Desktop sequencer MiSeq i100 is developed and manufactured in the Woodlands facility. PHOTO: ILLUMINA
[SINGAPORE] Life sciences player Illumina is set to grow its 1,700-strong headcount in Singapore by around 20 to 25 per cent over the next five years.
Illumina chief financial officer Ankur Dhingra told The Business Times in an exclusive interview that the roles will be spread across manufacturing and research and development (R&D) teams in areas such as multi-omics, chemistry, robotics and artificial intelligence (AI).
“We have very significant expansion plans in Singapore,” Dhingra said. “Our global manufacturing centre of excellence resides here in Singapore. Several hundreds more people will be added into our manufacturing and core R&D teams, and we’ll build new centres of excellence too.”
Since establishing its first facility in Singapore in 2008 with just 10 employees, the local operations of the US-based genomics giant have become a linchpin in the company’s global strategy.
Singapore in fact accounts for a staggering 60 per cent of Illumina’s global product revenue.
Illumina was cited by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong during the Budget 2025 speech, as an example of how high-quality investments in technology can spur economic opportunity for other local enterprises.
The planned expansion builds on a US$2.5 billion investment over the past 17 years, which has transformed its Woodlands manufacturing facility into the company’s designated global manufacturing centre of excellence.
“Our Singapore hub is a crown jewel of the company,” said Dhingra.
The Singapore site’s success is built on a trifecta of a strong talent ecosystem, a predictable and business-friendly environment and the nation’s robust relationships across the Asia-Pacific region, Dhingra tells BT. This has allowed the Singapore site to become Illumina’s only facility worldwide that manufactures its full suite of products.