Mr Bobby Chin, Chairman FairPrice Group,

Mr Seah Kian Peng, Group CEO FairPrice Group,

Colleagues of FairPrice Group,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

2.   Thank you for inviting me to the Topping-Out Ceremony of the new Fresh Food Distribution Centre, or FFDC for short. I am honoured to be part of this momentous event. The Topping-Out Ceremony is an important milestone, especially in the construction industry, to signify the completion of a new building.

3.   Recent global trends such as the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change have resulted in disruptions to the global supply chain. The new FFDC by FairPrice Group is therefore an important and timely step to build up global food supply resilience and strengthen Singapore’s food value chain. The state-of-the-art facility will almost quadruple the total Gross Floor Area (GFA) compared to the current one, with almost 40,000 pallet points for its products. Expected to be fully operational by the end of this year, this 24/7 “One-Stop” Distribution Centre is capable of handling 3 times the volume of the existing FFDC.

4.   As part of its innovation efforts, FairPrice Group’s new FFDC will deploy several solutions and technologies. This includes an Automatic Storage and Retrieval System that is complemented by voice picking, which allows for quick and accurate storage and retrieval of its huge product inventory.

5.   It has also placed its employees, especially senior workers, at the heart of the new facility. By using ergonomically designed systems, it will reduce the need for strenuous movement and eliminate harsh sub-zero environments for workers. The facility is further augmented by its Supply Chain Operations Centre, which provides end-to-end visibility, and data analytics capabilities to generate real-time insights. This aims to pre-empt potential disruptions to the supply chain and facilitate key decision making to ensure consistent supply to its retail stores, which is a welcome re-assurance to consumers like you and I.

6.   In closing, I wish the management and staff of FairPrice Group great success in your endeavours as you continue to serve Singapore and Singaporeans.

--- END ---