Singapore Government Press Release
Media Division, Ministry of Information & The Arts, #36-00, PSA Building, 460 Alexandra Road, Singapore 119963, Tel: 3757794/5
SPEECH BY MR GOH CHEE WEE
MINISTER OF STATE FOR TRADE & INDUSTRY
AND COMMUNICATIONS
AT THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS OF
NEC SEMICONDUCTORS SINGAPORE PTE LTD
ON 8 NOV 1996 AT 9.30 AM
I am pleased to join you this morning to celebrate NEC Semiconductors Singapore's 20th anniversary.
2 Let me first congratulate NEC Semiconductors Singapore on its 20 years of strong growth and very successful operation in Singapore.
20 Years - Coming of Age
3 Twenty years brings to mind Seijin-shiki in Japan, the coming of age ceremony. This is a major milestone in the life of a Japanese. It represents recognition as an adult, the right to vote and the legal age to drink. There is even a public holiday in Japan for people to celebrate. This shows the importance the Japanese place on nurturing youths. For NEC Semiconductors Singapore, turning twenty marks the coming of age of a company that has not only made it, but done so with flying colours.
4 I am honoured to participate in this ceremony to announce this coming of age for NEC Semiconductors Singapore. I share this joy with all present today. NEC Semiconductors Singapore is an important overseas production base for NEC Corporation. It contributes half of NEC's total world-wide output for 16 mega-bit DRAMs. Singapore is excited and proud to contribute to NEC's dynamic world-wide growth over the years.
Importance of Semiconductor Industry in Singapore
5 Singapore is becoming a major semiconductor manufacturing hub in this region. We have come a long way. The Singapore government's commitment to grow and nurture this industry has been relentless. Our semiconductor sector registered a remarkable growth of 53% last year. Total output last year was S$12.2 billion, 21% of total electronics output. Semiconductors has rapidly become a key contributor to the growth of Singapore's manufacturing industry. NEC Semiconductors Singapore's success is a case in point. There are many other success stories.
6. In recent years, we have been actively building up the front-end wafer fabrication of semiconductor manufacturing in Singapore. This underscores the government's long-term strategic commitment, involving investments in infrastructure, and developing supporting industries, and technical and manpower capabilities to support a sizeable high tech industry. Various government agencies have worked very closely to ensure smooth implementation of these very capital-intensive, time-sensitive and complex projects.
7 This year has been a tough one for the semiconductor industry world-wide. But despite the volatile market, Singapore continues to attract new investments for expansion, upgrading and new products. For instance, two new wafer fab projects were announced in the first 9 months of this year. I would like to assure our investors, that Singapore is determined to remain a competitive manufacturing location. Singapore seeks to be a good business partner to all our corporate investors, by continually upgrading our already excellent infrastructure, operating environment and our technical and manpower capabilities.
NEC Semiconductors Singapore as a Corporate Citizen
8 Besides contributing to our economic growth, NEC Semiconductors Singapore is also a diligent corporate citizen. I wish to thank the company for its contributions to charitable organisations such as the Community Chest, the National Kidney Foundation, and other organisations in Singapore over the years. We are sure NEC Semiconductors Singapore will continue to be an excellent corporate citizen in the years ahead.
NEC & Singapore Partnership
9. I would like to encourage NEC Corporation, Japan's No. 1 semiconductor maker and the world's No. 2, to build on its solid foundation established in Singapore to participate in the emerging markets in the Asia-Pacific region. We applaud Dr Kaneko's earlier announcement of NEC Semiconductors Singapore's expansion plans. This represents another step forward and I want to assure the management of NEC that the government will continue to give our maximum support and co-operation. The strategic partnership between NEC and Singapore is a long and tested relationship. We will work together to elevate it to an even higher plane in the years to come. We hope Singapore can be home to NEC's many key overseas and regional operations. I look forward to the Seijin-Shiki of more NEC subsidiaries in Singapore.
10. On this note, I congratulate NEC Semiconductors Singapore on this auspicious celebration of its 20th anniversary, and I wish the management and staff every success in the years ahead. Thank you.
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