For other traditional businesses facing similar knowledge preservation challenges, HFT's journey offers an encouraging model. When time is limited and expertise is irreplaceable, innovative technology partnerships can provide practical solutions that honour tradition while ensuring sustainability.
At the heart of Singapore’s traditional medicine sector, Heng Foh Tong faces a challenge that goes beyond business continuity. As one of Singapore's last remaining traditional Chinese medical halls specialising in herbal dispensary, the company needed to preserve the invaluable TCM knowledge it has accumulated since its founding in 1957.
The company’s two second-generation owners, both approaching their 80s, possess decades of specialised knowledge that has never been formally documented. Much of this expertise exists as tacit knowledge, accumulated through years of experience in diagnosing conditions, selecting herbs, and preparing customised herbal concoctions.
Their son, the third-generation leader, recognised that there is a limited time to transfer this knowledge and learn the intricacies of the craft. The company needed more than traditional documentation; Heng Foh Tong required a system capable of capturing the expertise of its herbalists quickly and sustainably, ensuring that this invaluable knowledge could be accessed and continue to guide future practitioners.
IPI Singapore connected Heng Foh Tong with the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) InnoHub and Republic Polytechnic (RP) to develop an AI-powered herbal dispensary system.
The project centres on a Large Language Model (LLM) based on domain-specific QWEN AI, which was trained on the owners’ Traditional Chinese Medicine herbal knowledge, enabling the system to capture and organise decades of expertise from its senior practitioners. Using voice-to-text technology with accurate bilingual conversion, the system records the tacit knowledge of herbal dispensers as they work, combined with references to past prescription records. This approach allowed them to share knowledge naturally without disrupting their daily workflow.
The resulting system includes several AI-powered capabilities:
AI-generated herbal concoction recipes based on diagnosis
AI-powered recommendations for herbal replacements during shortages
A RAG AI chatbot query system with a context window
A systematic approval process to ensure accuracy and prevent AI hallucinations.
These features will be integrated into a single, user-friendly application that supports accurate, personalised herbal prescriptions based on diagnosis and patient-specific factors, while preserving expert herbalists' knowledge. This resulted in a significant improvement in training and knowledge transfer efficiency.
Throughout the project, SIT’s InnoHub led the development of the AI system and application, while Republic Polytechnic supported TCM knowledge validation and chemical analysis for potential replacement herbs.
IPI Singapore also facilitated an SME-friendly collaboration model to help Heng Foh Tong reduce financial barriers and pursue advanced digital transformation while managing costs, with clear IP ownership and licensing frameworks. Acting as a strategic intermediary, IPI Singapore supported Heng Foh Tong through its innovation journey, recognising the company’s broader ambition to preserve traditional TCM expertise through digitalisation and automation while ensuring long-term business continuity.
"Now the information is captured digitally and includes all herbs and products available in the medical hall as well as special concoctions for various conditions. This collaboration has increased productivity, allowing for scalability and geographical mobility in the future. It has also solidified the company’s continuity where we can function as an authentic medical hall and herbal dispensary."
"We recognised their broader ambition, not just automation, but preserving first-generation TCM expertise through AI-driven digitalisation. This included embedding diagnostic knowledge, analysing patient vital features and building advanced AI-powered TCM capabilities for long-term business continuity."
Heng Foh Tong is one of Singapore’s remaining traditional herbal dispensaries, with roots dating back to 1957. As a long-standing practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the company has accumulated decades of specialised herbal knowledge passed down through generations of expert practitioners.
Facing the imminent loss of this expertise as its senior owners approach retirement, Heng Foh Tong partnered with Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) and Republic Polytechnic (RP), with support from IPI Singapore, to digitalise decades of TCM herbal knowledge before it is lost. Through this collaboration, the company is developing an AI-powered herbal knowledge system that captures decades of tacit expertise and enables personalised herbal prescriptions through digital tools.