The global pandemic hit businesses everywhere with unthinkable difficulties: from closed borders that disrupted entire supply chains, to lockdowns that paused business operations. Despite this, companies here have proven their grit: local companies rapidly innovated biomedical solutions against COVID-19, and businesses both big and small showed how they make the best out of a difficult situation. Read on to find out how else the business community has been supporting Singapore.

To our business community,

2020 has been challenging. Even though times have been tough — or because times have been tough, you have masked up and stepped up to support the community, from ramping up production of essential goods, to mobilising workforces with future-ready skills.

While no one can predict how the pandemic will end, we know we are not alone in building the new path ahead for Singapore and our businesses.

You kept the global supply of essential goods flowing

Producing foodstuffs, biomedical and other essential goods, you have worked rapidly to meet worldwide shortages.

Coca-Cola Company

With consumers stocking up on beverages ahead of lockdowns, the company had to boost production here to meet the surge in demand while maintaining safe-distancing measures. As Coca-Cola's concentrate manufacturing plant in Tuas supplies 24 markets across the Asia-Pacific, the facility also had to increase the supply pipeline to bottling partners that had to produce more finished beverages to stock supermarkets.

GlaxoSmithKline

Throughout the pandemic, the biomedical giant has been producing small molecule active pharmaceutical ingredients, which go into the production of GSK’s drugs for the treatment of patients with respiratory diseases and human immunodeficiency virus amongst other diseases. The company has three manufacturing facilities in Singapore, where its Jurong site is the sole new product introduction site for small molecules globally.

Merck

To support COVID-19 testing capabilities, the pharmaceutical company has been producing the raw materials needed for viral transport mediums. Used to collect swab samples, they are in short supply worldwide. The firm is also supporting global vaccine development efforts by supplying materials, solutions and bioprocessing manufacturing platforms.

Syngenta

The agrichemicals company produces herbicides and fungicides for farmers in Indonesia, Japan and Vietnam, and a fall in output could adversely affect global food supplies. Faced with an expected surge in demand, the company adapted quickly to work around supply chain disruptions and to maintain safe-distancing workplace measures.

Thermo Fisher Scientific

The biomedical products manufacturer developed a new diagnostic kit that can diagnose COVID-19 patients within three hours. Known as the Applied Biosystems TaqPath COVID-19 Combo kit, it taps on software that automatically converts genetic analysis data into diagnosis, helping to reduce risk of user interpretation error.

You are growing a future-ready workforce

Knowing that we can no longer work like we used to, you spearheaded initiatives to grow relevant, nimble skillsets and to support fellow businesses to thrive in the future.

Amazon

Created Seller University, an online education portal, to help Singapore’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs) digitalise. Participants will learn how to market and sell their products more effectively, and how to grow their businesses online. The tech giant is also part of the Singapore E-Commerce Program, under Enterprise Singapore’s E-Commerce Booster Package, offering complimentary support and fee waivers, as well as training workshops and tools to help online retailers succeed. Amazon also collaborated with the Infocomm Media Development Authority to qualify their e-Commerce solution as part of the Digital Resilience Bonus, to further support SME digitalisation efforts.

Google

Launched Skills Ignition SG, together with the Singapore government. The training programme, which will equip about 3,000 participants with the latest skills in digital marketing and cloud technology, caters to both entry-level and mid-career job-seekers. Grow with Google Singapore was also launched by Google to help individuals and businesses cope and grow their digital skill sets during this period. The site provides links to free digital training and tools such as Primer, Skillshop and Digital Garage.

Huawei

With its Virtual AI Academy, the tech company is offering more than 140 free online courses on artificial intelligence (AI), 5G, cloud computing and big data. These courses are designed for all levels from beginners to professionals. Looking to grow Singapore’s tech talent, Huawei aims to certify 1,000 ICT engineers here by the end of 2021.

PayPal

To help small and medium enterprises (SMEs) digitalise, the digital payments firm launched the PayPal SME Business Challenge 2020 in partnership with Facebook, AmCham, Singapore Business Federation and Shopmatic. During the 12-week programme, SMEs will attend virtual workshops and consult with industry experts on growing their business online. Topics covered include e-commerce, digital marketing and e-payments. PayPal also joined the #SupportLocal movement to share inspiring stories of small businesses pivoting to use their digital platforms to grow during COVID-19.

You are giving back to the community

You show how we are not alone in facing the unknowns of COVID-19.

Return of Jobs Support Scheme payouts

To show solidarity with the local community and redirect funds to those in greater need, more than 130 businesses have returned or donated their Jobs Support Scheme payouts. Amongst these firms that returned a total of S$97 million are:

Animal nutrition firm Adisseo
Pharma company Boehringer Ingelheim
DSM, which produces solutions for nutrition, health and sustainable living
Global healthcare company Novartis
Syngenta, a multinational agrichemicals company

Donations and volunteering

From providing necessities, to volunteering their time, these businesses have shown generosity in times of crises.

Employees from medtech firm Agilent volunteered with charities like The Food Bank Singapore to sort, pack and deliver essential food items to the needy.
Oil company Chevron matched employee donations dollar-for-dollar, and raised more than S$199,000 for charity in total.
Consumer goods giant P&G donated 303,000 care packs of health and hygiene products to migrant workers, vulnerable families and frontline workers.
Unilever, a leading consumer goods company, distributed 14,000 care packages to our hawkers. Each care package includes cleaning products and guides to support the maintenance of public hygiene.
Xiaomi Foundation donated 100,000 masks to the National Council of Social Service in Singapore with the help of their local partner Raduga Pte Ltd.