SIA TEAMS UP WITH ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS TO DEVELOP AIR TRAVEL INNOVATIONS

Singapore Airlines (SIA) has teamed up with two renowned academic institutions to develop exciting innovations and provide tomorrow’s air travellers with an even more comfortable flying experience.

The Art Center College of Design, based in Pasadena, California, and Singapore’s own Nanyang Technological University (NTU), will participate in an expansive research and development programme. This programme will combine the design skills of the students with the commercial and technical expertise of SIA’s airline industry professionals.

The Art Center’s design teams will study how SIA can provide its customers with an unparalleled travel experience beyond the year 2008, on the ground and in the air. They will conduct trend and technology research to determine future customer needs, develop new concepts and propose how SIA can creatively communicate these concepts to the travelling public.

NTU’s School of Mechanical and Production Engineering will develop innovative designs for cabin products, including a baby bassinet and galley cart. Students will examine the existing products and identify any problems or shortcomings, propose new concepts and engineering designs, and produce prototypes. Their objective is to develop ergonomically and functionally superior designs, which, depending on the nature of the product, will provide higher levels of comfort and more efficient service.

Mr. Yap Kim Wah, SIA’s Senior Vice President Marketing Services explained, "Our forte has always been our ability to understand the needs of our customers and to be able to meet and even exceed their expectations when it comes to our product and services. Teaming up with these two fine academic institutions, well known for their product design and innovations, will allow us to tap the talent of their students and, at the same time, offer the students the opportunity to work with a major international airline".

Commenting on the Art Center’s role, Mr Martin Smith, Chair of the Product Design Department, added: “There exists at the Art Center an expectation that idealism and practicality can co-exist. The faculty demands of students an intense need to create the future. The wisdom and vision of the world’s best airline is evident when it is they who are asking of our students: ‘What is our future, and how might we grow to serve the needs of our customers?’ ”

NTU Deputy President (1) Prof Lim Mong King said that NTU was “honoured” to be given this opportunity to collaborate with SIA. “I hope this will be the start of a long and enduring partnership between our two organizations that will sow the seeds of many new research and product development ventures,” he said.

Continued Prof Lim: “One of NTU's missions is to deliver world class education and what better way than through collaborating with arguably the world's foremost airline in the industry. We look forward to scaling even greater heights together.”

SIA will contribute S$140,000 to the Art Center programmes, initially for one year, and S$260,000 towards NTU’s development projects for a period of three years.

Tomorrow, SIA is sponsoring a half-day seminar at NTU for students and design professionals, with two speakers from the Art Center and one from NTU. The Art Center’s Imre Molnar and Maureen Thurston-Chartraw will talk on “Current Trends Influencing Design” and “Design’s Return on Investment”, respectively. NTU Senior Fellow Avram Grant’s topic is “Why Does Man Design”.