\n<\/p>\n
While automation can improve productivity, implementing new systems often requires companies to rethink workflows.\u00a0<\/p>\n
To support businesses in this transition, Republic Polytechnic\u2019s Supply Chain Innovation Lab allows companies to test automation and digital tools before committing to major investments.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The lab showcases technologies ranging from inventory management and packing systems to AI tools that identify process improvement and safety opportunities.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“Companies can first experience and try out different solutions before investing. This allows (them) to weed out solutions that are not practical for them,\u201d said Mr Edmund Chan, director of the school\u2019s Centre of Innovation for Supply Chain Management.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The lab also helps workers understand how automation may change their job scopes and workflows before implementation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
According to Mr Chan, the centre has worked with about 260 companies so far, helping some cut workloads by as much as half through digitalisation and process improvements.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He added that greater supply chain visibility also enables firms to respond more quickly to disruptions and unforeseen events.<\/p>\n
Industry players say automation technology has advanced rapidly and is now more accessible than ever, even for smaller businesses.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are quite convinced that automation is now available at scale. If you’re a small company, it’s also available in modular fashion. In many cases, there’s a positive return on investment,\u201d said Enterprise Singapore\u2019s (EnterpriseSG) Mr Jesse Satria Oeni.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The statutory board\u2019s director for logistics and mobility added that some companies have already achieved two to three times productivity gains through automation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But at the same time, Mr Oeni acknowledged that upfront investment costs can still be a barrier for some firms.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cUsually, people adopt these solutions because they\u2019re sustainable on a longer-term basis,\u201d he said. \u201cWhere companies may need a bit of initial push is at the start of the investment, as they may not have the cashflow to undertake the capital expenditure. But there are a lot of solutions (and) financing options available.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Still, he stressed that businesses should not wait for major disruptions before transforming their operations. For instance, he noted that fleet operators who transitioned early to electric vehicles are now less affected by high diesel prices.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe (don\u2019t) need to wait for crises to act. It\u2019s important to focus on longer-term transformation so that we’re not caught up by the next crisis,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For many firms, automation is increasingly seen as essential to staying competitive.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAutomation is a tool that we have to use. If we don’t, we will die out,\u201d said Singapore PharmaTech\u2019s Ms Zhang. \u201cIt’s already a (competition) to see who uses automation the best \u2026 out there. The gap (is now) wider between those who can use automation and those who cannot.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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TRYING SOLUTIONS BEFORE INVESTING\u00a0 While automation can improve productivity, implementing new systems often requires companies to rethink workflows.\u00a0 To support businesses in this transition, Republic…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":55221,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/dam.mediacorp.sg\/image\/upload\/s--Auzocz-D--\/c_fill,g_auto,h_676,w_1200\/fl_relative,g_south_east,l_mediacorp:cna:watermark:2021-08:cna,w_0.1\/f_auto,q_auto\/v1\/mediacorp\/cna\/image\/2026\/05\/25\/screenshot_509.png?itok=HdaaQ8i5","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[11231,13424,5186,35,899,3724,8374,23436,22,7094],"class_list":["post-55220","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buzz-news-sg-global","tag-automation","tag-crunch","tag-disruptions","tag-firms","tag-global","tag-helps","tag-logistics","tag-manpower","tag-singapore","tag-weather","wpcat-2-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55220","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=55220"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55220\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/55221"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=55220"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=55220"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=55220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}