To celebrate Hari Raya this year, we have been featuring some great Malay/Muslims who have done great things in the manufacturing sector. Here is the full recap on the individuals we have featured and interviewed.
Tita Adityaranie, MBA, Founder and CEO of TI MedTech
1. What gap in the medical technology manufacturing ecosystem did you identify that led you to start TI MedTech, and how is your company “transforming passion into implementation”?
When I started TI MedTech, I observed a persistent gap between promising biomedtech and healthtech innovations and their successful translation into regulated, manufacturable products. Many startups and research teams in the region have strong ideas and early prototypes, but they often struggle with design controls, regulatory readiness, and manufacturing scale-up.
TI MedTech was established to bridge this exact gap. We position ourselves as an ecosystem partner that helps innovators move confidently from concept to commercialization. Our philosophy of “transforming passion into implementation” reflects our hands-on approach. We do not just advise; we work alongside with our partners to build robust development frameworks, ensure compliance with global standards such as ISO 13485, and prepare products for real-world manufacturing and commercialization.
2. Can you share some of the key projects that TI MedTech is handling currently?
TI MedTech is currently supporting a diverse portfolio of biomedtech and healthtech programs across Southeast Asia, Northern America, Europe, and Middle East. Our work spans early-stage product strategy, design and development governance, regulatory pathway planning, and manufacturing readiness.
Several of our ongoing engagements involve wearable medical devices, AI digital health enabled platforms, and complex medical device programs preparing for design freeze milestone. We are also actively supporting companies in strengthening their quality management systems and design control frameworks post design freeze to meet global regulatory expectations. While many projects remain confidential, our consistent focus is enabling partners to de-risk development and accelerate their path to commercialization.
3. MedTech manufacturing is highly regulated and complex. What unique challenges have you faced as a CEO in this space, and how do you ensure your team maintains the rigorous standards required for patient safety?
One of the key challenges in the biomedtech and healthtech are balancing speed of innovation with uncompromising regulatory and patient safety requirements. Many organizations underestimate the discipline required to build compliant development and manufacturing processes from the outset.
As Founder and CEO, my priority has been to embed quality and regulatory thinking into the DNA of TI MedTech. We implement structured design controls, robust risk management practices, and strong project governance across our programs.
We invest heavily in building competency, maintaining clear documentation practices, and aligning our work with international standards. This disciplined foundation allows us to move efficiently while safeguarding quality and patient safety.
4. With the rise of Industry 5.0, how is TI MedTech incorporating automation or digital solutions into the product development and manufacturing lifecycle?
Industry 5.0 is reshaping biomedtech and healthtech by emphasizing human-centric, digitally enabled, and resilient manufacturing systems. At TI MedTech, we are progressively integrating digital tools across the development lifecycle; from digitalized structured design documentation systems and eQMS frameworks to data-driven development planning.
For our partners, we also support design for manufacturability and scalable production strategies that can accommodate automation and smart manufacturing environments. While our role is often upstream in product development, we intentionally design programs with downstream manufacturing digitalization in mind, ensuring our clients are future-ready as they scale.
5. As a Malay/Muslim woman leading a technical firm in a male-dominated sector like manufacturing/engineering, what has your journey been like? Have there been specific challenges or unique strengths you’ve drawn from your background?
The journey has been both challenging and deeply meaningful. Manufacturing and biomedtech / healthtech engineering remain traditionally male-dominated, so there have certainly been moments where credibility must be demonstrated consistently through delivery and technical depth.
At the same time, my background has shaped strengths that I value greatly. This is especially prevalent in terms of resilience, adaptability, and a strong sense of purpose. I have also found that bringing a collaborative and ecosystem-building mindset has been a differentiator. Ultimately, competence and consistency speak the loudest, and I hope my journey encourages more women, including Malay/Muslim professionals, to see that there is space for them to lead in highly technical industries.
6. Manufacturing is a pillar of Singapore’s economy but is sometimes overlooked by the younger generation. How can we encourage more Malay/Muslim youth to see manufacturing and MedTech as a viable and exciting career path?
We need to reframe manufacturing from being seen as purely traditional or factory-based to being understood as a high-tech, innovation-driven sector. Biomedtech and healthtech today sits at the intersection of engineering, digital health, AI, and clinical impact; it is deeply meaningful work.
Exposure is key. Industry players, academia, and community organizations can do more to showcase real career pathways, internships, and role models from diverse backgrounds. When young people see professionals, who look like them working in advanced manufacturing and biomedtech / healthtech, the field becomes more accessible and aspirational.
7. How do your personal values or cultural heritage influence your leadership style and the company culture you’ve built at TI MedTech?
My leadership is strongly grounded in integrity, trust, and long-term responsibility; values that come from both my personal upbringing and professional journey. In biomedtech and healthtech, trust is non-negotiable because our work ultimately impacts patient lives.
At TI MedTech, we emphasize accountability, humility, and collaborative partnership. We aim to build a culture that is technically rigorous yet human-centred, where the team understands both the engineering excellence required and the real-world impact of what we build.
