The AREA Expands its Reach in Asia/Pacific

The AREA is the only global, membership-funded non-profit alliance dedicated to helping accelerate the adoption of Enterprise Augmented Reality worldwide.. As such, we believe our value is greatly enhanced as our membership becomes more diverse by industry and geography. To that end, the AREA is taking steps to expand its geographical reach and representation by recruiting AREA-authorized representatives in key regions to present the AREA and the benefits of membership throughout the world. The first of these AREA agents, Singapore-based Loh Mun Yew, has recently joined the organization. We reached out to him to learn more about his background and his plans.

AREA: Could you tell us a bit about yourself and your professional background?

MUN YEW: I’m an engineering graduate who has worked in the infocomms and media industry in Singapore and South-East Asia for close to two decades. Most recently, I worked for the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore, a government agency looking after the regulation and development of the infocomm and media industry in Singapore.

AREA: What do you hope to accomplish as the AREA agent in the APAC region?

MUN YEW: My goal is to leverage my established network and government connections to contribute to the growth and development of enterprise AR in Singapore and the region. That means both encouraging innovative development and driving sophisticated adoption of enterprise AR technologies and solutions amongst various businesses, enterprises and government agencies.

AREA: What can you tell us about the level of interest and activity in Enterprise AR in the APAC region?

MUN YEW: It’s certainly a nascent industry, especially in Southeast Asian markets. In Singapore, there have been some AR projects launched for air-cargo management in the transportation sector. There are also some large organizations with enterprise mobility entrenched in their business processes that are also thinking about leveraging that infrastructure to trial some enterprise AR projects. We’re also excited that HoloLens finally launched in Singapore last month. In addition, Air France Industries KLM Engineering and Maintenance has also been leveraging AR technology for training. The company’s MRO Lab in Singapore has paired the HoloLens with a training application prototype that allows mechanics to interact with expensive and complex parts—such as aircraft engines—in a virtual classroom environment. So I hope this will bring more awareness and interests to the industry as a whole.

AREA: How can interested companies and organizations get in touch with you?

MUN YEW: Sure, they can email me at [email protected] . I look forward to hearing from members and building our network in the Asia Pacific region.

AREA: What can AREA members do to help support your work?

MUN YEW: AREA members in various industrial verticals can help by sharing their success stories with our local/regional IT industry. This will not only help to educate the industry on factors to consider for successful implementation, but also encourage them to join the AREA as members to drive enterprise AR further!

AREA: Thank you – and welcome to the AREA!