Source: The Nation Thailand

The event highlighted the kingdom’s suitability as manufacturing base under modern global trends. Thai trade delegates led by Deputy PM and Commerce Minister Phumtham Wechayachai met with executives of Keidanren, led by Suzuki Jun, chair of Japan-Thailand Trade and Economic Committee at Imperial Hotel in Tokyo.

During the meeting, Phumtham underscored Japan was Thailand’s third-largest trade partner last year, while accumulated investment amount from Japanese corporations made up for 25% of the kingdom’s total foreign investment, more than any other country.

He invited Japanese business leaders to invest in Thailand as well as visit the country to witness its potential. The Thai government has facilitated this by exempting visa requirements for Japanese visiting Thailand for up to 30 days since 1 January 2024, he added.

Phumtham said Thailand possesses readiness to be a manufacturing and exporting bases for various industries, adding that the government has prepared and promoted Thai entrepreneurs for new global trends that focus on green business, sustainable manufacturing, low-carbon emission and the use of renewable energy.

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As technology continues to advance, leveraging AI not only enhances productivity and quality, it also contributes to the evolution of a more intelligent and adaptive manufacturing ecosystem. There is a plethora of benefits to reap from being smart about tapping, thanks to algorithms.

Japan, known for its obsession with perfection has also adopted AI for its food industry. Osaka Ohsho’s parent firm, Eat&Holdings, simply did not have enough manpower to check every single dumpling, or keep up with demand. It subsequently turned to technology for an answer.

In January 2023, it opened a high-tech factory equipped with AI-powered cameras trained to detect any faulty gyoza on the production lines. Today this facility makes two dumplings every second. That’s twice the speed of the other Osaka Ohsho production sites. 

“By implementing AI, we have reduced the manpower on the manufacturing line by almost 30%,” says spokeswoman Keiko Handa. 

The firm has also recently launched an AI-powered cooking robot called I-Robo at one of its Tokyo restaurants. As it takes time to train chefs, the company says the technology will help with the labour shortage issue. While many hope AI can pick up the slack, a robot is still a robot and will have glitches.

Balancing the Gears: Navigating AI Integration 

Integrating AI in metalworking is only a good idea if the concoction of human interference is right instead of programming steps soley from historical data and leaving the robot to do its thing. Though integration of AI in tapping for instance, brought about transformative changes, with AI as the common tool in today’s manufacturing world, it is imperative to be smart about it than being a lagger. Integrating AI in tapping represents a leap forward in the capabilities of metalworking machinery.

Over reliance on AI might be a recipe for disaster — there are substantial evidence to show for it. The automotive industry has been on the hot seat lately. Tesla, who swore by AI and autonomous driving has chocked up incidents to invite doubts about its quality. It is anybody’s guess if AI encouraged complacency or putting dollars above sense.

The latest being Apple, who shelved research and development effort to develop an electric and self-driving car, codenamed “Project Titan”. Apple never openly discussed any of its automotive research, but around 5,000 employees were reported to be working on the project as of 2018.

Boeing, who is neck-deep in crisis and eroded public’s trust is planning to adopt robotics to minimise faults during manufacturing. This came after a series of incidents which drove passengers to check on the aircraft for the flights they booked before boarding. Boeing’s colossal trust issues outweighed the corrective measures announced to address the incidents.

Seoul has self-driving buses at night and they did a splendid job spooking passengers. It was only having a driver at the wheel assured passengers it was safe to board.

BBC quoted Graham Currie, a professor of public transport at Monash University in Melbourne: “The view that autonomous cars are our future is sheer science fiction. It’s nonsense, quite frankly. On the street we have dogs, we have children, we have weather, we have other vehicles. Technology hasn’t sorted all of that out yet and it may never do.”

Driver lifting his hand and foot off controls. Image credit: BBC

According to Professor Currie, governments are especially interested in the possibilities of autonomous public transport because the majority of the cost of a bus route is the driver’s salary. Naturally, this has led to some concern among bus drivers. The trade union representing Seoul’s 18,000 bus drivers told the BBC that the city government has never contacted them about its plans for an autonomous future.

“Self-driving should not replace human labour completely,” says Yoo Jae-ho, Secretary-General of the Seoul City Bus Union. “Right now, I don’t think that’s even possible – it’s too dangerous.”

