Schneider Electric, a global energy technology leader, today announced an investment of S$25M to upgrade smart automation and digital capabilities at its Hub Asia Distribution Centre (Hub Asia) in Tuas, enhancing the 21,000-square-metre facility that supports the company’s operations globally while growing its Singapore workforce.
World-class logistics operations
Hub Asia has been undergoing significant transformations and is set to complete the expansion of its Smart Distribution Centre capabilities by 2027. This will bring automation, robotics and agentic AI to the Tuas facility, raising productivity levels and enhancing autonomous warehouse operations and planning.
The transformation is anchored by a goods-to-person automation system, which brings inventory directly to picking stations rather than sending workers to retrieve goods. The first phase has recently gone live, already lifting by about 10 per cent against baseline.
A second phase will introduce adaptable racking systems that allow for scalability and layout redesign, alongside further gains in operational quality and workplace health and safety. When fully deployed, the system will handle approximately 40 per cent of outbound goods and is forecast to raise productivity by up to 20 per cent against baseline.
An upgraded warehouse management system will support the goods-to-person automation and serve as the facility’s execution backbone. Real-time dashboards will give operators visibility across the facility’s operations, while digital twin technology and machine learning generate inventory forecasts that increase the speed and accuracy of day-to-day work and help mitigate potential disruptions.
Talent to support logistical leapfrogging
Of the S$25M investment, S$19M is directed at talent through to 2030, by way of new hires and the re-skilling of existing employees.
The investment will develop a team of 26 skilled employees to operate and manage the facility’s new automated systems. Existing employees will undergo additional training to operate and manage the facility's new automated systems, developing skills in areas such as advanced systems monitoring, data analysis and warehouse planning.
