CHAPTER 7 - Rise & Decline of the Disk Drive Industry

Summary

“There was high engineering content, cutting-edge equipment and active technology transfer from the United States.”

— John Lim Chi Chen, MPE Pioneer

WHETHER YOU ARE GAMING online or downloading new software to your computer, you are using a hard disk drive that is likely to have been made in Singapore, a major producer of high-end hard disk drives in the world. In fact, the engineer who ensures the smooth production of this vital component in a server or computer can well be an NTI pioneer such as Lloyd Ong Kar Lock. For 13 years, he was with Seagate, the top global manufacturer of hard drives and storage solutions. The company has been in Singapore for more than two decades. It has plants in Ang Mo Kio, Science Park and Woodlands. Singapore is home to Seagate's only hard drive design centre and first volume manufacturing site outside the United States, and the first recording media operations facilities outside North America.

Through the years, many NTI pioneers contributed to Seagate's success. Lloyd was in the Motor Division; Tan Lam Seng is in the Logistics and Supply Chain department; Ong Hock Lam was in process engineering; Chan Whye Quine, William Teh and Wong Ser Yian were in the Supplier Quality Department. As an engineer in that department, Ser Yian liaised with suppliers of motor components, machining and casting services.

The disk drive industry contributes significantly to electronics output and employment. In 2005, it accounted for 20 per cent or $14 billion of output and hired some 20,000 people. Over the years, Singapore has developed strong capabilities for hard disk drive components ranging from media to motors and base plates. This enables the manufacture of high value-added hard disk drives and key components. The presence of big names such as Seagate, Maxtor, Western Digital, IBM and Hitachi confirms Singapore's dominance in this sector. In 2005, Singapore accounted for over 25 per cent of the world's hard disk media output.

When Maxtor opened its doors in the 1980s, NTI pioneers John Lim Chi Chen, Daniel Chien Tiaw Huat and Teo Lye Hock joined it. John enjoyed the work. “There was high engineering content, cutting-edge equipment and active technology transfer from the United States,” he said. Daniel discovered his strengths and gained a lot of industry knowledge at Maxtor.