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“We talked about the president’s desire to see manufacturing in the country, and it’s something that Apple will look at,” Cook told the media after the meeting.

Widodo’s administration has worked for years to bring manufacturing to the country to power economic development, while Apple is seeking to diversify its supply chains away from China, where most of its smartphones and tablets are assembled. The company began moving some production to countries like Vietnam, and more recently India, after shutdowns to fight COVID-19 in China repeatedly disrupted the company’s shipments.

“I think the investment ability in Indonesia is endless. I think that, there is a lot of great places to invest, and we’re investing. We believe in the country,” Cook said.

The previous day, Cook met Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in Hanoi, where he said Apple plans to invest more in Vietnam and increase spending on suppliers in the Southeast Asian manufacturing hub.

“Given the slowing Chinese economy as well as the Chinese government’s ongoing efforts to squeeze out foreign companies and replace them with domestic brands, Apple wants alternatives for manufacturing,” said Chris Miller, Associate Professor at Tufts University whose work focuses on technology and geopolitics.

“It has already invested more in India and Vietnam, but it is likely looking at other partners in South East Asia to additional manufacturing and assembly operations,” Miller said. Cook’s visit to Indonesia came after Apple announced its fourth Apple Developer Academy in the country, to be located in Bali. The company first launched the program to train app developers in Indonesia in 2018, in the capital Jakarta.

Apple has no manufacturing facilities in Indonesia, but the company says it has invested Rp1.6 trillion (US$99 million) in its app developer ecosystem in the country. Widodo’s government has sought to leverage the country’s reserves of nickel and other raw materials to bring in manufacturing, banning export of raw commodities such as nickel and bauxite to oblige companies to build refineries domestically.

After meeting with Widodo, Cook also met Indonesia’s president-elect Prabowo Subianto, who is currently defense minister, in Jakarta. He’s set to take power in October. Indonesia’s minister of communication and information, Budi Arie Setiadi, said that Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella would visit Indonesia end of April.

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This is a highly technical, specialist field applying precision engineering – but it can also cause harm to the lungs and skin. HSE says more needs to be done to keep workers safe. In a bid to improve knowledge in this area, HSE has created an online quiz as part of the ongoing campaign.

The annual statistics on work-related ill health and workplace injuries for 2022/23 show 12,000 people die annually from lung diseases linked to exposure to hazardous substances at work. In addition, 19,000 new cases of breathing and lung problems are thought to have been caused or worsened by work.

The manufacturing industry has a substantially higher rate than average for occupational asthma.

HSE inspector Fiona McGarry said: “It is clear that not enough is being done to protect workers and keep them safe and healthy. Our inspections found that there are still far too many businesses which do not have key control measures or health surveillance in place. As a result, enforcement action is being taken against these manufacturers. The creation of the quiz is a really easy way for people to test their knowledge about how best they should be protecting workers.”

Exposure to metalworking fluids – also referred to as ‘white water’ – can cause harm to the lungs and unprotected skin. Despite this, many of the firms inspected were not carrying out health checks. Health surveillance is a legal requirement where there is exposure to fluid or mist.

The inspections so far also found poor performance around the control of metalworking fluids in businesses that use computer numerical control (CNC) machines. To protect workers, employers should reduce exposure by putting control measures in place. Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) should be fitted on CNC machines to carry away any harmful metalworking fluid mist.

HSE inspector Fiona McGarry, added: “Lung problems and irritated skin don’t have to be associated with working with metalworking fluid if you take the right precautions. It is really important that control measures and fluid quality checks are in place to keep workers healthy. Health checks are essential to identify signs of ill-health early.”

More about the ongoing campaign, and tips on how to keep workers safe, can be found in HSE’s website. HSE will continue to carry out unannounced inspections between now and the end of March 2024.

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The emphasis on sustainability stems from global growing awareness intended for critical environmental issues and climate change, largely caused by human activity. The focus on sustainability reflects our deep commitment to the principles of securing a better future for the planet and generations to come.

Consequently, sustainability has gained prominence in various fields, ranging from everyday life and business to transportation, urban planning, and manufacturing. Manufacturing should unquestionably be sustainable.

Today, there is widespread recognition and agreement regarding the correctness of this statement. Manufacturing processes consume natural resources, energy, create waste, and pollute the environment. We can mitigate the negative environmental impact only by adopting sustainable production technologies.

