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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
DEAR FELLOW MEMBERS 2016 was a a a a a year of opportunities where SMF launched numerous programmes and and activities for our members to grow and and upscale their businesses The past year year was also a a a a a a a a a year year of changes Brexit happened and shortly after that Donald Trump surprised the the pollsters to become the the the 45th President of the United States Adding to the the economic uncertainty are the the rapid technological disruptions that are supplanting various industries SMF has responded to the the challenges and opportunities by taking the the lead
in in in in in introducing several initiatives to foster closer collaboration with our government agencies industry partners and enterprises The initiatives were impetus to strengthen our local and and overseas linkages for internationalisation and and to drive business model innovation This year we celebrate the 50th anniversary of ASEAN It is is evident that the economic openness and integration we we currently share has sustained opportunities for all of of us us us And we we must take advantage of of the the the present digital economy to further integrate the the the ASEAN markets and realise its potential COLLABORATING TO GO GLOBAL
Forming strategic partnerships to address the challenges of competition and economic disruptions remained one of the key thrusts for SMF in in 2016 SMF in in collaboration with International Enterprise (IE) Singapore and Intellectual Property Intermediary
(IPI) formed a a consortium to launch the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) Singapore Centre last April This platform provides our local companies with access to technology know-how intellectual property and and 10 000 business and and technology partnership opportunities in in Europe To date 691 local companies have signed up to EEN and attracted
479 cases of interest in in in business/ technology partnerships The federation also assisted 800 enterprises to participate in in 44 tradeshows led outgoing missions
to ASEAN India China and and Europe and and and welcomed more than 100 visiting government and and business delegations to SMF SMF was supported by IE Singapore in in in in the the Working in in in in Partnership (WIP) programme that banded together Singapore food manufacturing companies to to to get their products onto the the the store shelves of supermarket chains in Southeast Asia With WIP our food manufacturing companies overcome barriers such
as lack of networks and financial resources to promote their products through economies of scale cost savings and fast tracking their business expansion into overseas markets Overall the WIP initiatives have helped more than 130 companies and and and generated sales of $5 3 3 million in in markets such
as Thailand China and and and Myanmar SMF is currently looking to forge new partnerships in in in other markets such
as the Philippines Douglas Foo BBM
SMF President Singapore Manufacturing Federation - Annual Report 2016/2017