SINGAPORE – What time is it?

For generations of Singaporeans, the answer is almost instinctive: It’s Tiger time.

For Thomas Heng, however, the answer is more personal. The 64-year-old senior technical officer from Johor Bahru has spent over four decades inside the brewery that turned those three words into one of Singapore’s most enduring marketing catchphrases. 

By the time he retires in 2027, he would have spent 42 years making Tiger Beer, longer than many in the country have been old enough to drink it.

The Malaysian also happens to be one of 130 production workers whose jobs will progressively disappear as Tiger Beer prepares to cease brewing operations in Singapore by end-2027, relocating production to Malaysia and Vietnam. About 50 of the affected workers are, like him, foreigners too.

Asia Pacific Breweries Singapore (APBS) – which also brews Heineken beer for Singapore consumption – employs a total of 530 workers before the restructuring, with some remaining staff expected to take on redesigned roles.

The decision was driven by ageing brewing and packaging equipment at the Tuas facility, where replacing the machinery would cost about as much as building a new brewery in Singapore.

The move, announced in March, sparked expected debate over whether Singapore’s most famous beer would lose its identity if it is no longer brewed here. After all, the brand has, since its debut in 1932, grown alongside the nation to become one of its most recognisable exports.

Yet, both industry experts and employees believe that its essence remains secure. 

On its own, the news might have been a blip amid increasingly common layoffs across various sectors. Yet, at an establishment like Tiger Beer w...