The Toll Group has announced the launch of a global Toll Innovation Centre in Singapore, which it said represents a S$20 million (US$14 million) investment over the next five years. 

The Toll Innovation Centre will bring together businesses, startups, and academia to foster collaboration and innovation in the supply chain. 

Toll Group noted that the investment over the next five years will put Toll and Singapore at the forefront of supply chain innovation globally.

The centre will also lead the development of new technologies, such as the Internet of Things to improve resilience and transparency which will create greater certainty for businesses and consumers.

The Toll Innovation Centre is located at Toll City, a state-of-the-art multi-storey warehouse and office space in Tuas. The centre spans over 500 square metres and has four zones including the kinetic exploration garage, the digital experience centre, the innovation and collaboration zone, and the visionary lab.

Toll Group noted that the centre will also explore how Toll can make supply chains more efficient with leading-edge robotics, automation and artificial intelligence, and help to build sustainability into global networks such as using blockchain technology to provide end-to-end visibility on supply chains.

"The global events we've witnessed over the past two years have shone a spotlight on the importance of the logistics industry. The Toll Innovation Centre will bring together businesses, industry groups, and research institutions to create new solutions to advance our supply chain," said Alan Beacham, Group managing director, of Toll Group, adding that the initiative will foster sharing of ideas and scaling up of new products and solutions to create a more resilient, adaptable, and sustainable supply chain.

Junie Fo, vice president, of commercial & professional services at the Singapore Economic Development Board noted that the Toll Innovation Centre is a welcome addition to Singapore's growing ecosystem of global and regional innovation hubs by leading logistics companies.

"Developing more productive and sustainable supply chain solutions will strengthen Singapore's role as a critical node in global supply chains ... Toll’s collaboration with local companies and startups will help them acquire new capabilities and position Singapore as a world-class logistics hub in Asia," Fo said.

Nephy Perez, senior vice president, of innovation and supply chain solutions, Toll Group, added that the Toll Innovation Centre is focused on innovation to create better outcomes for businesses and consumers.

"We are pleased the global centre is based in Singapore, a testament to the country's critical role in Asia as a trading hub and epicentre for innovation in the region," he said. 

In attendance at the launch event were guest of honour, Gan Kim Yong, minister for trade and industry, William Hodgman, the Australian High Commissioner to Singapore, and Poh Li San, member of parliament for Sembawang GRC and deputy chair of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Sustainability and the Environment.

Also attending the event were eight local startups developing technologies that can be leveraged in supply chain innovation including Botsync, xSquare, Hand Plus, Cosmiqo, Viatick, Trames, Calista and CO2 Connect.