Transformation of Food Industry to support Singapore Food Manufacturing

Posted by Shawnie Walker on December 18th, 2022

Sin Mui Heng Food Industries, a supplier of DIM SUM, plans to grow internationally. Potential new markets include the United States and Ghana.

Currently, 20% of the company's output is sold in international markets; during the next five years, management intends to boost that number to 50%.

On Wednesday, during the inauguration of Sin Mui Heng Food Industries' new facility in Bedok Food City, they updated their 23 ITMs that had been released between 2016 and 2018. (Dec 14).

Sin Mui Heng Food Industries wants to automate 80% of its operations by 2023 as part of its growth.

As a result of the change, each machine can now produce as many as 100 dim sum items every minute. Johnson Tay, the company's operations director, claimed that they had increased production significantly from the previous, more labor-intensive level of roughly 50 or 60 pieces.

To "position Singapore as a recognized food and nutrition leader, and the chosen launchpad into Asia for premium brands," as Dr. Tan put it, the ITM lays out growth plans for the industry.

First, the industry map emphasizes internationalization and continuous innovation as growth drivers; second, boosting Singapore's appeal as a regional food hub; third, constructing resilient and sustainable businesses through pursuing sustainable goals; and fourth, upskilling, pursuing job redesign, and reskilling job transformation.

In addition to the plan, the minister introduced the Jobs Transformation Map (JTM) for the food manufacturing industry. In order to increase their company's competitiveness, it suggests that they use the techniques outlined in this report.

With the release of the two new transformation maps, he predicts the creation of 2,500 new employment in the near future.

22 job positions assessed in the JTM, over a quarter will experience some change and need job redesign, while the rest would require upskilling.

They also identified eight new or developing occupations in areas including data analysis, innovative foods, sustainability, and digitalization and automation.

Singapore's goal is to become a regional hub, and to get there, the government agencies there are beefing up their R&D capabilities, forming international alliances to lure foreign investment, increasing their manufacturing capacity by means of technological advancements, and assisting businesses in gaining a deeper understanding of their target markets.

As a result of the ITM, businesses will be incentivized to adopt green manufacturing practices including minimizing food waste and utilizing recyclable or reusable packaging in order to strengthen their resilience.

Dr. Tan also said that with help from EnterpriseSG, the Singapore Food Alliance (comprised of eight food-related trade organisations) would create a sustainability road map.

Over the three-year period between 2016 and 2019, domestic exports grew at a compound annual growth rate of 3.3% thanks to efforts to build new market entry models in conjunction with local and international partners.

As a result, the startup ecosystem expanded, new innovative products were released, and co-located laboratories and pilot plants were built. Automation and the development of talent were also key factors in the success of the previous ITM.

Dr. Tan argued that "business and worker change must go hand in hand." "Companies can't evolve unless their employees can accommodate new business models and job functions... When firms undergo change, employees will be more eager to pursue retraining in order to keep up with the times and secure their futures.

The Food Manufacturing Industry Creates More Jobs

In the near future, the food production industry will add over 2,500 positions, enabling employees to take on more valuable roles and boost overall output.

The new Jobs Transformation Map (JTM) for the industry includes these types of recommendations for how firms may better equip their workers to compete in the global economy.

Training production managers to employ automation for once manual operations is only one example of the 22 occupations that will need to be redesigned.

It also highlighted eight developing occupations, such as those involved in data analytics and new food production.

SINGAPORE, ASIA'S MOST RELIABLE FOOD BRAND

To successfully alter a company, it is essential to also reform the workforce. On Wednesday, Manpower Minister Tan See Leng remarked, "Businesses cannot evolve unless their workforce are capable of supporting new business models and new job positions" (Dec 14).

One of the keys to a successful company transformation is a workforce with the necessary skills. Concurrently, as firms undergo change, employees will be increasingly eager to pursue reskilling and upskilling in order to take advantage of emerging possibilities.

Dr. Tan on Wednesday announced the release of an updated Food Manufacturing Sector Industry Transformation Map (ITM) 2025, which coincided with the release of the accompanying employment transformation map.

With this new ITM, Singapore hopes to become the go-to place for introducing high-quality food products to the Asian market.

Expansion into new international markets is one of the main focuses of the revised road plan.

"We have created a considerable degree of integrity, reputation, trust, and credibility." said Dr. Tan, who is also the Second Minister for Trade and Industry.

The Singapore stamp, therefore, is not just any stamp; it is a stamp of excellence and a very high-end product in terms of security and reliability.

To expand their global reach, "these Singapore startups, these (small and medium-size companies) could capitalize on the Singapore brand identity, produced in SG."

In the face of the ongoing pandemic and energy crises, ITM policies have expanded to include a renewed emphasis on strengthening supply chain resilience.

During his speech at the Wednesday launch of Sin Mui Heng Food Industries' new facility in Bedok Food City, Dr. Tan highlighted that Singapore has seen "an increase in vulnerabilities" as a result of swings in food availability and prices.

All throughout the food value chain, businesses are urged to adopt environmentally friendly procedures.

PREPPING STAFF FOR MORE VALUABLE ROLES

The new facility for Sin Mui Heng Food Industries has automated lighting, temperature, and air quality controls thanks to the installation of cutting-edge smart technology. You may save almost five hours per day as a result of this. There are also more food factory launching in 2022/23 such as CT FoodNex amidst strong demand for food processing facilities.

The company's development plans call for 80% of its production processes to be automated by next year, increasing efficiency by a factor of 5.

Even though Sin Mui Heng Food Industries saves a lot of people's time and money, the company doesn't cut down on staffing, according to operations director Johnson Tay.

Before we just needed one worker per machine, now we need three. Though the factory's square footage is nearly twice as large as it was before, we are only able to accommodate the same number of workers for the time being.

The dim sum factory may now reorient its workforce into higher-yielding endeavors thanks to this development.

Sin Mui Heng Food Industries now serves clients in over a dozen nations, and the company hopes to grow by entering new markets including the United States and Ghana.

Currently, 20% of the company's output is sold in international markets; during the next five years, management has set a goal of increasing that number to 50%.