Mr John K Woodworth sees that Singapore’s bedrock is still going to be manufacturing and R&D - and 3M is leading the way.

Mr John K Woodworth was a big influence over why 3M has such a huge footprint in Singapore. As Manufacturing Director of 3M’s Electronic Products Division in the mid 1990s, Mr Woodworth was instrumental in the company’s decision to set up its first manufacturing plant in Singapore; this plant was also the first of its kind in Asia. Convinced that Singapore’s skilled workforce and probusiness stance would work to his company’s advantage, he pushed for the site to be established here, even though the original plan was to expand an existing site in the US. This plant eventually became 3M’s flagship facility for new products for the growing electronics market in Asia.

He was also instrumental in the company’s decision to locate its Asia Pacific “Superhub” in Singapore. When fully operational, 3M will host a wide range of manufacturing and R&D facilities for products ranging from advanced film coatings to N95 respirators in Singapore. This will make Singapore 3M’s most strategic base in Asia, and the control tower for the company’s R&D, manufacturing and supply chain operations in the region.

When asked on the outlook of the manufacturing and R&D landscape in the Republic, Mr Woodworth said in an interview with SI News: “The outlook for Singapore manufacturing is quite positive. Whilst some industries with very high labour content have moved north, other companies will fill the gap with higher value-added products and services.”

He’s also quite confident about Singapore’s strategy on R&D: “The Singapore strategy on R&D is going to work well also. 3M likes to sequentially add manufacturing first and follow it with significant R&D. This is because we need the plant to do experiments for the R&D team. We are able to get very high-quality people in R&D although when we enter new technologies like coating and extruding, it is a little more difficult.” Going forward, Mr Woodworth sees Asia Pacific, particularly Singapore, as a centre for innovation especially in the fields of manufacturing and R&D. For him, the region’s next big thing will continue to be electronics and then material science. “We are making products in Singapore that allow for more efficient use of light in display applications and some very thin coatings that allow for thinner devices. Nanoparticles and semiconductor materials are becoming very interesting.”

It is this enthusiastic forward-thinking approach that gave Mr Woodworth his Public Service Medal. “When I found out that I was to receive the Public Service Medal from President Nathan, I was very honoured. The fact that the Singapore government recognises people from companies doing long-term investment and business in Singapore is a really unique situation. Singapore clearly recognises and rewards businesses for creating jobs and helping advance the knowledge of the country. In my particular case I am so proud to have led a long-term effort with the EDB and with our customers to invest in Singapore in both manufacturing and R&D in a way that didn’t exist before my time.”