The international leader in digital document management and printing is bringing a significant portion of its businesses to Asia, starting with its Singapore-based control tower.

Successful business organisations recognise the need to be far-sighted and flexible enough to move to a region of opportunity when the time is right. These are qualities Océ N.V., one of the world's leading document management and printing solutions provider, showcased when it opened its Asia control tower in Singapore.

Océ Technologies Asia (OTA), the company's regional base, was unveiled on 28 February 2008, and it will oversee the company's Asia activities, which includes R&D, product introductions, supply chain management and procurement. It would also supervise Océ's manufacturing activities in Asia, drive supply base developments and safeguard product quality and delivery.

Lowering production costs

The move is in line with the company's strategy to cut down production costs as well as be closer to its Asian clients. In fact, for the last five years Océ has worked with contract manufacturers from Asia and Central Europe to produce wide format and cutsheet modules previously manufactured in the Netherlands. This resulted in an average savings of approximately 30 per cent in production costs, and is in line with the company's stated objective of relocating 80 per cent of its production volume to such manufacturers by end 2008.

"The foundation of Océ Technologies Asia fits within our strategy to achieve the lowest possible level of production costs," says Anton Schaaf, Chief Technology and Operations Officer, Océ N.V.

"Singapore has an ideal, central location in the Southeast Asia region, with an excellent infrastructure and links to all other countries in the region."  - Anton Schaaf, Chief Technology and Operations Officer, Océ N.V.

For Schaaf, the decision to locate the office in Singapore was a "logical one". Especially since the company has an established presence in Singapore, with its sales office, opened in 1976, and its Asia Hub based here. The latter is a commercial group set up in 2002 to coordinate business operations with the company's distributors from East, South and Central Asia.

Besides this established presence, Schaaf also highlights several other reasons for Océ's choice. "Singapore has an ideal, central location in the Southeast Asia region, with an excellent infrastructure and links to all other countries in the region," he says.

These links are vital for Océ. The relocation of its production base to this part of the world, where many of its suppliers are, means that OTA will play an important role in coordinating links between the suppliers and manufacturers. The strong support given to them by the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) is another reason that influenced the company's decision to increase its presence here.

R&D talent hunt

On the R&D front, the company is also looking to hire locals to join its team as well as enhance the available talent pool. It hopes to achieve the latter through its tie-up with one of the Netherland's leading centres of excellence, Eindhoven University, in starting the Talent Scholarship Program in 2007.

This programme aims to attract the best and brightest Asian students to the university for a two-year graduate course in technology and innovation, followed by a three-year contract with Océ.

"This is an exciting opportunity for Asia to develop business and technology leaders for the future, and it will dovetail with Océ's R&D operations here and enhance the quality of its capabilities," says Manohar Khiatani, Assistant Managing Director, Industry Development, EDB. "The transfer of functional domain knowledge of high-speed professional printers from the Netherlands would also help to build up the talent pool for the commercial printers manufacturing industry."

This latest investment from a long-standing partner in Singapore's economic development attests to the nation's pro-business environment. As Schaaf aptly sums it up, "Opening this centre underlines the confidence we have in Singapore and in the whole of Asia as a focal point for economic and business growth."