Siemens Celebrates 100 Years In Singapore

Siemens celebrates its 100th anniversary in Singapore with a ceremony which will be graced by President S R Nathan at the Victoria Concert Hall today.

Siemens has had a long-standing relationship with Singapore, setting the pace in technological and economical growth since it first established a Technical Bureau as a sales office of the London-based Siemens Brothers Dynamo Works here in 1908. It was one of the first German industrial companies to set up operations in Singapore, and continues to be a major investor playing an important role in the country’s engineering, electronics, biomedical, infocomm and media industries.

During Singapore’s turbulent post-independence years, Siemens signalled its strong commitment to the Republic with the establishment of a semiconductor factory at St. Michael’s Estate in 1970. It was the first semiconductor factory Siemens founded outside of Germany, and one of many technological commitments the company would make to help Singapore evolve from a Third world country into a ‘tiger’ economy.

Over the years, Siemens innovations have left their mark on almost every aspect of Singaporean life. Amongst its many contributions, the company has built over one-third of the power plants in Singapore, and supplied the postal sorting and automation system at SingPost Centre; the passenger and air traffic management system at Changi Airport; major portion of the in-vitro diagnostic equipment in Singapore’s hospitals and clinical laboratories; and the fire detection system in the newly-built Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway. The company’s technologies are also deployed for the treatment and production of NEWater, as well as the Deep Tunnel Sewerage System.

Today, Siemens is one of the largest European businesses in Singapore, with six companies, four major R&D sites, 16 regional centres of competences, and more than 2,200 employees.

The depth and breadth of Siemens’ contributions here were recognised by the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) in 2001, when the company was honoured with the Distinguished Partner In Progress Award, the first German company to be conferred the honour.

"Siemens and Singapore have had a long and enduring partnership. Siemens was one of Singapore’s pioneer foreign investors – putting faith and trust in Singapore before many others did – and has grown with Singapore over the years," says Mr Lim Siong Guan, Chairman of the EDB. "Siemens’ continued investments and expansion are a strong vote of confidence in Singapore’s capabilities today and Singapore’s promise tomorrow."

Siemens Donates Sculpture and S$750,000 to the SSO Aside from its investment and contributions to Singapore’s economy and technology, Siemens has also been an ardent supporter of the local arts scene. For example, in 2004, the company bought the sculpture "Chuan", by the late Brother Joseph McNally, to be installed at the then newly-opened Siemens Center. Siemens will donate this sculpture to the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) today, along with a cheque for S$750,000. President Nathan will unveil the sculpture in front of the Victoria Concert Hall during a ceremony this morning.

Siemens has been partnering with SSO since 2001, sponsoring the Siemens Classics series of public concerts, which featured renowned international artists such as pianist Steven Osbourne and cellist Wang Jian.

"The SSO is committed to bringing great music to audiences in and beyond Singapore. We are proud to receive the generous support of Siemens, whose leadership in technology is mirrored by its dedication to enhancing lives through the arts," says Mr Chng Kai Jin, General Manager of the SSO. "With this latest donation from Siemens, concert-goers in Singapore will have the opportunity to listen to some of the best international soloists and conductors with the SSO in the coming years, and enjoy the unique sculpture ‘Chuan’ by the late Brother McNally at the Victoria Concert Hall."

Siemens Installs Time Capsule at Empress Place
During the ceremony, President Nathan will also seal a time capsule filled with 100 items that are representative of Singapore and Siemens today. The capsule, which will be installed in the pedestal of the sculpture, will include an EZlink card, a current price list for HDB flats, a street directory, an MRT/LRT map, The Singapore Story by Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, the Singapore edition of Monopoly, and a copy of today’s Straits Times. The items were suggested by Siemens Singapore staff, and the capsule will be reopened in 50 years’ time (please refer to Annex 1 for a full list of items).

Siemens Launches Commemorative Book
The day will also see the launch of a commemorative book, "Setting the Pace", with stories of how Siemens has set the pace in building, empowering, moving, connecting, protecting, enhancing, developing and caring for Singaporeans and the island’s economy. These stories will unveil little known facts and anecdotes about major infrastructure projects the company has played a part in, along with its investments, community service and other achievements.

"Siemens is proud to have played a major role in setting the pace in growth, development and technologies in Singapore, by answering many of the nation’s toughest questions in energy, industry and healthcare," says Mr Hans-Dieter Bott, Country Manager of the Siemens Group of Companies in Singapore. "We remain committed to setting the pace for now and into the future."

About the Siemens Group of Companies in Singapore
Siemens is a global powerhouse in electronics and electrical engineering, operating in the industry, energy and healthcare sectors. In 1908, the company established a Technical Bureau in Singapore, as a sales office of the London-based Siemens Brothers Dynamo Works Limited, to search for new business opportunities in the flourishing British colony. A hundred years on, Siemens has grown with Singapore, and helped to develop the Lion City into the modern economic powerhouse it is today.

In 1970, it set up a semiconductor factory here – a vote of confidence in a young nation trying to establish itself as a haven for investors in a turbulent region. From then on, it continued to make significant investments – creating jobs and setting up large-scale operations and facilities to develop new technologies.

At present, Siemens has six companies and employs more than 2,200 people in Singapore, making it one of the largest European companies here. It is engaged in a wide range of activities, including engineering, design, software development, research and development, maintenance, manufacturing and marketing. In fiscal 2007 (1 October 2006 – 30 September 2007), sales to customers amounted to S$1.3 billion. New orders totalled S$1.6 billion.

In the last five years, highlights of Siemens’ core businesses have been as follows:

Siemens in the community
Business aside, the company takes its role as a corporate citizen seriously. Mr Peter Loescher, President and CEO of Siemens AG, which celebrated its 160th anniversary last year, says the company’s ethos has consistently been "to accept responsibility in all societies in which we operate".

This is why Siemens has been a major sponsor of the National Day Parade for the past seven years, and a steadfast supporter of the President’s Challenge since 2003. In addition, under the Siemens Caring Hands initiative, each employee in Singapore is given a working day off to engage in community work.

For further information about Siemens Group of Companies in Singapore, please visit www.siemens.com.sg

Disclaimer
Any statements in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties; actual results may differ from the forward-looking statements. Siemens undertakes no obligation to publicly release the results of any revisions to these forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.