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Speech by Mr Lim Siong Guan, Chairman, Singapore Economic Development Board, at The Groundbreaking Ceremony of Robert Bosch Regional Headquarters South East Asia at Bishan Street 21 on 12 December, 10am
His Excellency Folkmar Stoecker, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Singapore
Mr. Cem Peksaglam, President & Managing Director, Robert Bosch (SEA) Pte Ltd
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Introduction
Good morning!
1. I am honoured to be here at the groundbreaking ceremony of ROBERT BOSCH Regional Headquarters, South East Asia. Thank you for the invitation to join you for this happy event. Earlier this year, I met Dr. Dais and Dr. Colm in Stuttgart to discuss opportunities for using Singapore as a base for BOSCH’S expansion in Asia. I was delighted that BOSCH had made the decision to set up its Asia Pacific IT centre here. And I was doubly delighted that only a few months later, Dr. Dais and Dr. Colm wrote to inform me of the decision to establish BOSCH’s Asia Pacific Regional Headquarters for Corporate R&D in Singapore. The BOSCH-Singapore partnership gets stronger and stronger.
2. It means a lot that a company like BOSCH believes in Singapore. BOSCH is a household name in many areas, including automotive and industrial products, consumer goods and building systems. Indeed, BOSCH prides itself as an innovation leader, spending at least 3 billion euros each year on R&D. I am glad that BOSCH and Singapore are so much aligned in the pursuit of technological excellence.
Singapore – an attractive location for corporate R&D
3. BOSCH never makes its decisions lightly. I can see how thoroughly and carefully BOSCH makes its strategic moves, because these are moves with the long term in view. These are important investments of people and money, and statements of serious commitment. BOSCH was considering various locations like India, China and Japan for its R&D Headquarters before finally deciding on Singapore. BOSCH’s decision is a strong endorsement of Singapore as a compelling location for companies to carry out corporate R&D functions and to derive sustainable business advantage.
4. One of Singapore’s key value propositions for corporate R&D is our strong intellectual property protection regime and the availability of talent to carry out the work. Here companies can find scientists, engineers and technicians who are experienced in complex manufacturing, and can participate in the design and development of innovative solutions. Besides local talent, Singapore’s open immigration policy and conducive living environment also make it easy to attract global research and business talent.
5. Companies can also leverage Singapore’s easy air and sea connectivity and proximity to major markets like China and India, which put us in good position for watching market trends and translating them into new product opportunities.
Singapore – an ideal location for to testbed and develop clean energy solutions
6. I am pleased to note that BOSCH’s new building will showcase “green” features such as energy efficient architectural design, high green plot ratio and use of environmental management systems. We are glad that BOSCH is pushing the envelope in green building design. This is also in line with Singapore’s goal to develop capabilities and solutions in the clean energy sector, because we see it as a strategic industry with much potential for rapid and sustained growth.
7. It is also encouraging that BOSCH and companies like Daimler, Volkswagen and Honda have chosen Singapore to test-bed clean energy solutions such as bio-diesel, fuel cell and hybrid technologies. Our urban characteristics and tropical climate make Singapore an interesting place for testbedding and translating technology into commercial opportunities.
Conclusion
8. I congratulate the management and staff of Robert BOSCH South East Asia on the groundbreaking of your new centre. We in the EDB assure you that we stand always ready to help wherever we can in the development of your activities in Singapore. May you make quick progress, find good results and continue to reach out to many more exciting opportunities in Singapore, and the growth of Asia.
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