Future of Manufacturing Summit

Manufacturing Capacities for a Sustained Come-Back
The pandemic has not only drastically reset the operating landscape for industries and businesses in APAC but also led to new opportunities emerging with the shift of production and trade away from traditional centres like China to regional economies in response to global supply chain disruptions. But while industries and businesses increasingly shift towards re-balancing and diversifying sources of supply and demand, rethinking networks and partnerships in the production and trading ecosystem, what are the capabilities and capacities that are needed to establish foundations for the longer term and to stay ahead? What considerations are industry & business leaders facing in planning for resilience and agility i.e. whether through investing in Industry 4.0 tech and solutions or skills for the workforce? How are various industry sectors approaching this? What proactive steps can APAC’s industry ecosystem take in anticipation of a more dynamic/ volatile landscape for manufacturing in the region?

Panelists:
Douglas Foo, President, Singapore Manufacturing Federation & Chairman and Founder, Sakae Holdings, Singapore
Ms May Yap, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Jabil
Pak Adhi S. Lukman -Chairman, The Indonesian Food & Beverage Association (GAPMMI)

Moderator:
Representative from McKinsey & Company

Panel Discussion:
Tapping into the Post-Pandemic Opportunity Space – Are ASEAN Businesses Ready?
Continuing the discussion in the 1st panel, this session will examine how ASEAN businesses are responding to the ‘new normal’ in terms of identifying opportunities, do they know how to take advantage of them? How can ASEAN businesses step up and work past barriers e.g. depressed sentiments or mindset, lack of clarity on how to tap on shifted markets/demand, resource constraints and other issues? This panel will look critically at the readiness of different industry sectors and the manufacturing ecosystem in ASEAN (large enterprises, SMEs and startups), what challenges remain and how they could bridge the gaps, examples of promising steps or initiatives undertaken by some, and what kinds of help are needed

Panelists:
Datuk Naguib Mohd Noor, CEO, Strand Aerospace and President, Malaysia Aerospace Industry Association (MAIA)
Anne Patricia Sutanto, Vice CEO, PT. Pan Brothers Tbk, Indonesia
Mrs Thuy Huong Do, Executive Board Member, Vietnam Electronics Industry Association
Chew Men Leong, Chief Marketing Officer, ST Engineering, Singapore

Moderator:
Alpesh Patel, Partner & Leader, Digital Capability Centres Asia Pacific, McKinsey & Company

Panel Discussion:
A Mindset Issue or More? Getting SMEs on Board the Opportunity for Change

The operating landscape for SMEs has been challenging even before the massive disruptions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. This wide-ranging panel featuring business heads of SMEs from across the manufacturing value chain will consider:

• their perspectives and experiences in navigating the challenges faced at the operational level
• how disruptions and impacts on manufacturing demand has impacted their organisations
• what adjustments were made to tackle immediate business concerns
• their thoughts on agility and building resilience going forward
• their views on how Industry 4.0 has helped them or their suppliers/partners and how this may have impacted their planning, and
• how they view prospects in their respective sectors in the new normal

Looking further ahead, discussion may also address

• how and why many SMEs remain resistant to adopting Industry 4.0 i.e. the very real barriers faced
• how business leaders view the post-pandemic opportunity space i.e. do they see relevant opportunities (perceived opportunity size/segments), access to new markets, partnerships and collaborations, their sentiments on business confidence e.g. trade wars, views on ROI, what resilience means to them, and the skills and resources needed to transition and sustain changes

Panelists:
Willy Koh, CEO, Racer Technology
Raj Kumar, Founder & Group CEO, IGSS Venture
Eugene Goh, Managing Director, JM Vistec System, Singapore

Moderator:
Glen Tan, Managing Partner, FT Consulting, Singapore

Panel Discussion:
What Will Make Sustainability a Priority for APAC Businesses & Manufacturers?
This panel discussion will highlight business and environmentally sustainable approaches that have taken off in Asia, how the enterprises made the initial transition and made it a viable proposition from a business perspective. Panelists will discuss what are common preconceptions or barriers for manufacturing businesses to be more environmentally sustainable, how changes in the consumer/business/regulatory landscape could help, and what governments and industries need to do to make a substantive impact in APAC

Panelists:
Prof. Seeram Ramakrishna, Chair, Circular Economy Taskforce, NUS and Chair, Future of Manufacturing, Institution of Engineers Singapore
Pamela Mar, Executive VP, Supply Chain Futures at Fung Academy & Director of Sustainability, Fung Group, HK
Seah Kian Hoe, Founder & Managing Director, Heng Hiap Industries, Malaysia
Dr Michael Schmidt, Head of Innovation APAC, Covestro, China

Moderator:
Sathishkumar Nagarajan, Sustainability Lead, Tembusu Asia Consulting