Digital platforms and industry networks play the roles of integrating technology building blocks, industrial applications, and stakeholders in the ecosystem for business transition to Industry 4.0. While the IoT and cloud platforms assist exchanges of data and technical information, industry networks convey know-how, experiences, and resources to foster innovation-based environments for digital upgrading. Building secure, strong platforms and networks that facilitate technical and resource exchanges among businesses is crucial for comprehensive, sustainable digital transformation.

Singapore was one of the earliest and fastest among APO members in preparing for and responding to the Industry 4.0 movement, with strategic policies facilitating businesses and specific strengths in cultivating talent, connecting partners, and developing technological frameworks. The Singapore Productivity Centre thus collaborated with the APO Secretariat to conduct a study mission on Industry 4.0 Digital Industrial Platforms to observe good practices and effective implementation of digital transformation strategies.

Eighteen delegates from 14 APO members took part in the study mission, guided by two international resource persons from the ROC and Germany and three local resource persons from Singapore, who shared digital transformation strategies from Europe and the Asia-Pacific and identified key success factors for meaningful, sustainable transformation. They also visited the Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Centre and Bosch Rexroth Regional Training Centre to learn how government agencies, technology and solution providers, training providers, and businesses supported each other to achieve Singapore’s vision of becoming a smart nation. The delegates benchmarked the practices from their countries against the experiences of Singapore and discussed strategies that could be adapted to facilitate digitalization.