High-tech equipment maker VDL ETG opens new facility in Singapore
[SINGAPORE] VDL Enabling Technologies Group (VDL ETG), a Dutch contract manufacturer for high-tech capital equipment, opened a new building in Jurong on Monday (June 2), and plans to invest S$100 million to grow its operations here over the next five years.
Located in the Pioneer area, the new building, named SQ1, houses an office block, warehousing and logistics space, and cleanroom manufacturing space.
In a statement, VDL ETG Singapore said the office block would be the main 'brain' – where its employees from teams, including engineering, manufacturing, technology development and supply chain, would come together to collaborate and innovate.
This is so that the company can meet the current and future demand of customers and tackle challenges to enable the growing demand of the semiconductor wafer fab equipment industry.
VDL ETG Singapore, which aims to grow its revenue from the current S$400 million to S$1 billion in the next five to six years, is supported by Singapore's Economic Development Board (EDB) and JTC Corporation (JTC).
Speaking at the opening ceremony of SQ1, EDB managing director Jermaine Loy said the facility's opening reflects 'the close relationship' between Singapore and the Netherlands as both countries mark 60 years of bilateral relations this year.
BT in your inbox
Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.
Sign Up
Sign Up
'VDL's continued investments in Singapore reflect not just its trust and confidence in Singapore's stable business environment, but also its commitment to do more here,' he added.
Investment in infrastructure
VDL ETG Singapore is the key contract manufacturer that supplies key modules to the local factories of the original equipment manufacturers of key wafer fab equipment.
The company also works with these factories in areas such as surface treatment, product cleaning and precision part fabrication.
VDL ETG Singapore said in its statement that the launch of SQ1 paves the way for the company to develop new equipment like precision-engineering tools and automated systems to enhance semiconductor production capabilities.
The equipment enables manufacturers to achieve higher yields and better quality control, leading to more reliable and efficient production processes.
VDL ETG Singapore's managing director Chiam Sing Chung said: 'The company's latest expansion at the SQ1 facility not only signals investment in infrastructure. It reflects a deliberate and strategic partnership with local suppliers, aimed at creating a smarter, more resilient manufacturing ecosystem.'
In his speech, EDB's Loy noted that advanced manufacturing is crucial to Singapore's economy, as it contributes nearly 20 per cent to the city-state's gross domestic product.
He added that the semiconductor industry accounts for 6 to 7 per cent of GDP and employs some 35,000 people. About one in 10 chips, and one in five units of semiconductor equipment produced globally every year is made in Singapore.
Over the next few years, VDL ETG Singapore seeks to employ over 400 employees in areas such as systems design and development, manufacturing, end-to-end supply chain management and administration.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
11 hours ago
- Straits Times
TotalEnergies on trial in landmark greenwashing case in France
Starting in May 2021, TotalEnergies advertised its goal of 'carbon neutrality by 2050' and touted gas as 'the fossil fuel with the lowest greenhouse gas emissions'. PHOTO: AFP TotalEnergies on trial in landmark greenwashing case in France PARIS - French oil and gas giant TotalEnergies goes on trial in Paris on June 5 over allegations of misleading climate claims, an unprecedented 'greenwashing' case against a fossil fuel firm in France. The civil case stems from a March 2022 lawsuit by three environmental groups accusing the French energy giant of 'misleading commercial practices' for saying it could reach carbon neutrality while continuing oil and gas production. Starting in May 2021, TotalEnergies advertised its goal of 'carbon neutrality by 2050' and touted gas as 'the fossil fuel with the lowest greenhouse gas emissions'. At the time, the company had also changed its name from Total to TotalEnergies to emphasise its investments in low-carbon energy, such as electricity. The plaintiffs have logged around 40 'false advertisements' in their lawsuit. The ads 'don't sincerely reflect the reality of TotalEnergies' operations', Apolline Cagnat, a legal counsel at Greenpeace, told AFP. Cagnat said the NGOs want the court to send a 'strong signal' to fossil fuel companies by ordering 'an immediate stop, under penalty, of the misleading commercial practices'. TotalEnergies disputes the charges, insisting the messages are part of its institutional communication, regulated by financial authorities – not consumer law. It argues no consumer organisation is party to the case, and that the NGOs are misusing consumer protection rules to challenge its corporate strategy. Environmental groups in recent years have turned to the courts to establish case law on companies misleading consumers by appearing more eco-friendly than they are. In Europe, courts ruled against Dutch airline KLM in 2024 and Germany's Lufthansa in March over misleading consumers about their efforts to reduce the environmental impact of flying. In Spain, utility Iberdrola failed to secure a conviction against Spanish oil and gas company Repsol over similar allegations of 'false' environmental claims. A greenwashing case against Australian oil and gas producer Santos, challenging its claim to be a 'clean fuels' company, has been ongoing since 2021. Based on a European Union directive targeting unfair commercial practices, the TotalEnergies lawsuit is the first time a French court has heard such a case against a fossil fuel company. The NGOs said the Paris court will rule, for the first time in the world, on the legality of ads presenting gas as essential to the energy transition. Climate experts say methane leaks from the gas industry have a powerful warming effect on the atmosphere. TotalEnergies maintains it has not engaged in misleading commercial practices. The company says it plans to show that its messages 'about its name change, strategy and role in the energy transition are reliable and based on objective, verifiable data'. AFP Find out more about climate change and how it could affect you on the ST microsite here.
