Seminar on Growth Strategies in Difficult Times Seminar, 20 February 2009
On 20 February 2009, the Seminar on Growth Strategies in Difficult Times was jointly organised by SERC Aerospace Programme and AAIS for members of the aerospace industry. The seminar focused on the global aerospace outlook, challenges and opportunities amidst the economic downturn and types of strategies such as capability building and collaborative research to build competitive edges at this crucial time. This is part of the Knowledge and Value Creation Series of talks by the SERC Aerospace Programme.
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A*Star’s Aerospace R&D Programme Soars Higher
The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) received the 2009 Frost & Sullivan Asia Pacific Aerospace & Defense Award for Aerospace R&D Institution of the Year. This Award recognises A*STAR’s outstanding contribution to Aerospace R&D in Asia Pacific through the Science and Engineering Research Council (SERC) Aerospace Programme in embarking on cutting-edge research projects and establishing a valuable network of aerospace and aerospace-related multi-national corporations and local enterprises.
Cecilia Chung, Senior VP, Frost & Sullivan presenting the Aerospace R&D Organisation of the Year
Award to Mr Lim Swee Nian, Deputy Executive Director of A*STAR
The Award was presented at the Awards Banquet and Ceremony in Singapore on 5 March 2009. Recipients come from the Asia Pacific Aerospace & Defence industry, including decision-makers from Airlines, Airports, Manufacturing, Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO), Aviation Training, Defence, General Aviation and Homeland Security industries.
Total membership has increased to 16 since the launch of the SERC Aerospace Programme in 2007. The new members of the Programme, comprising aerospace-related multi-national corporations and local enterprises, are: BASF, Coherix, MAG Industrial Automation Systems, GT Industrial, IPG Photonics, Resem Technologies, Sunny Instruments Singapore and Tru-Marine. Eight memberswho joinedthe consortium earlier are The Boeing Company, EADS, Pratt & Whitney, Rolls-Royce, SIA Engineering Company, Sonatest, Rofin-Bassel Singapore and IDI Laser Services.
Together with industry, the SERC Aerospace Programme has a joint-investment of S$14 million for 10 R&D projects involving 40 research scientists from the science and engineering research institutes. The technology outcomes from these projects may be applied on the aircraft after suitable customisation.
8 New Members Join the SERC Aerospace Programme
Membership to the SERC Aerospace Programme totals to 16 today after its initial launch in 2007 with four founding members. In less than two years, the programme has steadfastly drawn companies from the aviation, MRO and aerospace-related industries to delve in aerospace research.
In 2009 alone, eight new members joined the aerospace consortium that is helmed by SERC of A*STAR that taps on seven of its science and engineering research institutes to grow the local aerospace industry with constant technology infusion through collaborative R&D.
The eight companies are BASF, Coherix, MAG Industrial Automation Systems, GT Industrial, IPG Photonics, Resem Technologies, Sunny Instruments Singapore and Tru-Marine.
The encouraging response to the aerospace consortium despite the economic downturn signals the long-term approach of the MNCs and our SMEs to hone their capability and expertise in preparation of the upturn.
Said Professor Chong Tow Chong, Executive Director of SERC, “The increased membership despite the economic downturn confirms the relevance of the A*STAR SERC Aerospace Programme to the industry. The companies realise the benefits of technology consortium which enable a group of like-minded members to participate in the development of innovative emerging technologies and overcome existing technological challenges for industry application cost effectively.”
The eight companies which joined the programme earlier are The Boeing Company, European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS), Pratt & Whitney, Rolls-Royce, SIA Engineering Company, Sonatest Ltd, Rofin-Bassel Singapore and IDI Laser Services. Together the aerospace programme provides an integrated and comprehensive R&D network where members can tap on within to pursue first mover advantages and business opportunities.