8. How important is collaboration within the Singapore manufacturing ecosystem for a boutique MedTech firm to succeed?
Partnership is absolutely critical. Biomedtech and healthtech product development is inherently multidisciplinary where no single organization can realistically hold all the expertise required across clinical, regulatory, engineering, quality, and manufacturing domains.
TI MedTech places strong emphasis on staying closely connected within the ecosystem and keeping abreast of emerging players, technologies, and capabilities across the market. By maintaining an active network and identifying potential collaborators early, we are able to establish strategic partnerships that strengthen the collective capabilities of the ecosystem.
This continuous engagement allows TI MedTech to remain agile, relevant, and forward-looking as a boutique biomedtech firm. By staying connected and informed, we are better positioned to bring together the right expertise at the right time, enabling us to support complex MedTech programs while contributing meaningfully to the growth of the broader innovation and manufacturing ecosystem.
9. Do you see Singapore becoming a primary global hub for high-end MedTech manufacturing?
Singapore is already well positioned as a high-value biomedtech / healthtech manufacturing and innovation hub. The country has strong regulatory credibility, advanced manufacturing infrastructure, and a robust ecosystem spanning research, clinical institutions, and industry.
The opportunity ahead lies in strengthening the full translation pipeline, particularly bridging early innovation to commercial manufacturing scale. If we continue investing in talent, translational capabilities, and ecosystem collaboration, Singapore can further solidify its position as a global node for high-end biomedtech / healthtech development and manufacturing.
10. “Industry experts often cite a ‘commercialisation gap’ where great Singaporean research fails to become a product. How does TI MedTech act as the ‘missing link’ in that journey?”
This commercialization gap is exactly where TI MedTech focuses its efforts. Many innovations stall in the “valley of death” between academic into translational prototype, industrial concept to final product design, bridging design into regulated product, and commercialize the product.
We act as the missing link by putting in place the structured pathways required for translation. This includes mechanisms such as design controls, risk management, regulatory strategy, quality systems, and manufacturability planning. Our role is to help innovators de-risk early and make decisions that stand up to regulatory scrutiny and real-world production.
By bringing industrial discipline into early development, we help transform promising research into products that can actually reach markets.
11. Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs: For Malay/Muslim professionals looking to move from corporate roles into founding their own manufacturing or technical startups, what is the one piece of advice you wish you had received when you started?
Start before you feel completely ready but start with discipline.
Technical and manufacturing ventures require more than passion; they require structured execution, regulatory awareness, and strong ecosystem partnerships. From my experience, it is important to deeply understand the end-to-end commercialization pathway early, and to build credibility step by step. Surround yourself with people who complement your gaps. In biomedtech / healthtech and manufacturing, no founder succeeds alone.
12. Beyond the bottom line, what does “success” look like for you and TI MedTech in the next five years?
Success for me is measured by impact. In the next five years, I aspire TI MedTech to be known as a trusted ecosystem partner that has helped multiple biomedtech and healthtech innovations successfully reach patients and markets.
Equally important is building local capability by nurturing talent, strengthening the regional ecosystem, and demonstrating that Singapore can produce globally competitive biomedtech and healthtech products. If we can consistently help bridge innovation to real-world clinical impact, that would be meaningful success.
13. You hold an MBA and lead a technical firm. How do you balance the “business” of manufacturing with the “science” of medical technology?
In biomedtech and healthtech, business and science are inseparable; both must continuously complement and synergize to translate innovation into real-world impact.
My MBA helps me maintain strategic clarity around market access, scalability, and commercial viability, while my technical and ecosystem experience ensures we remain grounded in regulatory and engineering realities. At TI MedTech, we intentionally integrate both perspectives into our program governance.
Ultimately, successful biomedtech and healthtech companies are those that can translate strong science into sustainable, compliant, and manufacturable business outcomes and that is the balance we strive to achieve every day.
Mei Ling, Assistant Manager, Finance & Corporate Services (SMF)
Nurul Ain, Exeutive, Finance & Corporate Services (SMF)
1. You are one of our longest-serving members in Finance! What has been the biggest change you’ve witnessed in the way the department operates since you started in 2007?
I would say our biggest change will be some digitalization, where our finance system is now on a cloud server instead of a local server, which allows us to WFH, and reducing physical copies of forms, which helps reduce our storage needs.
2. With Hari Raya approaching, what does ‘Maaf Zahir dan Batin’ (seeking forgiveness) mean to you when it comes to maintaining such long-term, positive relationships with your colleagues?
I think having minor grievances is part and parcel of life, so it’s only natural to feel annoyed at certain things (like being given something last-minute and being told it’s urgent) but if you try to understand that they may have their reasons, it’s sort of forgiving them and sure enough, the feeling of annoyance goes away quickly enough which helps in building a positive relationship with colleagues.
3. We all know the Finance team works hard. If you had to describe the ‘vibe’ of Hari Raya preparations in your household using a Finance term (e.g., Balancing the Ledger, Peak Period), what would it be?