Business Times
14 hours ago
- Business Times
Ship carrying EVs abandoned in Pacific after catching fire
[LONDON] A ship carrying about 3,000 cars to Mexico was abandoned in the middle of the Pacific Ocean after catching fire on Tuesday (Jun 3), highlighting a growing risk to the transportation of electric vehicles (EVs). The fire aboard the Morning Midas occurred approximately 300 miles south of Adak Island in Alaska, according to the US Coast Guard. Smoke was first seen coming from a deck of the vessel, whose cargo included about 800 EVs, the ship's manager Zodiac Maritime said in a statement. The crew initiated firefighting procedures but the blaze could not be brought under control, Zodiac said. Responders were being deployed to support salvage and firefighting operations, it added. A spokesperson for the firm declined to comment on who owns the vehicles. The US Coast Guard evacuated all 22 crew members, transferring them to a nearby merchant ship. The 46,800-tonne Morning Midas, built in 2006 by China's Xiamen Shipbuilding Industry, departed the port of Yantai on May 26, according to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. Prior to that it called at two other Chinese ports, Nansha in the south and Shanghai. Demand for lithium-ion batteries, including in EVs, is bringing a new risk to the global shipping industry, particularly given the value of the vehicles on board the largest car-carrying vessels, according to a report last month by insurance giant Allianz. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up While such ships haul thousands of vehicles at a time across the world's oceans, a handful of significant blazes have raised concerns about transporting them. Such incidents can have major ramifications for carmakers, shipowners and the firms that insure them. Fires involving EVs are often harder to extinguish and more dangerous to fight. The conditions of a tightly packed car-carrying cargo ship lead to limited ventilation, which can rapidly intensify heat. The confined, steel-lined environment makes fire suppression and rescues significantly more dangerous. Additionally, when an EV burns, it does so for longer and the fire gets hotter. The flames can end up accelerating through chain reactions and spiralling out of control quickly, a process called thermal runaway. EV fires can take up to 8,000 gallons of water to cool the lithium-ion batteries. In 2022, a vessel carrying about 4,000 vehicles caught fire in the Atlantic and ended up sinking despite efforts to tow it to safety. A year later another ship with close to 3,000 cars on board caught fire near the Dutch coast. Shipowners have taken steps to try to manage the safety risks involved in hauling EVs. Last year, a key safety group published guidelines on how to deal with fires on board the vessels. BLOOMBERG
Straits Times
17 hours ago
- Straits Times
Ship carrying EVs abandoned in Pacific after catching fire
LONDON – A ship carrying about 3,000 cars to Mexico was abandoned in the middle of the Pacific Ocean after catching fire on June 3, highlighting a growing risk to the transportation of electric vehicles (EVs). The fire aboard the Morning Midas occurred approximately 300 miles south of Adak Island in Alaska, according to the US Coast Guard. Smoke was first seen coming from a deck of the vessel, whose cargo included about 800 EVs, the ship's manager Zodiac Maritime said in a statement. The crew initiated firefighting procedures but the blaze could not be brought under control, Zodiac said. Responders were being deployed to support salvage and firefighting operations, it added. A spokesperson for the firm declined to comment on who owns the vehicles. The US Coast Guard evacuated all 22 crew members, transferring them to a nearby merchant ship. The 46,800-ton Morning Midas, built in 2006 by China's Xiamen Shipbuilding Industry, departed the port of Yantai on May 26, according to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. Prior to that it called at two other Chinese ports, Nansha in the south and Shanghai. Demand for lithium-ion batteries, including in EVs, is bringing a new risk to the global shipping industry, particularly given the value of the vehicles on board the largest car-carrying vessels, according to a report last month by insurance giant Allianz. While such ships haul thousands of vehicles at a time across the world's oceans, a handful of significant blazes have raised concerns about transporting them. Such incidents can have major ramifications for carmakers, shipowners and the firms that insure them. Fires involving EVs are often harder to extinguish and more dangerous to fight. The conditions of a tightly packed car-carrying cargo ship lead to limited ventilation, which can rapidly intensify heat. The confined, steel-lined environment makes fire suppression and rescues significantly more dangerous. Additionally, when an electric vehicle burns, it does so for longer and the fire gets hotter. The flames can end up accelerating through chain reactions and spiraling out of control quickly, a process called thermal runaway. EV fires can take up to 8,000 gallons of water to cool the lithium-ion batteries. In 2022, a vessel carrying about 4,000 vehicles caught fire in the Atlantic and ended up sinking despite efforts to tow it to safety. A year later another ship with close to 3,000 cars on board caught fire near the Dutch coast. Shipowners have taken steps to try to manage the safety risks involved in hauling electric vehicles. Last year, a key safety group published guidelines on how to deal with fires on board the vessels. BLOOMBERG Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
