Inventor James Dyson receives honorary SUTD degree

Briton made transformative contributions to design and engineering: SUTD chairman

- Elisha Tushara Correspondent

The Republic is a place of bold ideas, said British inventor James Dyson, as he received an honorary degree from the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) on Nov 25.

Explaining his consumer electronics company Dyson's strong presence in Singapore, he said it needed high-tech manufacturing lines to produce an electric motor it had developed that ran five times faster than others.

“Singapore had the expertise and the excellent engineers who could make the new technology. We have grown here ever since,” said Mr Dyson, adding that it now has 2,000 people working across the three campuses here.

The Republic is now the lead manufacturing site for Dyson's patented Hyperdymium digital motors, which power most Dyson devices worldwide.

Over 100 million of these high-performance motors have been manufactured locally since 2004.

In addition to Dyson's three campuses in Singapore – at the former St James Power Station, the Singapore Technology Centre, and its advanced manufacturing facility in Tuas its leadership team and global functions are also based locally.

Mr Dyson received the Honorary Doctor of Engineering degree, SUTD's highest recognition for outstanding individuals, from SUTD's chancellor, President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, at a special commencement ceremony held at the university. It is Mr Dyson's first accolade from a Singapore university.