Mr Chew adds that Singapore’s highly connected aerospace ecosystem allows companies to work closely and respond quickly to shifting customer needs. In fact, Singapore accounts for 10 per cent of global MRO output and close to 20 per cent of global engine MRO output the equivalent of one in 10 aircraft and one in five engines worldwide being serviced here.
This makes it easier for MNCs to identify partners, solve challenges, and develop new capabilities together. Among the MNCs with long-standing presence here, GE Aerospace and Rolls-Royce have fostered successful partnerships with Singapore enterprises. These are the win-win outcomes they have achieved:
GE Aerospace and Kei & Wah Engineering: Advancing automation through a long-term partnership
THE PARTNERSHIP
GE Aerospace, a global aerospace propulsion, services, and systems leader, operates three facilities in Singapore—two engine component repair facilities in Loyang and a plant in Seletar Aerospace Park.
Together, they make Singapore GE Aerospace’s largest location for engine component repair, accounting for more than 60 per cent of the company’s global repair volume.
To keep that volume moving efficiently, GE Aerospace began expanding its local tooling supplier base and seeking partners in Singapore to design and fabricate specialised tooling and automation solutions needed to support safe, efficient, and consistent operations.
That search led GE Aerospace to Kei & Wah Engineering, a Singapore-based precision engineering firm specialising in the design and manufacture of high-precision tooling used across industries such as aerospace and semiconductors.
What began as a tooling supplier relationship has evolved into a long-term
co-development collaboration, with Kei & Wah experts working alongside GE Aerospace’s engineering and operations teams to solve manufacturing challenges and develop fit-for-purpose tooling and automation solutions.
Kei & Wah’s technical personnel spent time onsite to better understand operational requirements, observe use cases and run multiple trials with GE Aerospace engineers and operators. That collaborative continuous-improvement approach is underpinned by FLIGHT DECK— the company’s proprietary lean operating model—helping to translate shopfloor feedback into practical engineering solutions tailored to GE Aerospace Singapore’s needs.
Over the decades, Kei & Wah has taken on increasingly complex assignments with GE Aerospace, progressively deepening its aerospace capabilities and strengthening its role in the company’s Singapore operations.
This included the design and fabrication of an automated bushing sleeve installation system for GE Aerospace’s High Pressure Compressor Variable Stator Vanes (VSV)3 , a critical component found across multiple aircraft engines.
Previously, the installation process was carried out manually. It was labour-intensive, highly repetitive, and posed safety risks for workers. The automated system helped remove manual safety risks while raising productivity.
It has since been deployed across other engine platforms, demonstrating how a locally developed solution can be adapted and scaled across broader operations.
Beyond solving a specific operational challenge, the partnership has also contributed to local capability building. Through years of collaboration, Kei & Wah has deepened its expertise in aerospace-grade tooling, automation design and precision engineering support. In turn, GE Aerospace has benefited from a trusted local partner able to respond quickly, collaborate closely on requirements and support long-term operational resilience in Singapore.
