Singapore Polytechnic steps up effort to innovate and grow stronger Singapore food companies
24 Oct 2017
Singapore, 24 October 2017 – To mark its 10th anniversary, Singapore Polytechnic (SP)’s Food Innovation & Resource Centre (FIRC) has renewed plans to help innovate and grow local food companies to be globally competitive. This is in support of the Food Manufacturing Industry Transformation Map (ITM) which aims to develop Singapore into Asia’s leading food and nutrition hub.
The food manufacturing industry plays a significant role in Singapore’s economy. In 2015, the industry contributed almost S$3.7 billion to Singapore’s GDP and employed about 40,000 workers.
The Food Innovation & Resource Centre plays a pivotal role in the partnership involving government agencies, food companies and education institutions to strengthen the food manufacturing industry through:
1. Leading food innovation
2. Building globally-competitive food companies
3. Driving productivity
4. Providing training to upskill the workforce
To date, the centre has worked on 1,000 projects from 620 companies. These projects range from innovative new food products for the Asian market to new workflow and automation that raise productivity.
Leading food innovation in industry
Demand for ready-to-eat (RTE) meals has been on the rise as consumer behaviour towards convenience foods grows with busy lifestyles.
To tap on this market, Li Da Foods has partnered FIRC under the SPRING Capability Development Grant to translate their traditional Chicken Rendang recipe into RTE meal.
After a year of research & development, FIRC developed a halal and healthy Chicken Rendang in a retort pouch. The RTE Chicken Rendang, comprising chicken breast in gravy, could be prepared within a minute. The stable shelf life and robust packaging of the RTE Chicken Rendang also allowed Li Da Foods to sell it overseas.
To bring food innovation further, the centre has also developed RTE food concepts which are first-of-its-kind such as halal-certified Chicken Bak Kut Teh, Vegetarian Black Pasta and low Glycemic Index (GI) Hainanese Chicken Rice which can be dispensed from a vending machine. These food concepts showcase the possibilities in food and packaging technologies that will enable local food manufacturers to innovate and grow new market segments. (Please see Annex A for more information on the futuristic food concepts)
Building globally competitive food companies
Food companies can also tap on FIRC’s expertise to compete in overseas markets.
One such company is Cocoba Pte Ltd, manufacturer of Irvin’s salted egg fish skin and potato chips. After nine months of trials and tests, FIRC extended the shelf-life of Cocoba’s products with the latest packaging technologies. Cocoba’s products can now be found in the Philippines and will soon be exported to Hong Kong and Indonesia.
- Expansion into Japan’s market
FIRC has also been exploring market opportunities for local food companies. One country of interest is Japan, a leader in using science and technology to create exciting and unique food products.
In 2015, more than half of the Food Manufacturing output was exported to Japan and China. There has been growing interest among the local food companies to venture into the Japanese market.
Hence, FIRC has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Japanese consultancy company, ICMG Pte Ltd, to establish a Food Innovation Platform. The new platform will enable local and Japanese companies to ideate, test and commercialise food innovation, packaging and automation.
The MoU will also allow Japanese companies such as Nippon Closures Company Limited and Toyo Seikan Group to showcase their latest food manufacturing and packaging technologies through a series of masterclasses. The masterclasses will commence in November 2017 and expose local food companies to consumer trends in Japan and advice on entering the Japanese market.
Driving Productivity
To improve productivity, FIRC also offers consultancy services to help companies automate their processes. One company that has increased productivity by 113% after automation is Chocolate Origin, a company which produces a variety of chocolate cakes and products.
FIRC’s consultants worked with Chocolate Origin to automate various processes including the preparation of chocolate for use in their products and dispensing of chocolate mousse for its cakes.
The company reduced the manpower needed for manual tasks from six to four, thus saving a total of 17 man-hours per day. Automating its manufacturing processes also allowed Chocolate Origin to redeploy workers for higher value jobs such as production planning, business development and marketing.
Moving forward, FIRC plans to introduce Industry 4.0 and Internet of Things technologies to food companies, which will enable the production of higher-quality products, better traceability and higher process efficiency with less downtime.
Upskilling the workforce
To support the industry’s need for manpower and skillsets, SP continues to introduce a wide range of training programmes for new entrants and working professionals in the food industry.
The first SkillsFuture Earn & Learn Programme (ELP) for the Food Manufacturing sector, launched in 2015, has also successfully placed 54 polytechnic graduates with 27 companies over three runs.
One participant from the inaugural ELP is Noor Aishah, who is now a junior R&D technologist with Pure Rich Biogems. She shared, “Since joining the Earn & Learn Programme, I have not only deepened my skills through on the job training, but I have also been able to help my company develop innovative beverages. Now that I have completed the Advanced Diploma in Applied Food Science offered by SP, I am looking forward to the value I can better bring to the company.”
There are currently 28 courses related to the food industry, ranging from WSQ courses to Post Diploma courses. The latest course being “Shifting away diabetes” which supports the national thrust to fight against diabetes.
“The Food Innovation & Resource Centre has been a valued partner in championing the adoption of food science and technology over the past decade. It supports companies in their innovation and export efforts, and helps build a pipeline of talent for the food industry. Such efforts are critical in fostering a strong food innovation ecosystem that accelerates the development of commercial-ready products with global appeal, and helps our companies stay ahead of the curve,” said Mrs Kee Ai Nah, Group Director (Industry & Enterprise), SPRING Singapore
Mr Soh Wai Wah, Principal & Chief Executive Officer of Singapore Polytechnic said, “Today’s business environment is competitive and companies must innovate to thrive in the face of global competition. To this end, FIRC needs to continuously evolve to support the food industry as it transforms to meet the challenges. With our strong industry knowledge and cutting-edge technological capabilities, we are confident that FIRC is able to partner and help businesses grow stronger in Singapore and beyond.”
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For Media Enquiries:
Frank Chua
Communications Specialist
T: 6870 7043
M: 9771 7871
Email: frank_chua@sp.edu.sg