Singapore—Factory Floor Global Foundries Inc. The fab of 7 beeps, hooshes and whiers—the sound of robotic arms and other machines making chips for smartphones and cars. It is one of the semiconductor maker’s most advanced facilities, and some of its 350-odd manufacturing phases require humans.
In such factories, Singapore has become a rare wealthy country to reverse its manufacturing slump. The city-state had suffered an industrial decline, with World Bank figures showing a fall to 18% of GDP in 2013, from 27% in 2005.