One in seven hearing aids worn globally made in Singapore

About one in seven hearing aids worn by people around the world is made at 18 Tai Seng Street in Singapore.

In fact, many of the innovations in hearing aids also come from the same place, where the top hearing aid supplier in the world, WS Audiology, has its regional headquarters.

Mr Olivier Chupin, the company’s regional president for the Asia-Pacific, told The Straits Times: “WS Audiology’s Singapore operations are a cornerstone of our global manufacturing and distribution network, with the Singapore facility producing more than half of all hearing aids we sell worldwide.”

It is also instrumental in driving product innovation, automation, and digitalisation for the company, he added.

Today, millions of people around the world are wearing hearing aids developed or made here.

Over the years, the 200-strong research and development (R&D) team here designed, among other things, the world’s first contactless lithium-ion powered rechargeable hearing aid, launched in 2016.

In 2020, the world’s first portable Qi charger for hearing aids was developed by the team here.

The team works on making better and smaller hearing aids, with longer battery lives.

For example, the Styletto hearing aid has a portable charger that can provide four days of listening on the go. If necessary, a quick 30-minute charge adds another five hours of use.

The team also develops apps and software, and conducts prototyping, verification, and reliability tests on each and every hearing aid it makes.

On 18 June, the company announced it will open an audiological research laboratory here in 2026 – its third after Chicago and Sweden. These labs help researchers gain insights into hearing aid fitting and background noise reduction.

WS Audiology was formed in 2019 with the merger of hearing aid manufacturers Widex from Denmark and Sivantos, a former business unit of German multinational company Siemens. It has two other R&D teams in the two countries.

WS Audiology sells more than six million hearing aids a year under the brands Signia, Rexton, Vibe, Audio Service, and Widex, making it the top hearing aid manufacturer in the world. Over half of those hearing aids are made here.

It is the global leader in terms of sales and third in terms of revenue, which stood at €2.5 billion (S$3.6 billion) in financial year 2022/2023.

The global demand for hearing aids is expected to grow significantly as the world population ages.

Hearing loss increases with age and affects one in four people who are 60 years and older, the World Health Organisation said in February.

More than 1.5 billion people currently experience some degree of hearing loss, with figures projected to grow to 2.5 billion by 2050.

Of these, about 430 million, or five per cent of the world’s population, suffer from disabling hearing loss, which makes conversation difficult without the use of hearing aids. This number is expected to hit 700 million by 2050.

In Singapore, there is no available data on the number of people using hearing aids, but a rising take-up of government grants suggests an increasing need for hearing assistance.

The number of seniors here who have taken up the 90 per cent subsidy for hearing aids has risen from 3,000 a year in 2019 to 5,000 in 2023, said Mr Kelvin Lim, who heads the grants division at the Agency for Integrated Care.

A pair of hearing aids costs S$1,500 or more before subsidy, he said. 

Ms April Chong, WS Audiology’s director of sales, marketing and training, who is an audiologist by training, said that globally, 70 per cent of people aged 70 or older have some form of hearing problems.

She says it is better for people suffering from hearing loss to get hearing aids earlier.

“Early intervention helps the brain get used to amplified sounds gradually, making the acclimatisation process more effective. Waiting until hearing loss is severe can make the adjustment period longer and more challenging,” she said.

Starting on hearing aids earlier also “helps maintain better overall hearing function and prevents the decline in a person’s communication abilities and reduced lifestyle”, she added.

Source: The Straits Times ©️ SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction.