Within seven years since its inception in 2016, Jurong Innovation District (JID) has flourished into a thriving ecosystem of over 100 key players in the full manufacturing value chain, including research institutes and capabilities developers, technology and training providers and advanced manufacturers.
Located in western Singapore and spread over 620 hectares across five precincts (Nanyang Technological University (NTU), CleanTech Park, Bahar, Bulim and Tengah housing estate), JID is a crown jewel in Singapore’s advanced manufacturing vision. Jurong Town Corporation (JTC) is planning and developing JID to be one of Singapore’s advanced manufacturing hubs, driving cross-pollination of ideas and technologies in advanced manufacturing.
The who’s who in JID
Today, JID boasts of being home to an impressive array of global companies involved in training, R&D and manufacturing activities, besides researchers, educational institutions, start-ups, manufacturers and technology firms.
For instance, the Bosch Rexroth Regional Training Centre and Makino’s Additive Manufacturing Centre of Excellence are both in CleanTech Park, while Angel Playing Cards’ manufacturing centre and R&D hub and Shimano’s factory and R&D hub are in the Bulim precinct.
Joining them in Bulim is the Hyundai Motor Innovation Centre, which is expected to be fully operational by 2024. It will include an innovation R&D lab, a test circuit and a small-scale electric vehicle assembly facility.
The Bulim population is set to grow further when the new SATS Food Hub, which will allow SATS to achieve operational efficiency through automation and robotics, is completed in 2025 (estimated). SATS is a leading provider of gateway services and food solutions in Asia.
JTC’s upcoming Bulim Square, estimated to be completed in 2024, will also enable companies to establish their R&D and prototyping, production, distribution, and headquarters functions in one location. The ready-built high-specification facility will house the regional headquarters of leading Japanese digital workplace solutions provider Konica Minolta and Fanuc’s advanced robotics centre, where the global factory automation manufacturer will showcase its newest robotics technology and provide robotics equipment maintenance and servicing.
Additionally, a Singapore-headquartered hydrogen fuel cell solutions specialist, Spectronik, is carrying out track trials at the Centre of Excellence for Testing & Research of Autonomous Vehicles NTU (CETRAN) for the first hydrogen-powered light commercial vehicle, prior to road tests around the CleanTech Park in 4Q23.
A*STAR – Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research, also opened another two research institutes – the Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology and the National Metrology Centre in October 2023 in the CleanTech Park. The agency’s A*STAR Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Centre and A*STAR Advanced Manufacturing Training Academy are already in the same precinct.
The Surbana Jurong Group – a global urban, infrastructure and managed services consulting firm, also set up its new global headquarters, Surbana Jurong Campus, in the CleanTech Park. Other players in the CleanTech Park include Aquaporin Asia, Sunkonnect and Gradiant International Holdings.
The steady growth of JID will pave the way for Singapore to be the region’s leading advanced manufacturing hub and stay ahead of the transformation of the manufacturing sector towards higher value-adding activities and the adoption of Industry 4.0 initiations.
Figure 1: Jurong Innovation District
Source: Google Earth, JTC, JLL Research
Table 1: Examples of major companies in the JID
*Upcoming
Source: JTC, JLL Research, October 2023
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