Tsinghua Tongfang to set up R&D centre in Singapore

By Priyia Paramajothi, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 31 October 2006 1623 hrs
 SINGAPORE: China-listed technology company Tsinghua Tongfang is setting up its Asia Pacific R&D Centre in Singapore, with an initial investment of US$2 million.
Tsinghua Tongfang is the science and research arm of Tsinghua University - one of China's top tertiary institutions.
It has four major business lines, including ‘information technology’, ‘energy and environment technology’, ‘applied nuclear electronics technology’ and ‘biological pharmacy’.


The company has a global staff strength of 15,000 people and is projecting a revenue of US$1.3 billion this year.

The R&D centre in Singapore will be Tongfang's first of such facility in Asia, outside of China.

The work here will focus on two main areas – ‘information technology’ and ‘water and environment’.

About 30 staff will be hired by the end of next year, and staff strength is set to increase to about 100 in 3 years' time.

Tsinghua Tongfang says the R&D Centre should be up and running by early next year, with an initial research project on a building automation controlling system.

It plans to expand its presence in Singapore to include a regional operations centre for logistics and product development within a year.

Tim Liu, Vice-President of Tsinghua Tongfang, says: "Tongfang right now is still mostly domestic, it is about 90 percent domestic sales and close to 10 percent international. But we've seen our expansion to international grow at a much faster pace right now.

"So we foresee we will need an operations centre outside of China very soon. So we are starting with an R&D centre to get to know this market and this place, to know the people, and then naturally, we'll expand to operations." – CNA/so http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporebusinessnews/view/238586/1/.html