Open Hybrid LabFactory (OHLF) Germany has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech) at the Precision Engineering Centre of Innovation (PE COI) Annual Conference, to collaborate on lightweight structure technologies.

SIMTech is a research institute of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).

The collaboration aims to establish a globally recognised competence for lightweight structure technologies across the entire value chain of the automotive and aerospace industries in Germany and Singapore, said a statement.

OHLF and SIMTech share a common vision of promoting lightweight design and fabrication for the sustainability of the manufacturing sector, it said.

Located in Wolfsburg, Germany, OHLF offers excellent possibilities and resources for research, development, production and testing of hybrid and lightweight components for the future of the automotive industry, where digitalisation and resource efficiencies are key.

OHLF is well-connected to the German automotive industry, with Volkswagen as one of its founding members while SIMTech has strong partnerships with the precision engineering, automotive, and aerospace industries in Singapore.

As SIMTech has a broad spectrum of expertise and leading manufacturing capabilities, its collaboration with OHLF will lead to industry-oriented cross-sectoral transfer of knowledge and technology.

The agreement signing was witnessed by Professor Anke Kaysser-Pyzalla, president of Technische Universität Braunschweig and vice chairman of the OHLF advisory board; Dr Ulrich Sante, Ambassador of Germany to Singapore; and Ted Tan, deputy CEO of enterprise Singapore, as well as Professor Tan Sze Wee, executive director, A*STAR.

Kaysser-Pyzalla said: “We are very honoured to have this signing of the MoU. With SIMTech, OHLF has been able to find a research partner that operates on an equal playing field and conducts similar, strong industry-related research.”

“The first joint project ideas have already been discussed and will be developed in the upcoming months,” he said.

Dr Lim Ser Yong, executive director, SIMTech, said: “We have built strong competencies and capabilities in the precision engineering of lightweight structures, especially in the aerospace sector.”

“With the mutual collaboration between us and OHLF, we are able to share ideas and skills across two important industrial sectors,” he said.

“This collaboration is aligned with our development of advanced manufacturing technologies to propel Singapore’s aerospace sector where manufacturing of lightweight structures are crucial for its competitiveness,” he added. – TradeArabia News Service