Back in October, British electronics company Dyson announced that it’s scrapping its electric car project in Singapore.
As part of the project, Dyson planned to roll out a range of electric vehicles, and was building its first car manufacturing plant in Singapore, which was slated for completion in 2020.
In an e-mail to employees, founder and CEO James Dyson said its engineers had developed a “fantastic electric car” but it could not hit the roads because it was not “commercially viable”.
Yesterday (Nov 28), Dyson made another major announcement: it will be shifting its Singapore headquarters to St James Power Station in 2021.
Earlier in January this year, Dyson had said that it will be moving its corporate head office to Singapore to “reflect the increasing importance of Asia” to the business.
St James Power Station is Singapore’s first coal-fired power station. It was later used as a warehouse, and was most recently a nightlife hub.
Dyson said that it will work together with developer Mapletree to restore St James Power Station.
It will set up three levels of research and technology laboratories and offices, as well as explore new technologies to ensure that the building is as energy-efficient as possible.
The space will also house a heritage gallery within one of the historic chimneys to celebrate the history of the building and the area.
Will Double Talent Pool Of Engineers And Scientists In S’pore
“After 12 years of growth in Singapore, continuing expansion in the UK, and growing sales globally, we have outgrown our current technology centre in Singapore,” said Dyson CEO Jim Rowan.
“The historic Saint James Power Station … will be a hive for our research and development endeavours, as we focus on great technology breakthroughs.”
This new space will be a base for Dyson’s UK population of engineers and scientists who work closely with the growing Singapore team.
According to Dyson, the 110,000 sq ft. national monument will also “increase its research and engineering footprint in Singapore two-fold.”
Over the next five years, it aims to double its talent pool of engineers and scientists, with a focus on power electronics, energy storage, sensors, vision systems, embedded software, robotics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and connected devices.
Dyson currently employs 1,200 people in Singapore, out of which 350 are engineers and scientists.
In an interview with Bloomberg in September, Dyson said that it’s hiring over 2,000 people across Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines over the next four years.
Featured Image Credit: Mapletree / Dyson