Information Storage Industry Center

Singapore accounted for 45-50% of the global shipment of HDD units during the 1986-96 period, making it the single most important location in the world for HDD assembly since the mid-1980s. The continuing concentration of the HDD industry in Singapore comes despite the significant increase in wage and land costs relative to her regional neighbours since the late 1980s. How has Singapore managed to attract and retain such a large share of this industry¹s manufacturing base? This study discusses the origins of the industry on the island, and how it subsequently grew and transformed. It examines the development of an internationally competitive local supplier base, the government¹s important influence on the evolution of the HDD industry in Singapore, and how these two groups helped to attract more technologically advanced HDD value chain activities to the island.