, can help protect against heat but requires precise temperature control.

SICK Product Center Asia (SICK), a German leader in sensor technology, wanted an innovative solution to address this industry pain point. It managed to develop one through a collaboration with Meridian Innovation (Meridian), a Singapore-based company specialising in thermal imaging.

By incorporating Meridian’s thermal imaging technologies into SICK’s production process, SICK can now rely on precise thermal imaging sensors – which provide accurate heat pattern recognition – to ensure that its manufacturing process is stable and optimised.
 

Both sides are also taking their partnership further through customising smart solutions for other clients. SICK and Meridian are developing system-level solutions for industrial facilities, such as an enhanced industrial heat mapping solution to improve energy distribution and manufacturing processes.
 

Agilent Technologies and ETLA: Enhancing responsiveness and flexibility in manufacturing

THE PARTNERSHIP

Agilent Technologies (Agilent), a California-based company specialising in analytical and clinical laboratory technologies, has had a significant presence in Singapore since 1999. In 2014, Agilent formed a strategic partnership with ETLA Limited, a Singapore-based contract manufacturer specialising in precision engineering.

Guided by its customer-centric approach, Agilent recognised the need for greater flexibility and responsiveness in its manufacturing operations and found a valuable partner in ETLA. ETLA produces metal parts for Agilent's cutting-edge scientific instruments, and has implemented design enhancements for improved manufacturability, material quality improvements through grain refinement, and robotic welding for precise fabrication.
 

Keppel China and Aqua 3I: Levelling up sustainable solutions Abroad
 

THE PARTNERSHIP

In 2023, Singapore enterprise Keppel’s subsidiary in China was on the lookout for partners to help with its sustainability push for managed properties, especially in the areas of energy conservation and indoor air-quality management. 

They were introduced by Enterprise Singapore to Singapore-based R&D company, Aqua3I. The two companies teamed up and received funding under the PACT scheme (see boxed content “More about the PACT Scheme” above for more details).

The two companies first collaborated on the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City project which saw Keppel China introduce Aqua3I’s patented antimicrobial coated patches to cassette air-conditioners in indoor office spaces to reduce air pollution. These patches work by emitting negative oxygen ions that bind to pollutants. This increases the mass of pollutants and accelerates their removal from the air.

Separately, Aqua3I’s solution was also applied to reduce formaldehyde levels   indoors to 0.06mg/m³, which is lower than the acceptable threshold for such spaces; around 0.08mg/m³.

With the solution, there was no need for Keppel to adopt the usual airing or “off-gassing” process, that typically takes months. “Off-gassing” is a process where items which contain formaldehyde such as pressed-wood furniture, carpets, and certain fabrics, are subjected to cross-ventilation — a process where airflow is enhanced using exhaust fans while leaving windows and doors open to expel air pollutants more effectively.

Following the successful implementation in Tianjin Ecocity, Keppel also plans to expand the application of Aqua3I’s innovations to customers in other Chinese cities, such as the Jinan Startup Area (JSA) in Shandong. The JSA, which has been operational since 2021, is a commercial area housing companies operating in emerging industries such as clean energy, smart manufacturing, and more.

Footnote:

¹ Startup Genome. "Singapore." Startup Genome, https://startupgenome.com/ecosystems/singapore. Accessed 27 Jan. 2025.

² Agency for Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR). "Research, Innovation and Enterprise in Singapore." ASTAR, 2021,
https://www.a-star.edu.sg/docs/librariesprovider1/default-document-library/rie/2021-rie-survey-publication_finalforpublication_amended.pdf. Accessed 27 Jan. 2025.