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Homegrown firms are leading the way in high-tech world

SINGAPORE — Homegrown robotics company Hope Technik, which provides high-performance engineering solutions for civilian and military uses, now counts aerospace giant Airbus among its clients.

Hope Technik's Spaceplane Demonstrator. Photo: Hope Technik

Hope Technik's Spaceplane Demonstrator. Photo: Hope Technik

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SINGAPORE — Homegrown robotics company Hope Technik, which provides high-performance engineering solutions for civilian and military uses, now counts aerospace giant Airbus among its clients.

Another local, Internet of Things (IoT) firm, Ascent Solutions, is helping companies improve logistics operations in emerging markets such as East Africa with its electronic cargo tracking systems.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong highlighted the two companies in his National Day Rally speech as examples of firms that have built on their capabilities in the digital space, using technology to improve the operations of clients within and outside Singapore.

Founded in 2006, Hope Technik inked six years later a multi-million dollar deal with Airbus to build a research prototype that can go into space under the latter’s civilian spacecraft programme.

“We decided to set up the company 10 years ago because we had a lot of ideas and a desire to design and build things,” said Hope Technik’s chief operating officer Michael Leong, one of the four founders of the company who were former National University of Singapore classmates.

Hope Technik, which was set up with only S$10,000 with each of the founders forking out S$2,500, now has 130 staff. The robotics engineering firm, which also makes Red Rhinos and Hazmat control vehicles for the Singapore Civil Defence Force, plans to bring more products to market and will be establishing offices overseas to expand its global presence.

“Our future plan is to commercialise a few more products and we will market internationally. We are looking to set up foreign offices, starting regionally in Taiwan and China by next year,” said Mr Leong.

For Ascent Solutions, the target market has been global since day one, and 95 per cent of its business is international.

The IoT logistics firm provides solutions that help companies track items efficiently.

A container that used to take 20 days to travel from Kenya to Uganda now needs only two to three days with Ascent Solutions’ tamper-proof iSpot lock that does away with the need to clear customs over and over again.

It can also be tracked via GPS from anywhere in the world.

Both Hope Technik and Ascent Solutions received support from government agencies such as enterprise development organisation Spring, trade promotion agency International Enterprise Singapore, and the Economic Development Board.

Spring supported Ascent Solutions in early-stage funding through the Spring Startup Enterprise Development Scheme, and also helped the firm deepen technological know-how with its Capability Development Grant.

The partnership with Spring helped the start-up boost its image and raise its credibility with overseas clients. Meanwhile, IE Singapore provided advice on internationalisation, reaching out to overseas markets and registering patents.

Hope Technik also obtained from Spring the Capability Development Grant to develop engineering capabilities to help it build up stronger competencies and diversify into more segments, allowing the company to move up the value chain.

The digital economy is one promising area because Singapore is well connected and Singaporeans are IT savvy, Mr Lee said, adding that the Government will continue to support companies in building their capabilities.

“Digital is virtual. It does not require large areas of land. It will save labour and we can do business with anyone, from anywhere,” he said.

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