German conglomerate Thyssenkrupp will set up an additive manufacturing facility in Singapore this year to serve as a regional base for the company’s existing TechCenter in Germany. The materials and components maker said it aims to unlock 3D printing’s potential for customers in Singapore and the Asia-Pacific region. The centre will focus on innovations in metal and plastic for customers in automotive, capital goods, chemical, mining and other heavy industries.
“It will provide a complete range of additive manufacturing services from part identification diagnostics, project delivery to training and capability building,” the company said.
“The TechCenter Hub will also host additive manufacturing engineers who will work together with their colleagues in Germany to develop various products and solutions leveraging on this innovation.”
Donatus Kaufmann, the member of Thyssenkrupp’s executive board responsible for technology and innovation, said the Singapore hub offered an opportunity to benefit from the city’s innovation ecosystem and serve new customers in Asia-Pacific, as well as strengthen the group’s presence and operations in the region.
Analysts forecast Asia-Pacific’s additive manufacturing sector will be worth more than $5.5 billion by 2025, and Thyssenkrupp describes Singapore as fertile ground for the innovation to grow. The city state’s Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2020 Plan envisages additive manufacturing as a key enabler in the country’s push for leadership in advanced manufacturing and engineering.
Thyssenkrupp first launched a dedicated TechCenter for additive manufacturing in Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany, in 2017.
