IBM opens S$90m manufacturing facility in Singapore  
ConvergenceAsia staff
20/05/2010

IBM has announced the opening of the IBM Singapore Technology Park (ISTP), a new manufacturing facility for its System z mainframes and high-end POWER systems. The S$90-million facility in Tampines will serve as IBM’s manufacturing and fulfillment centre for IBM’s high-end systems clients across Asia, Africa and Europe. The 365,000-square-foot facility will also be responsible for the manufacture and fulfillment of IBM disk and tape storage technology, as well as related hardware appliances worldwide.

The ISTP is part of a global network of high-end manufacturing or development plants that include new facility openings in the last four months in Guadalajara, Mexico, Poughkeepsie, New York, and Manchester, UK.

“The opening of IBM’s Singapore Technology Park is a significant milestone in the strong partnership between Singapore and IBM. IBM’s investment affirms Singapore’s capabilities for complex, high-value manufacturing and global supply chain management. It also reinforces Singapore’s drive to be a leading knowledge economy, powered by digital intelligence,” said Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Minister for Finance, Singapore.

Singapore was chosen as the site for the new facility because of its geographical location close to a growing number of global clients investing in modern IT infrastructures powered by systems optimised from the microprocessor to hardware and software to handle demanding new applications for clients worldwide. Being based in Singapore also provides IBM with increased access to talent and suppliers that are crucial to the manufacturing process.

"The new facility opening today signifies the ongoing investments IBM is making to extend our systems leadership," said Rod Adkins, IBM Senior Vice President and Group Executive, IBM Systems & Technology Group. "The investments help us deliver innovative systems to our clients that are optimised to manage the explosive growth of transactions and data, while gaining competitive advantage via predictive analytics and by reducing data centre costs."

The facility will be operational in June and will reach full capacity in the fourth quarter of 2010.

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