A total of 50 SkillsFuture Study Awards have been allocated for the logistics sector, said Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam on Tuesday (Apr 19).
Speaking at logistics company DHL Supply Chain’s opening of its new Advanced Regional Center in Singapore, Mr Tharman said the Government is partnering DHL to develop more talent under the SkillsFuture Leadership Development Initiative.
Under the partnership, DHL will launch its first management associate programme called AGILE, where it will take in about 10 to 12 graduates with two to three years’ working experience under an 18-month programme. The course will commence in August this year.
According to Mr Tharman, the logistics industry is one of the first sectors in the implementation of the Industry Transformation Programme announced in this year’s Budget. He also said the logistics industry is “part of Singapore’s lifeblood”.
DHL said its new facility was built at an investment of more than S$160 million. Located at Tampines LogisPark, the ARC also features a S$18.8-million multi-customer automation system featuring advanced robotics. The system will allow customers to benefit from automation solutions, without the need for significant capital investment, it added.
The S$18.8-million multi-customer automation system featuring advanced robotics. (Photo: Calvin Hui)
Previously, such an automation system was only used by customers with significant volume of deliveries to achieve economies of scale. However, the multi-customer automation system will now allow for more customers to come together and use the same system with shared benefits, the company added.
DHL Supply Chain Singapore’s Managing Director Jason Goh said this is the first such system in Singapore as well as one of the first globally.
The technological enhancement uses 130 robotic shuttles to pick and store products from 72,000 locations spread across 26 levels, which DHL said will improve picking efficiency by 20 per cent and utilise 40 per cent less space than conventional warehousing operations.
The 90,000-square-metre facility also offers logistics solutions for specific industries, such as clean rooms for life sciences and health businesses as well as specialised infrastructure for aerospace operations.
The launch of ARC comes a few months after DHL had opened its Asia-Pacific Innovation Center in December last year, which showcases new technologies and develop innovation solutions with its partners.
news source: channelnewsasia.com
