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Océ opens technology center in Singapore |
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SPEECH BY MR MANOHAR KHIATANI, ASSISTANT MANAGING DIRECTOR, SINGAPORE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BOARD (EDB), AT THE OCE TECHNOLOGIES ASIA OPENING ON THURSDAY, 28 FEBUARY 2008, 2PM
Mr. Pim Kraan, Chargé d'Affaires a.i. of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Singapore,
Mr Anton H. Schaaf, Chief Technology and Operations Officer,
Mr Tjebbe M.C. Smit, Director of Océ Technologies Asia at Océ (Singapore) Pte. Ltd,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Good afternoon
1. I am pleased to be here to open Oce Technologies Asia. Océ N.V. is a global leader in professional printing. It is one of the oldest company in the industry and a major European player in digital printing and document management. This project is significant as it will be Océ’s first R&D and new product introduction centre in Asia, as well as serving as a control tower for R&D, manufacturing & supply chain to the rest of the region.
Singapore is a Gateway to the Dynamic Printing & Imaging Industry in the Asia Pacific region.
2. In 1976, Oce first set up operations in Singapore with Hagemeyer in a joint venture. Over three decades, Singapore has served as a gateway to Oce’s activities in the region. Oce now has an Asia Hub, International Procurement Office and a regional corporate support centre providing training support.
3. Today, we welcome the establishment of Oce Technologies Asia. This new centre is testimony to the expanding market for digital printing and document management solutions in the Asia Pacific region. The control tower role ranging from R&D, manufacturing and supply chain management to be operated by Oce Technologies Asia to the region also attests to the pro-business environment here.
4. According to the “World Wide Market for Print” study by Pira International in 2007, two of the top three print markets in the world, and four of the seven fastest growing print markets are in Asia. The world print market would amount to US$721 billion in 2011. On top of this, the digital penetration in Asia Pacific & Japan is 4.8% and is expected to grow to 7.8% by 2010.
Singapore as an R&D Location for the Printing & Imaging Industry
5. The printing & imaging industry plays a key role in today’s resource-scarce environment. In today’s energy conscious world, businesses are increasingly focusing on environmentally friendly products and processes. R&D innovation is in demand for printing solutions that produce higher quality images with less ink and wastage. There is also strong demand for customized print documents for a sophisticated audience - such as fully personalized invoices and statements for businesses - which reduces wastage and contribute to business cost efficiencies
6. Singapore has strong engineering capabilities and suppliers, built up over the years to support the established presence of global players including HP, Fuji Xerox and Toshiba TEC. These players in turn help to develop the capabilities of the local industry. Together, we have developed a strong printing and imaging ecosystem in Singapore. We can contribute to design and build complex components and modules which are the building blocks of highly sophisticated equipment such as Oce’s high speed digital production presses. The increased activities that Oce is carrying out in Singapore underlines the company’s confidence in our innovation and R&D capabilities.
7. Oce Technologies Asia will enhance Singapore's capabilities in digital printing and document management solutions and further establish our position as a base for high-tech engineering R&D solutions.
Careers in R&D and Engineering
8. OTA will be tapping on the local engineering talent pool for its need for R&D engineers. This will create exciting and high value jobs for our people, especially those with strong electrical and mechanical engineering abilities. It also reflects OTA’s confidence in Singapore’s R&D infrastructure and engineers.
9. In today’s business environment, engineers are in strong demand to look for new ways to solve problems. Managing document workflow, reducing costs and increasing productivity in the office are important services provided by the printing and imaging industry.
10. I am also pleased to learn of the new Talent Scholarship Program by Oce. This is a postgraduate course in the Netherlands especially for Asian engineers from all over the world. This is an exciting opportunity for Asia to develop business and technology leaders for the future. It will dovetail with Oce’s R&D operations here and enhance the quality of our R&D capabilities. 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.
11. I congratulate the management and staff of OTA on the opening of this centre. This is the result of your vision and hard work. Thank you for your trust and confidence in Singapore and we look forward to working with you to make this facility a success. |
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