80th Anniversary Commemorative Book - Singapore Manufacturing ...

A seminar on Supply Chain Management co-organised by the SMF. The ability to manage the supply chain is critical to the survival of manufacturers.packaging companies, marketing companies to advertise the products andbuild up the brands, and even banks to provide finances.The manufacturing landscape has changed dramatically. Some major brandsno longer operate their factories themselves, but outsource production toOEM manufacturers, concentrating on just design and marketing. ManyOEM manufacturers do not have their own design departments nor theirown brands but simply manufacture based on the specifications providedby suppliers.Given such a landscape, it makes sense to put manufacturers in touch witha wide network of service providers, or what Mr Huang calls “touchpoints”,so they can leverage on these connections.Companies which do not have factories in Singapore, but whoseheadquarters are based here, have been allowed to become SMF members.This is practical, given that many manufacturers are closing down theirfactories here and moving their operations to countries like China, wherethe cost of production is lower.Epilogue: Mapping the Future 93