Cutting Tools — Key To Sustainability

Machining remains a primary method for producing parts of machines and mechanisms. Therefore, the question of how to make machining sustainable is more relevant than ever.

A cutting tool contacts the machined workpiece directly and shapes it to its required form, removing the rest of the unnecessary material in the form of metal chips. Can a cutting tool be a key factor for improving sustainability? The answer to the above question is undoubtedly a resounding, yes!

Read more here

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Source: Manufacturing Asia

The headline ASEAN manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) rose to 50 last month from 49.6 in October, indicating steady operating conditions across the region. Last month’s print also ended two straight months of contraction. 

Three of the seven nations surveyed recorded improvements last month, led by the Philippines whose manufacturing sector jumped to a nine-month high of 52.7. The health of the manufacturing sectors in Indonesia and Singapore also expanded last month at the same modest rate of 51.7. Factory activity in Myanmar (48.1), Malaysia (47.9), and Thailand (47.6) all worsened last month while Vietnam was the laggard at 47.3.

For the entire region, factories raised their output to its highest level in three months as companies worked through outstanding orders piled up in the first half of the year, despite muted demand. 

Total factory others continued to dip for the third month running, with new orders from overseas declining once again.

Lower new orders, meanwhile, helped companies to catch up with their backlogs without cutting their staff numbers. Factories continued to grapple with high input prices that rose at its fastest pace since April, resulting in a slight increase in output charges. For the next 12 months, ASEAN manufacturers remained optimistic overall although the sluggish demand has tempered their expectations.

“If customer demand continues to wane, it will be detrimental to ASEAN manufacturing sector performance in the months ahead, said Maryam Baluch, economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence.

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China has consistently held the position of ASEAN’s fifth largest FDI investor, following the US, ASEAN itself, Japan, and the European Union. However, western multinational corporations (MNCs) are crucial in driving investment in ASEAN, as they diversify supply chains and implement the China+1 strategy.

The China Plus One strategy does not necessarily mean companies are moving away from China altogether. Instead, they are diversifying their operations and establishing a presence in additional locations while still maintaining their manufacturing or sourcing activities in China. 

Popular destinations for companies implementing the China Plus One strategy include other countries in Southeast Asia, such as Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia, which offer lower labour costs and attractive investment incentives. These countries have seen increased FDI as a result of companies seeking to complement their operations in China.

China’s outward direct investment (ODI) into ASEAN recorded a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.5% between 2013 and 2018, followed by a continued rise of 8.0% between 2018 and 2022. ODI flows into ASEAN reached an impressive US$18.7 billion in 2022, contributing 11% of China’s total ODI.

The Breakdown

Going by geography and industry, Singapore and Indonesia were top destinations for Chinese ODI, with the manufacturing sector dominating. Singapore attracted the highest investment flow of a cumulative US$ 33.9 billion between 2018 and 2022, followed by Indonesia at US$ 15.2 billion during the same period. Strong growth rates were observed across Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam, with 10-25% CAGR.

By industry, manufacturing sector drew the largest investment amounting to US$ 33.3 billion over the past five years. Subsequently, wholesale and retail trade received US$ 14.7 billion. Strong growth rates of 10-20% CAGR were observed in manufacturing and electricity and gas sectors. In addition, the information and software sector witnessed a sizeable 50% growth.

Volume of outward FDI flows from China to ASEAN countries in 2022, by sector (in million U.S. dollars)
Source: Statista.com

Data from Statista.com revealed in 2022 alone, China’s outward FDI flows to the manufacturing industry in ASEAN countries reached around US$8.2 billion. DBS’ research added Indonesia remains the primary investment destination, while Malaysia is emerging as a new destination for strong growth. 

Notably, Indonesia saw nearly a 400% increase, reaching US$ 5.3 billion in H1 2023. Investment in Malaysia more than doubled, amounting to US$ 1.6 billion in H1 2023. Vietnam also maintained its steady upward trajectory, reaching US$ 530 million.

The manufacturing sector remains a hotspot for Chinese investment this year. For instance, Shandong Xinhai and BaoWu committed US$ 1.3 billion to establish a ferronickel processing facility on Sulawesi island in partnership with Vale Indonesia.

Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt invested US$ 2.4 billion in partnership with Ford and Vale Indonesia to supply high-quality nickel for electric vehicle batteries. Meanwhile, automotive giants like Zhejiang Geely and BYD strategically invested in Malaysia and Vietnam to expand their car production bases. In addition, the alternative energy and construction sectors also saw a notable rebound in Chinese investment.