The final week before Hari Raya is definitely “peak period” 😊 It is probably the busiest as we are cleaning the house and baking goods for guests.
Waleed Abumazen, Director, Orient Crown Pte Ltd
1. You founded Orient Crown in 2010 to address a specific need for high-quality yet affordable watch winders. What was the exact “aha!” moment when you realized the manufacturing industry was under-serving watch collectors?
It happened when I looked at my own collection and realized the market was fundamentally broken. You had two extremes: high-end European winders that cost large sum of money , or “black box” imports that were noisy, unprogrammed, and actually risked damaging the delicate internal movements of a watch through magnetism or over-winding. I realized that a watch collector shouldn’t have to choose between financial absurdity and mechanical risk. The “aha!” moment was recognizing that by applying modern engineering to the manufacturing process, we could offer “Value without Compromise”—the precision of a high-end instrument at a price point that makes sense for the modern collector.
2. As a Computer Engineer, how did your technical background influence the “technical architecture” and machine optimization of your luxury products?
My background changes how I “see” a watch winder. To me, it isn’t a piece of furniture; it is a peripheral device for a mechanical computer—the watch. I approached our technical architecture with a focus on logic and reliability. We moved away from generic motors to independent, programmable circuits. This allows for specific programmable settings and directional control tailored to different calibers. My training ensures that every Orient Crown product prioritizes shielded electronics to prevent magnetic interference and utilizes “silent-running” motor logic, which minimizes mechanical wear while maintaining an almost whisper-quiet environment.
3. You reportedly maintain a “technical room” environment where you personally vet every design. Can you walk us through the journey of a product from a mechanical concept to a finished luxury accessory
Everything starts in our R&D Technical Room. We begin with the “heart”—the motor and the drive system. We stress-test these components for hundreds of hours to ensure the torque remains consistent. Once the mechanical soul is perfected, we move to the “chassis.” This is where engineering meets art. We select top-grain leathers, high-gloss lacquers, and velvet interiors. But even then, I vet the design for functionality: Is the door sensor responsive? Does the LED lighting create heat that could affect the lubricants in the watch? A product only leaves the room when it functions like a machine but feels like a masterpiece.
4. You are currently collaborating with European firms to integrate your technology into high-security storage. How does manufacturing for high-security differ from standard luxury consumer goods?
Luxury is about the experience; high-security is about resistance. When collaborating with European specialists, the manufacturing tolerance narrows significantly. We aren’t just looking at aesthetics; we are calculating the tensile strength of steel, the fire-rating of the insulation, and the integration of UL-certified electronic locks. The challenge is “Invisible Security”—how do we build a fortress that doesn’t look like one? Integrating our winding technology into a safe that can withstand fire or a concentrated physical attack requires a much more robust electrical and structural architecture than a standard tabletop winder.
5. Why was it strategically important for Orient Crown to establish Dubai as its primary international distribution hub while maintaining its Singaporean roots?
This is a “Dual-Hub” strategy. Singapore is our soul; it’s where our R&D and intellectual property live. The world trusts Singapore for its excellence and commitment to quality. However, Dubai is the world’s luxury gateway. By establishing our primary distribution hub there, we gain unrivaled trade agility. Dubai’s logistics infrastructure allows us to reach the Middle East, Europe, and Africa with incredible speed. It places us at the literal crossroads of the global luxury market while keeping our design standards firmly rooted in Singaporean precision.
6. With trademarks protected in over 60 countries, what are the biggest manufacturing and logistical challenges when expanding into diverse markets like Kuwait, the Philippines, and Germany
The biggest challenge is “Compliance Localization.” Every market has different expectations and regulations. In Europe, the focus is on rigorous electronic safety and environmental standards. In other markets like the Philippines or Kuwait, the logistics of transporting heavy, high-value safes and cabinets require a specialized “white glove” logistics to ensure the product arrives in pristine condition. Managing a brand across 60 countries means you aren’t just a manufacturer; you have to be a master of international law and specialized logistics.
7. You are dedicated to educating collectors on the technical nuances of timepiece maintenance. Why is market education a critical component of your business model?
A luxury watch is a legacy, but it’s also a machine that requires care. If a collector understands that a watch winder isn’t just a display case, but a tool to prevent oil coagulation and mechanical stagnation, they become more than a customer—they become a partner in preservation. Education builds trust. When collectors understand the technical “why” behind TPD settings or motor shielding, they appreciate the engineering that goes into an Orient Crown product.
8. As a prominent figure in the manufacturing and luxury sector, what advice would you give to young Malay/Muslim engineers looking to start their own specialized manufacturing brands?
My advice is simple: Let your expertise be your identity. Don’t just be a businessman who happens to sell a product; be an engineer who understands every screw and circuit. In the global luxury sector, “specialization” is your greatest asset. Use your technical background to solve a problem, not just to create a brand. For young Malay/Muslim engineers, I say: embrace the discipline of your training and the values of your heritage—integrity, patience, and excellence. When you combine technical mastery with a global vision, you don’t just join an industry; you lead it.
