SINGAPORE — The recently launched Digital Capability Centre (DCC) by consulting firm McKinsey and the Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Centre (ARTC) will groom talent for jobs in advanced technologies through workshops and on-the-job training.

The manpower training sessions for companies will touch upon areas such as predictive maintenance, digitised performance management, procurement and supply chain that will help Singapore talent acquire and deepen their knowledge and skills in advanced technologies, said a McKinsey spokesperson.

At any one time, the ARTC has at least 30 interns from the various institutes of higher learning such as Nanyang Technological University, National University of Singapore, Singapore University of Technology and Design, Nanyang Polytechnic, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Republic Polytechnic, Singapore Polytechnic and Temasek Polytechnic.

“Working with McKinsey in demonstrating digital capabilities in advanced manufacturing is an important journey where we bring together the best of minds from organisations as well as our industry members in developing and demonstrating what the future in advanced manufacturing can be and the benefits when implemented. Our ethos is to fail fast and learn even faster in this fast-moving space to really make a difference and create outcomes that are meaningful to the industry,” said Mr David Low, CEO of ARTC.

ARTC is also planning to conduct master classes for the local industry to allow small and medium enterprises to deepen their skills in advanced manufacturing, to help improve productivity and enable them to scale up. Sometimes referred to as Industry 4.0 solutions, the Future of Manufacturing places emphasis on integrated computing, networking and physical processes to revolutionise manufacturing.

The initiatives are in line with the nation’s push towards being a regional hub for advanced manufacturing with keen focus on regionally-important sectors including discrete manufacturing, semiconductors, oil and gas, electric power and mining.

Singapore’s Future of Manufacturing strategy envisages creating public-private partnership platforms to drive technology innovations and transfer knowledge with initiatives such as the Model Factories at ARTC and SimTech.

The Republic also plans to invest in research and development programmes and raise awareness of international benchmarking standards in advanced manufacturing, involving new technology, improved processes and management methods.

“The idea is to sustain Singapore’s competitiveness in manufacturing and become a technology innovation hub, a location of choice for test-bedding cutting-edge technologies and a thought leader in growth areas,” said Prof Tan Sze Wee, executive director at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research’s (A*star) Science and Engineering Council.

The Singapore DCC, opened last month, is part of McKinsey’s global network of five such centres, set up in partnership with leading industry consortia, government organisations and research institutions. The other DCCs are located in China, Germany, Italy and the United States.

The local partnership draws upon ARTC’s facilities and research and development capabilities across A*star, ranging from manufacturing data analytics, virtual process modelling, and digital solutions for complex manufacturing processes.

http://www.todayonline.com/business/new-mckinsey-centre-aims-groom-talent-advanced-technologies