According to the China Going Global Investment Index compiled by Economist Intelligence (EIU), ASEAN has made a significant leap in its ranking this year. Among the 80 major investment destinations, Singapore tops the chart as the most attractive destination for Chinese investors, with Indonesia following closely in the 2nd position, Malaysia in 3rd, Thailand in 5th, and Vietnam in 6th.

Key Sectors Chinese Investors Are Expected To Focus On In The Coming Decade

Electronics
China dominates global production of mobile phones, PCs, and various other consumer electronics products; contributing to 80-90% of the global iPhone assembly. Major manufacturers within the global electronics supply chain are expected to strategically diversify their production facilities after Covid.

This diversification will involve not only the western electronics manufacturers based in China but also the Chinese manufacturers. Among Apple’s top 200 suppliers in 2022, more than 40 were Chinese companies based in mainland China.

On the demand side, the acceleration of digitalisation process after Covid is expected to generate rising demand for various electronics devices and components within ASEAN. This encompasses a continued rise in smartphone penetration rates, establishment of smart factories, planning and construction of smart cities, among others.

Vietnam, with its well-established production network, particularly in the smartphone domain, is expected to remain a preferred investment destination in the electronics sector for Chinese firms. Other ASEAN countries like Malaysia and Thailand, which possess electronics manufacturing capabilities, also hold potential to attract Chinese investment within this sector in the coming years. It is also useful to note Vietnam is now actively doing what it can to qualify as a semiconductor manufacturing hub to support the electronics sector.

Electric Vehicles (EVs)
China currently dominates the downstream global EV supply chain, including a 50-70% share in certain material processing, 70% in EV battery production, and 50% in EV production. The upstream EV supply chain, particularly mining, is dominated by the resources-rich countries like Australia, Indonesia, and Congo.

Indonesia’s embargo on nickel ore exports in recent years has triggered realignments in the EV supply chain. Chinese firms have been compelled to localise their processing facilities for EV metals in Indonesia to secure the supply of nickel resources. It is possible that ASEAN countries may introduce similar protective measures on critical minerals in the future, to further encourage supply chain localisation.

Meanwhile, Chinese EV manufacturers are eyeing the ASEAN market, due to its promising demand prospects. EV adoption in ASEAN remains nascent compared to China, with EV sales constituting 1-10% of new vehicle sales.

ASEAN countries are introducing strategic policy measures to accelerate EV adoption, ranging from tax incentives, subsidies for EV purchases, to the facilitation of EV charging infrastructure. Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines have set ambitious targets of achieving a 100% EV adoption rate by 2030-2040 — presenting significant opportunities for Chinese EV manufacturers looking to tap overseas markets for expansion.

Renewable Energy
Investment in renewable energy is expected to align closely with the global push for decarbonisation. In response to this imperative, the Chinese government is actively promoting the transition of State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) overseas investment within the BRI framework, moving from the traditional coal and mining activities towards renewables projects.

Meanwhile, the ASEAN region, endowed with abundant natural resources including wind, hydro, and solar power, holds substantial technical potential for renewable energy expansion. The majority of ASEAN countries are aiming to achieve a 30-40% share of renewables in their power generation mix by 2030-2035. This underscores substantial demand for renewables investment in the years ahead.

Technology, Media And Telecommunication (TMT) Services
Investment in TMT services will be influenced in part by policy and regulatory changes. Chinese internet, fintech and other private enterprises in the TMT services sector are facing challenges due to the complex regulatory environment in China’s domestic market, and stricter investment scrutiny in the US. As a result, they are exploring opportunities in the ASEAN market more extensively.

In the manufacturing sector where Internet Of Things (IoT) gets increasingly common, downtime and enhanced efficiency have become imperative staples to beat competition. That is also where the industry witnesses many players offering solutions such as easy accessibility and servicing 24/7 for machine shops, evangelising the importance of predictive maintenance. 

According to a collaborative report by Google, Temasek, and Bain & Company, Southeast Asia’s digital economy will surge from US$ 200 billion in 2022 to US$ 600 billion -1 trillion by 2030. Emerging markets like Indonesia and Vietnam are poised for substantial growth in this sector. Singapore, with its role as a regional investment and financing hub in the TMT startup domain, stands to benefit as well.

