Singapore Poultry Hub Pte Ltd is setting up the first smart and green factory for the poultry industry in Singapore with a $40 million loan secured from United Overseas Bank (UOB). The new factory will help Singapore Poultry Hub to improve their productivity by 26 per cent and to increase their capacity by 70 per cent1.
Singapore Poultry Hub is a joint venture among five parties, namely Mr Tan Chin Long and four poultry producers and processors – Tong Huat Poultry Processing Factory, Kee Song Holdings Pte Ltd, Sinmah Holdings (S) Pte Ltd and Tysan Food Pte Ltd.
Singapore Poultry Hub will work with partners such as the trade and enterprise development agency, Enterprise Singapore, to employ smart technologies such as robotics, Industry 4.0 technologies2 and the industrial Internet of things3 at its new factory.
The smart factory will also feature a new waste management system to reduce the amount of waste generated by the poultry processors. Instead of disposing all the poultry waste, the system will convert part of it into protein which is used as an ingredient for livestock feed. This will help the company become more sustainable in its operations and reduces their waste by 60 tonnes per day. The innovative waste management system is an example of a market-led innovation under FoodInnovate4, a multi-agency initiative led by Enterprise Singapore.
Mr Joseph Heng, CEO, Singapore Poultry Hub Pte Ltd, said, “We recognise the need to use technology to ensure our competitiveness in the long term. As a small- and medium-sized enterprise making an investment of this scale, we needed the support of a banking partner who could not only provide us the financing required but advise us on the most relevant financial solutions for our needs. UOB was with us at every step of the way, sharing their expertise and helping us determine the best way to optimise our funds. We are grateful for the Bank’s support and look forward to continue working with UOB.”
Mr Eric Tham, Head of Group Commercial Banking, UOB, said, “Technology is an important enabler for businesses. By using technology, firms can not only overcome the perennial challenges of cost and manpower, but also develop the digital capabilities required to position themselves strongly for the future. Our support of Singapore Poultry Hub is another example of how we are helping SMEs to transform their business and to seize opportunities from trends such as Industry 4.0.”
UOB and Singapore Poultry Hub are also exploring ways to help the poultry processor digitalise the collection of payments to reduce the use of cash and cheques. With the Bank’s cash management solutions, Singapore Poultry Hub will be able to improve overall cash flow and to achieve greater efficiencies.
1 Based on the combined existing capacity of the five poultry farmers and processors.
2 Industry 4.0 represents the use of automation and data exchange in manufacturing technologies. It creates a connected eco-system for manufacturing, integrating computing, networking and physical processes. Source: What is Industry 4.0?, Enterprise Singapore. https://spring.enterprisesg.gov.sg/Developing-Industries/PE/Pages/Industry4-0.aspx
3 The Industrial Internet of Things is a network of physical objects, systems, platforms and applications that contain embedded technology to communicate and share intelligence with each other, the external environment and with people. Source: Winning with the Industrial Internet of Things, Accenture.
https://www.accenture.com/t00010101t000000z__w__/it-it/_acnmedia/pdf-5/accenture-industrial-internet-of-thingspositioning-paper-report-2015.pdf
4 FoodInnovate is a multi-agency initiative led by Enterprise Singapore to grow Singapore’s food manufacturing industry through innovation, and build a leading food and nutrition hub in Asia. Visit the FoodInnovate page for more details: http://www.enterprisesg.gov.sg/industries/type/food-manufacturing/foodinnovate