The Singapore Logistics Association (SLA) has signed five memorandums of understanding (MOUs) to accelerate sustainability practices, digital adoption, internationalisation and workforce development across the industry.
These come as the trade body, which has about 700 members, aims to position the sector to capture new cross-border opportunities in the new Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ).
Formalised on Monday (Feb 23) under SLA’s Vision 2027 road map, the association said the agreements aim to strengthen growth opportunities in “sustainability, digitalisation, internationalisation and human capital development”.
One partnership with the Singapore Manufacturing Federation (SMF) “enhances manufacturing-logistics integration and cross-border collaboration”. This will be achieved, for example, by “facilitating business missions and knowledge-sharing platforms” through the JS-SEZ.
SLA said the collaboration will also include “supply-chain integration” initiatives, such as dialogues and capability-building programmes. There will also be “overseas missions and market familiarisation initiatives” to expand regional partnerships.
Another partnership with the Federation of Malaysian Freight Forwarders “strengthens cross-border collaboration and regional logistics integration”.
Under the MOU, there will be joint dialogues and business missions, among other programmes, to “strengthen logistics linkages between Singapore and Malaysia, particularly in relation to developments under the JS-SEZ”.
Capability-building and professional development initiatives – including training programmes, technical workshops and industry briefings – will also be explored to boost “operational standards and workforce competencies”.
Separately, SLA signed an agreement with advisory firm EY Corporate Advisors to “(support) industry transformation through thought leadership and strategic advisory initiatives”.
Another two partnerships, with DSV Contract Logistics and SAF Veterans League, are aimed at improving human capital development and digital capabilities.
Apart from the five MOUs, SLA also entered into a partnership with the Singapore Retail Association to grow the retail and logistics ecosystem.
Speaking at a Chinese New Year event on Monday, SLA chairman Dave Ng said efforts will include trade missions, forums and joint capability-building initiatives in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), sustainability and regional expansion, including within the JS-SEZ.
He added that the trade body has already organised three missions to the JS-SEZ involving more than 170 participants, with a fourth slated for August this year.
Minister of State for Trade and Industry Alvin Tan, who attended the event as guest of honour, pointed out that Budget 2026 was an important one for the logistics sector, with various measures such as corporate tax relief for companies, grants for internationalisation and a tax deduction on AI spending.
On Monday, SLA marked the completion of the first intake of the Logistics Sustainability Professionals Programme (LSPP), launched in February 2025 in collaboration with Enterprise Singapore and Workforce Singapore.
SLA’s Ng said the programme has equipped logistics professionals with practical capabilities to measure emissions, strengthen compliance readiness and support long-term business resilience.
Graduates came from freight forwarding, warehouse operations, last-mile delivery and multimodal transport; there were 11 participants in the first cohort.
The programme provides blended learning to enhance skills for sustainability-focused roles, alongside funding support of up to 70 per cent for carbon tracking and reporting tools.
Source: The Business Times, 23 Feb 2026 (Singapore logistics body inks MOUs to tap JS-SEZ, boost sustainability and digital push - The Business Times)
March 25, 2026
