The Island Nation That Leads The Technology World

By A. David Cooper

Perhaps one of the most interesting, yet little known facts about Singapore is that it is home to one of Apple Computer’s two manufacturing facilities – the other being located in Ireland. Worldwide, Apple’s distribution facilities are located in Singapore, the United States, Europe, Canada, Australia and Japan.

Recent Apple switcher Edward Fun (yes, that is his real name), the new general manager of Apple Singapore, said in a recent interview with ComputerTimes, “Apple is a growing company; the products are changing. It is the only company in the IT world which is, and has been, changing the landscape for so many years.”

At first, when Apple contracted Singapore workers, the plan was simply to have the workers produce electronic boards in Singapore for assembly into Macs in the U.S. But as the Singapore work force became more skilled and efficient, Apple decided to begin producing whole computers directly in Singapore itself. This leap of faith on the part of Apple has been a large part of Singapore’s growth as a technology hub in Asia.

The tiny island of Singapore has recently become the darling of technological resources. But Singapore came to develop its high tech industry through intensive training of its labor force.

Singapore could not hope to compete upon the basis of the cheapness of its labor; it had to create technical skills that are unavailable elsewhere in the Third World.

Initially, the local industry was limited to trade and did not have the capability of creating export industry. Singapore, under the leadership of Lee Kuan Yew, sought to bring in foreign industry. But, with much of the Third World trying to do the same thing it was not an easy task. One of the first goals was to make potential employers aware of the relative incorruptibility of the Singaporean bureaucracy. In much of the world laws are arbitrary and subject to change by the government. Corporations do not want to risk investing millions of dollars in facilities in an area where various elements of the government can take part or all of it at any time.