China’s ODI underscores ASEAN’s growing appeal, with the republic consistently ranking as ASEAN’s fifth largest FDI investor. While western multinational corporations play a pivotal role in driving investment, the China Plus One strategy has emerged as a nuanced approach.

Rather than a complete shift away from China, companies are strategically diversifying their operations. Southeast Asian countries like Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia have become favoured destinations with lower labour costs and attractive incentives. The sustained growth in China’s ODI into ASEAN, with a notable 11% contribution to China’s total ODI in 2022, signifies the enduring partnership and the evolving dynamics of economic collaboration between these two influential regions.

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Southeast Asia’s manufacturing sector continued to contract in October as new businesses slump for two months in a row, an industry survey by S&P Global showed. The headline ASEAN manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) remained unchanged at 49.6 last month, signaling marginal deterioration in the overall health of the sector, according to S&P. 

The headline figure dipped below the neutral mark of 50.0, which separates contraction from expansion, for the second month running as five of the seven ASEAN nations surveyed posted contraction in October 2023. Malaysia remained the hardest hit with an unchanged PMI of 46.8 in October that marked its fourth consecutive months of shrinking factory activity. This was followed by Thailand (47.5) and Singapore (48.6), while the downturn was relatively softer in Myanmar (49) and Vietnam (49.6). 

Indonesia and the Philippines were the only nations that saw their local manufacturing industries improve in October with a headline PMI of 51.5 and 52.4, respectively. S&P traced the region’s extended manufacturing slump to declining new orders and a sustained slowdown in output. This prompted factories to cut back on their buying activity for the first time in over two years, draining their inventories.

“If demand continues to soften, we could see manufacturers reducing their output in the coming months,” said Maryam Baluch, economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence.

On a positive note, the market slowdown helped temper inflation as seen in costs of input materials and output prices rising at muted rates. ASEAN manufacturers remained optimistic that production will continue to grow in the coming year despite weakening market conditions. The level of confidence, however, was lower than historical average.

“Global economic headwinds continue to cloud the outlook, including the subdued economic recovery in China and the lagging effects of monetary policy tightening across the majority of the ASEAN constituents and elsewhere,” Baluch said.

S&P Global said Malaysian manufacturers experienced a challenging business environment again at the start of the final quarter of 2023 as demand conditions continued to wane. It noted that new orders moderated and production was scaled back. Employment also eased, but firms were still able to deplete backlogs of work to the greatest extent since the survey began in July 2012.

As at 16 November 2023, the ringgit reportedly closed easier against the US dollar as the greenback rebounded from an over two-month low earlier this week on the back of a stronger-than-expected US retail sales data. 

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Source: Vietnam Plus

During the cited period, Vietnam recorded 2,608 newly-registered FDI projects with a total investments of US$15.29 billion, reported Xinhua quoting a Vietnam News Agency report.

Among the 18 economic sectors that received FDI during this period, the processing and manufacturing industry took the lead with nearly US$18.84 billion, accounting for almost 73.1% of the total and rising 45.8% year on year.

A total of 108 countries and regions poured money into Vietnam from January to October with Asian investors dominating the FDI flows into Vietnam, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

China ranked the first in terms of the number of new projects during the cited period, accounting for 21.7% of the total.

Vietnam lured close to US$18.15 billion in foreign direct investments (FDI) from the beginning of this year to 20 August 2023, up 8.2% year-on-year, according to the Foreign Investment Agency under the Ministry of Planning and Investment. In the period, there were 1,924 newly-registered projects with a combined capital of US$8.87 billion, up 69.5% and 38.6% compared to the same period last year, respectively.

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There were 87 major injuries in the manufacturing industry, compared with 62 in the second half of last year. In the construction sector, there were 80 major injuries, up from 73 in the last six months of 2022, the report said on 28 September 2023.

Out of the top seven sectors, one other sector — marine — saw an increase in the number of major injuries, from five to 12. Fewer major injuries were reported in other industries — including transportation and storage as well as accommodation and food services — bringing the total number to 311, down from 316 in the H2 2022.

The annualised major injury rate remained stable at 17.2 per 100,000 workers for the first half of 2023, compared with 17.3 in H2 2022. Within the manufacturing sector, 38 fatal and major injuries came from metalworking, up from 18 incidents between July and December last year. Metalworking has been a “perennial” subsector of concern, MOM said during a briefing with the media.

