NIPSEA Technologies Collaborates With A*Star to Innovate in The Field of Autonomous Navigation

NIPSEA aims to contribute to the innovations needed for C.A.S.E. (Connected, Autonomous, Shared and Electric mobility).

SINGAPORE – Media
OutReach – 7 December 2020 – NIPSEA Technologies and the Agency for
Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) have joined forces in the field of
coating solutions for autonomous navigation. Over the next three years, this
groundbreaking collaboration will be developing coating solutions for C.A.S.E.
(connected, autonomous, shared and electric mobility) which offers a glimpse
into the future of automobiles and its rapid developments.

 

Established
in 2011, NIPSEA Technologies is the Research and Development facility of Nippon
Paint Group, outside Japan and China. NIPSEA’S current collaboration with
A*STAR paves the way to promote innovative R&D projects, leveraging
expertise in chemicals, engineering sciences, and infocomm technologies.

 

“This current
project is part of our goal to contribute to the innovations in the rapidly
changing automotive industry. We are very honoured to have A*STAR as our
partner in this attempt to develop disruptive technologies,” said Mr. Wee Siew
Kim, Group Chief Executive Officer of NIPSEA Group.

From
L-Rt: Mr WANG Chyang (Managing Director of Nippon Paint Singapore Group), Mr.
WEE Siew Kim (Group Chief Executive Officer of NIPSEA Group), Mr. Frederick
CHEW (Chief Executive Officer of A*STAR) and Prof. TAN Sze Wee (Assistant Chief
Executive, Enterprise A*STAR)

This exciting
partnership is yet another milestone for NIPSEA and A*STAR, who have previously
worked on several key initiatives over the past eight years. This includes the
ICAP (Industrial Coating and Packaging) consortium project which produced
packaging films that protect foods and medicine from oxidation, by keeping
moisture out and blocking UV rays. The parties also worked on the Cool
Singapore project helmed by Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in 2017,
yielding a total cool paint solution to reduce Singapore’s ambient temperature
by 2 °C. Through this collaboration, NIPSEA has developed full cool paint
systems by modification and development of coatings for cool walls, roof and
road applications. More recently in 2019, the two cutting-edge organisations
also collaborated on an anti-microbial coating project which was successfully
implemented for solvent-borne auto interior coatings in China.

 

The current
project is part of NIPSEA’s aim to develop coating technologies for the evolving
needs of the automotive and transportation industry. Over the next three years,
the two organisations will work on several fronts in the field of autonomous
navigation. This includes the development of new coating solutions that
addresses the key challenges of safety and cost in autonomous driving, as well
as the employment of machine and deep learning approaches to increase
productivity in coating research and development.

 

“We
have worked together with A*STAR since 2012 and have achieved many milestones
together. However, this project, in particular, is very exciting as for the
second consecutive year, Singapore ranks at the top of the list of countries
ready to embrace autonomous vehicles (AVs), according to the 2019 Autonomous Vehicles
Readiness Index (AVRI) conducted by KPMG. Hence, this allows NIPSEA to lay an
excellent foundation to be the pioneer in autonomous navigation, over the next
decade,” said Dr. Hong Jiang, Chief Technology Officer of NIPSEA Group.

Dr.
HONG Jiang (Chief Technology Officer of NIPSEA Group) in NIPSEA Group R&D
Innovation Center, Shanghai

 

Similarly,
NIPSEA’s commitment to this cutting-edge project is echoed by A*STAR. Together,
the organisations are looking forward to continuing their working relationship.

 

“Working
alongside NIPSEA has been a happy journey for us, as both organisations place
high emphasis on innovations that benefit society in a sustainable way. In this
emerging and dynamic field of autonomous navigation, we are building upon our
long-standing collaboration to create a technology solution for a safer
environment,” said Professor Alfred Huan, Assistant Chief Executive, Science &
Engineering Research Council, A*STAR.

 

This
collaboration is firmly in line with NIPSEA’s DNA to push the boundaries of
innovation. This project will also provide major long-term benefits to
Singapore and to the future of autonomous navigation. For more information and
updates on this collaboration, visit http://www.nipponpaint.com/.