The Philips Innovation Campus (PIC) in Singapore is one of the company’s largest product development center outside the Netherlands with over 800 design and development engineers. More than US$280 million in investments have been committed to the Innovation Campus since it was set up in 2000.
Products developed at the PIC in Singapore generated over US$6 billion in sales for Philips globally. More than 1,000 new products are developed by the PIC every year – a very productive average output of 4 new products each working day. To date, PIC is also responsible for 300 new inventions which resulted in 2,400 patents filed by Philips worldwide in the last eight years.
The PIC houses highly complementary and related product groups carrying out development efforts in an integrated environment – connected displays, home entertainment systems, home controls, technology management, intellectual property management and industrial design.
This structure provides a conducive environment for the various units to tap on one another's strengths. Each unit is responsible for its own development work but still enjoys greater opportunities for cross-fertilization of ideas and the sharing of technology, development capabilities, expertise, infrastructure and equipment.
The combination of expertise puts the PIC in an ideal position to spearhead the industry’s drive to move from wired to wireless, from analog to digital and from standalone to connected. The PIC is also the leading product development center for Philips in convergence technologies, spearheading development, test-bedding and business model creation.
The PIC’s successful participation in the Singapore IDA’s Connected Home project has led to its further involvement in the expanded Connecting the Community Project, which was launched in early 2005. Consumer insights obtained from research carried out for the Connected Home project has helped Philips to fine-tune the functionalities and features of its connectivity range of products.
Adding value to Singapore’s knowledge-based economy
Philips’ enhanced development focus, via the PIC, complements Singapore’s efforts to become a knowledge-based economy and further strengthens the mutually beneficial, long-term partnership between the nation and the organization.
It is also Singapore’s economic goal to develop into a vibrant and robust global hub of knowledge-driven industries by establishing world-class capabilities, top talents and a strong knowledge base. These assets, together with the government’s active support of R&D and comprehensive technology infrastructure, have enabled the PIC to thrive.
The Campus, in turn, enhances the skills of Singapore’s talent pool through knowledge transfer, international exposure and collaborations with local research institutions and universities. Development work at the Campus also gives birth to new design ideas and innovations that generate economic spin-offs and add value to Singapore’s knowledge-based economy.
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