“In fact, we use business analytics at our back end, in order to be able to identify the manufacturing companies in metalworking with high risk of unsafe practices. We zoom in and conduct inspections at those places,” the Ministry said.

Senior Minister of State for Manpower Zaqy Mohamad said the Ministry is focusing on efforts to bring down fatal and major injuries in the manufacturing sector. MOM said it will prioritise targeted inspections to detect and deter breaches in metalworking. A demerit point system will also take effect in the manufacturing sector from 1 October 2023.

“We hope through measures like these, we are able to capture and cover a wider range of employers and worksites,” Mr Zaqy told reporters after a site visit to Silesia Flavours South East Asia. He added the demerit point system has business implications and sends a “strong signal” about safety culture. 

In the construction sector, 58 fatal and major injuries were reported from “smaller scale works” such as addition and alteration works, renovation and facility management in the first half of this year. This is higher than the 48 recorded in the previous six-month period.

The ministry said it will work with relevant agencies to enhance safety standards for contractors involved in smaller-scale construction activities.

“For larger construction sites, it’s easier for us to enforce, but because there are just so many smaller construction sites, our ability to enforce is limited,” said MOM. There are also plans to ramp up inspections, tighten safety standards and raise safety consciousness for smaller companies.

Causes Of Injury

Type A incidents, which have a higher risk of fatality, accounted for 38% of all major injuries in the first half of the year. Type A incidents include falls from height and vehicular-related incidents. Common root causes of these injuries included inadequate fall prevention measures, unsafe worker behaviour and inadequate traffic management plans, said MOM.

Type B accidents, such as slips, trips and falls or machinery incidents, made up 62% of major injuries. They may be caused by a lack of machine guarding, failure to provide anti-slip footwear or a lack of safety measures to manage the flow of goods, among other reasons. MOM said the occupational diseases incidence rate increased to 37.2 per 100,000 workers in the first six months of 2023, up from 29.7 in the second half of last year.

“This increase was driven by the rise in reported noise-induced deafness cases due to ongoing enhanced workplace health surveillance efforts, which heightened awareness of reporting amongst doctors and employers and expanded the surveillance footprint,” the ministry said.

During a tour of Silesia Flavours, staff members showcased safety measures in the manufacturing facility, including a sound-proof cabinet for a milling machine and ear muffs for hearing protection. The company also has a machine to help lift boxes from the production line to reduce the risk of injury. Mr Zaqy said the company management cares about workplace safety, noting that the firm has BizSafe level 4 certification. 

“That’s really an attitude that we want to see from management — being aware, being enlightened, being able to think about the safety of their workers. I think that’s one part which, you want to go beyond just the baseline,” he said.

Workplace Fatality Rate

There were 14 workplace deaths in the first half of this year — a figure that was previously reported. This is slightly lower than the 18 deaths recorded in the second half of last year. The annualised fatal injury rate also dropped in the first half of this year to 0.8 per 100,000 workers from 1.3 in the second half of last year.

“The improvements reflect the positive outcomes from the heightened safety period,” MOM said in a press release. The heightened safety period started in September last year and ended on May 31 this year. “This also places Singapore back on track towards meeting our WSH2028 aspirations of a fatality rate below 1.0 per 100,000 workers. Based on our safety performance in the past three years, Singapore comes after the top four OECD countries,” the Ministry said. The three-year average fatality rate is 1.1 per 100,000 workers.

MOM also said every death is one too many. “Every fatality is a tragedy and there is a personal cost to the families. We will do what we can to bring the fatality rate down,” the ministry added. In the H1 2023, falls from height, collapse or failure of structures and equipment and vehicular incidents were the top three causes of workplace fatalities.

The sectors that recorded the most workplace deaths were construction as well as transportation and storage. MOM said it has started an enforcement operation from September to October that will cover high-risk sectors, focusing on vehicular safety and other areas of concern.

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Letter to the Editor
Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you’d like to share with our readers? APMEN News would love to hear from you!

Email your letter to the Editorial Team at Christellee@epl.com.sg

The post More Injuries In Manufacturing, Construction Sectors In H1 2023 Highlight Safety Concerns appeared first on Asia Pacific Metalworking Equipment News | Manufacturing | Automation | Quality Control.