Six research projects from the 2nd cycle have commenced in February 2009 on top of the four projects initiated in the 1st cycle during the programme’s inauguration. The six projects are namely:
- Organic nanoparticles erosion resistant coating for airframes
- Erosion resistant nanocomposite coatings for turbine blades
- Laser sintering thermal barrier coating for engine repair
- Powder injection moulding of Ti alloys
- Fibre bragg grating sensor for structural health monitoring
- RFID tracking for maintenance, repair & overhaul
Technology outcomes from the projects which range throughout the entire aircraft, from the body, wing to belly can be suitably customised for use by members. Singapore's aerospace industry has been growing strongly since it started in the 1970s. It has consistently achieved high compounded annual growth rate over the last 20 years, with a turnover of S$6.89 billion in 2007, employing over 19,000 workers. The SERC Aerospace Programme is positioned to help companies in the value chain seed and grow R&D activities to build technical capabilities for the future and consequently contribute to growth statistics.
Updates on the 2nd Programme Management Committee (PMC) Meeting , 24 September 2008
After the 1st PMC meeting 6 months ago, the 2nd PMC meeting was successfully held on 24 September 2008 at SIMTech. During the 2nd PMC meeting, it was announced that two companies joined the programme as new members. They are BASF SE and Sunny Instruments Pte Ltd. So far, the one-year old programme has 10 members. The rest of the members include The Boeing Company, European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS), Pratt & Whitney, Rolls-Royce PLC , SIA Engineering Company, Sonatest NDR PLC, Rofin-BasselSingapore and IDI Laser Services.
One of the major activities ofthe 2nd PMC meeting was to select the 2nd cycle projects for the programme. 12 short-listed proposals were presented during the meeting. The members then voted on the proposals. Based on the voting results, 6 projects were finally selected as the 2nd cycle projects. The projects will be undertaken by 4 research institutes of A*STAR, namely, ICES, IMRE, I2R and SIMTech. The newly selected projects are as follows:
- Organic Nanoparticles Erosion Resistant Coating for Airframes (ICES)
- Erosion Resistant Nanocomposite Coatings for Turbine Blades(SIMTech )
- Laser Sintering Thermal Barrier Coating for Engine Repair (IMRE )
- Powder Injection Moulding (PIM) of Ti Alloys (SIMTech)
- Fibre Bragg Grating (FBG) Sensor for Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) (I2R)
- RFID Tracking for Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) (I2R)
Another activity of the 2nd PMC meeting was to review the 1st cycle currently running projects. They are:
- Laser Cleaning for removal of coatings, paints and contaminants
- Robotised Precision Finishing
- Sonic Non-destructive Testing for one-sided, in-service aircraft structure inspection
- Thermal (IR) Hartmann Wavefront Sensing Technology for structural health monitoring and defect detection of composite structures
Discussions on the strategies of the programme were also carried out during the meeting. Members have put forward many good suggestions and feedback. The exchange of ideas will definitely improve the programme and enhance the benefits for members.
2nd PMC Meeting on 24 Sept. 2008
Seminar on Aerospace Technologies: Challenges and Opportunities, 25 September 2008
On 25 Sept. a Seminar on Aerospace Technologies: Challenges and Opportunities was jointly organised by SERC and Association of Aerospace Industries-Singapore (AAIS) – hot after the heels of the SERC Aerospace Programme’s 2nd PMC Meeting. Over 150 participants from more than 70 companies and organisations turned up to hear speakers from the Boeing Company, EADS, Rolls-Royce, Pratt & Whitney, Singapore Airlines, Sonatest, IDI Laser and ACP Metal Finishing. They touched on the future of the MRO industry as well as technological challenges and impacts on the aerospace industry. Critical issues such as aerospace certification and inspection challenges in the face of modern aerospace technologies were also presented among others. During the seminar, a roundtable discussion was carried out to exchange information and feedback on local capabilities and aerospace industry requirements. The feedback will serve as important indications to identify the technology gaps and will be useful to guide us in formulating the future development directions and strategies.
Seminar Presentation Materials:
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