‘Smart jobs’ make food manufacturing sector a mouth-watering prospect

Amid the slowing economy and uncertain job market, many Singaporeans have said they are unsure of where to start looking for opportunities in several growth industries. To that end, TODAY has launched an eight-part weekly series that looks at the openings available, the prospects and how workers can equip themselves with the skills for these positions. In the first instalment last week, we looked at the logistics industry.

This week, in the second part of the series, we focus on a sector revolving around something that is close to Singaporeans’ hearts: The food manufacturing industry — where the nascent research and development wave is spawning large numbers of ‘smart jobs’ to create tastier and healthier foods.

SINGAPORE — Singaporeans love food and there are some who take their obsession a step further — like self-proclaimed chocolate aficionado Lim Lisa, 30, who works at a chocolate factory. 

Every day at work, she is surrounded by the sweet smell of chocolates. “I feel like I am in Willy Wonka’s factory, surrounded by chocolates. But I have this fear that I’m getting fatter and fatter by the day,” Ms Lim joked, referring to the much-loved character in famous children’s book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. 

Her work as a food technologist at local chocolate manufacturing company Aalst Chocolate involves tasting samples daily, to analyse the quality of the firm’s products such as whether they have the right level of texture and viscosity.

Ms Lim, a Singapore permanent resident, has been working at Aalst Chocolate for the past three years, after joining the firm from another food manufacturing company. 

As part of her job, she also researches into consumer trends to help the firm improve its existing products or come up with new ones to satisfy customers’ ever-changing taste and preferences. 

“I can create new chocolate products and test whether it is commercially viable. What I like about this is the problem-solving aspect. If it doesn’t work out, it’s back to the drawing board and we try again till we get it right,” said Ms Lim, whose passion for food science was ignited while she was studying for a food technology degree at a university back home in Malaysia. 

Singapore’s food manufacturing industry has been identified as one of several growth sectors amid the economic slowdown. Part of the factors driving the growth is the rising demand from consumers for healthier food options. Companies are also constantly trying to come up with new products that would tickle customers’ taste buds, and stand out in a crowded marketplace both here and abroad. 

About two years ago, Wanin Industries product development manager Eugene Tan conceptualised a new vitamin drink for the company beverage manufacturer. Called the Monzter Vitamin Drink, the product — which is targeted at children — has an extra dose of Vitamin C, contains less sugar, and comes in different flavours.

 “I’ve lost count how many times we had to sample the drink. It’s like wine-tasting — we had to spit it out, if not, we get too full. And it is a tiring process because we had to go back and forth,” said Mr Tan, 32.

His efforts paid off last year when the drink hit the shelves, opening up a new product line — targeting a new consumer segment — for the company, which started out producing mineral water for over two decades before branching out into making isotonic drinks in 2007. 

In fact, if not for Mr Tan’s persistence, he would not even be in the industry in the first place. Without relevant background or training in the sector, the economics graduate had to convince his employers of his desire to learn the ropes. He made up his mind to join the sector as he felt that it has great potential for growth. 

Starting out as a management executive six years ago, Mr Tan worked his way up to his current position, which requires him to understand the workings in his company’s different departments — from production to sales and marketing — and work with them to create new products.

READ MORE: Where the jobs are: Food manufacturing industry

FIRMS SHIFT FOCUS TO R&D

Previously regarded by some as a backward and old-fashioned industry, the food manufacturing sector has made great strides in switching to automation, amid a greater impetus for research and development (R&D). 

Aalst Chocolate, for example, plans to invest another S$1 million into R&D next year. 

Wanin Industries set up a R&D department last year, where food technologists conducted studies and worked on reducing the sugar in its new vitamin drink before its launch. The company also intends to more than double its R&D investment, from 4 per cent of its profits to 10 per cent.

The current state of affairs is a far cry from just five years ago, said industry players. Back then, the number of food manufacturing companies with R&D capabilities were few and far between. Instead, they depended heavily on cheap labour and focused on mass production — relying on undercutting competitors’ prices to gain market share. 

“But companies are now more interested to produce new, quality products targeted at different consumer segments,” noted Wanin Industries general manager Raymond Ker. In line with its ramped-up R&D efforts, his company is looking to hire more food technologists, and at least two more product developers in the next two years. 

In general, the starting monthly salaries for food technologists are between S$2,000 and S$2,500 for diploma holders, and between S$2,500 and S$3,500 for university graduates. Product developers with diploma can earn a starting monthly pay of between S$1,600 and S$1,800. Degree holders can bring home between S$2,000 and S$2,400 each month.

Stepping into Aalst Chocolate’s factory in Tuas Avenue 7, one is greeted by massive cylinder-shaped machinery — bought in Germany and Switzerland — which are connected to one another to mix, pre-refine, refine and mould 30 million kilograms of chocolate a year. About 90 per cent of the company’s production process is automated and workers are needed only to pack products. 

Ms Connie Kwan, co-founder and managing director of Aalst Chocolate, noted that the high costs associated with automation have come down, making it easier for companies to embrace it. 

Ms Kwan pointed out that instead of replacing workers, automation leads to more “smart jobs”. 

“Workers frown upon laborious jobs and many are happy to work in high-tech companies. Automation also allows companies to retain workers,” she said. “Manual labour is simply not sustainable because they get older. And when they are unable to work any more, then what are you going to rely on?”

For example, to improve production efficiency, she intends to create a new role in her company: Food engineers, to combine the job scopes of a food technologist and an engineer.

Currently, both sets of professionals tend to work in isolation, she said. Because of this, product ideas by food technologists at times do not materialise as they are unsuitable for the equipment to process. 

The Republic’s food manufacturing industry comprises over 860 companies, producing goods such as processed meat, confectionary and sauces. While there are multinational corporations such as Nestle, most in the industry are home-grown firms. According to Spring Singapore, the industry employs 40,000 people and contributes S$3.7 billion to Singapore’s gross domestic product last year.

Last month, the Government launched a blueprint for the industry as part of a S$4.5 billion national programme to transform Singapore’s key industries. Under the initiative, the food manufacturing industry will benefit from measures such as shared research and production facilities. Companies will also receive support to venture overseas.

Under the transformation map, 2,000 new jobs for PMETs (professionals, managers, executives and technicians) are projected to be added to the industry by 2020, including emerging job roles such as food technologists and food process engineers. In the meantime, firms are looking for people to fill positions in food processing as well as food safety and quality management, among others. 

Those who are keen to join the industry or deepen their skills can tap on schemes such as the SkillsFuture Earn and Learn Programme as well as Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) courses. Companies have also developed their own training programmes and regularly send their employees for overseas attachments to pick up new ideas.

For mid-career professionals interested in switching to the growing industry, plans are under way to create Professional Conversion Programmes for the positions of manufacturing associate, manufacturing professional and technical sales manager. 

Engineers from different sectors, for example, will be more than welcomed, companies said. 

Mr John Cheng, director of operations and business development at Cheng Yew Heng Candy Factory, said: “They would know how to operate machineries even though they’re from non-food industries. It brings a different dimension to the job scope.” 

His company is looking to hire up to two engineers in the next two years.

Ms Christine Lee, a senior manager for food and beverage division, R&D and operations at roasted meat manufacturer Kay Lee, believed that mid-career professionals bring with them valuable experiences. 
“They would be more adaptive to the environment and are able to suggest improvements to the processes,” she said.