|
As market leaders in our businesses, Research and Development
(R&D) in technologies and harnessing these in our
daily operations are key drivers we focus on. Our philosophy
is to work closely with our clients and harness innovation
and technology to develop new designs, products and
services that are specially suited to meet customer
needs and enhance our businesses.
With a view to continually improving our operations
and sustaining our long-term profitability, we are fully
committed not only to the development of technologies
but also to the creation of a distinct SembCorp Industries
culture that encourages innovation and creativity.
The SembCorp Industries IDEA (Innovate, Discover,
Engineer and Achieve) Award was set up in 2000 with
the aim to encourage and reward creativity, innovation
and the ability to think out of the box. The Award recognises
outstanding innovations in our businesses which have
resulted in significant business performance improvement.
Encouraging a culture of innovation, participation in
the 2002 IDEA Award which was presented in March 2003
almost doubled from the previous year.
| Utilities
| Engineering & Construction |
Environment Engineering
| Logistics | Marine
Engineering
Utilities
Our Utilities arm pioneered the concept of
multi-utility facilities in the region, being the first
in the market to offer a complete range of utilities
and other industrial site services such as steam, cooling
water, high grade industrial water, wastewater treatment
and chemical waste incineration to process industry
clusters such as Singapore’s petrochemical hub
on Jurong Island. Our approach to R&D follows from
this commitment to try new ideas and develop innovative
solutions for our customers. To give us a global edge
in this niche business and support our organic growth,
SembCorp Utilities is focused on the development and
application of innovative wastewater treatment and water
recycling processes and technologies through research
collaboration with leading universities and in-house
studies.
In 1999, we forged a co-operative alliance with the
Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore
to develop cutting-edge wastewater purification technologies
leading to efficient wastewater treatment and water
recycling processes. In partnership with NTU, a USA
patent application for Aerobic Biogranulation Technology
for wastewater treatment was filed in February 2002.
The following year, to obtain patent in several other
countries, we filed an application with the Patent Co-operation
Treaty which held that our technology is novel and innovative.
We are now proceeding with the next phase of the patenting
process and plan to scale-up and commercialise this
technology in the coming years. Compared to conventional
biological wastewater treatment processes, the process
built on our new technology will be more efficient and
less costly. By forming granules of organisms, the new
process can generate a higher density of organisms in
the bioreactor. A large population of organisms consume
more waste in the water and as a result reduce land
and investment requirements. In addition, the diversity
of organisms in the granules can destroy certain waste
chemicals which conventional technologies find difficult
to treat.
Apart from wastewater treatment and water recycling
technologies, Utilities’ United Kingdom operations,
SembCorp Utilities UK also earned national recognition
for the appliance of a different type of innovative
technology. While Geographical Information System (GIS)
is an existing technology, we adapted the technology
to assist with the mapping and the safe management of
a wide range of industrial facilities. One innovative
application of GIS on Teesside has been the creation
of a Vehicle Mounted Display System in some emergency
response vehicles allowing emergency response teams
to tap into critical information en route to a callout.
SembCorp Utilities UK emerged as a finalist in the ‘Best
Use of Technology’ category at the United Kingdom
National Business Awards in London for this innovation.
Engineering & Construction
Our focus on innovative construction methods
in Engineering & Construction has also received
industry recognition. In 2003, SembCorp Engineers and
Constructors (SembE&C), won the prestigious IFAWPCA
Gold Medal given by the International Federation of
Asian and Western Pacific Contractors’ Association
(IFAWPCA), the region's leading contractor body. SembE&C
clinched the award for construction performance and
contribution to the development of construction technology
and management in carrying out the Sengkang and Punggol
Light Rapid Transit projects in Singapore.
From design, project planning, project management to
quantity surveying, SembE&C is equipped with the
latest application software which raise the level of
the quality and efficiency of our service. Recent additions
include online project costing and real time online
bidding systems. Our expertise in precast construction
is also well-known in the industry. Through projects
such as Junction 8 Shopping Mall, CityCab Building and
Hotel Summit Parkview, SembE&C has won numerous
engineering awards for its ingenious construction methods
which involve precasting and buildability in design.
Environmental Engineering
Our Environmental Engineering arm, SembCorp
Environmental Management (SembEnviro) is actively engaged
in the development and marketing of technological solutions
for the environmental management industry.
The Customer Recognition On-Board Weighing System
(CROWS) is a new innovation designed to keep track of
customer-generated tonnage and ensure a fair and accurate
pricing system. It employs state-of-the-art technologies
and provides automated and precise capturing of customer
tonnage information, trip time record, geographical
load pattern, real-time truck tracking and data analysis.
In 2003, we also developed Enviro-EZ, a revolutionary
refuse transfer vehicle that eliminates the need for
manual lifting and tipping of chute bins in Housing
Development Board flats with individual refuse chute
systems. The system uses pneumatic suction to remove
refuse from the chute bins. Installed with advanced
technology, the Enviro-EZ minimises contact with refuse
and only requires a one-man operation as compared to
the two-man conventional refuse transfer operation.
At SembEnviro, technology is leveraged in a variety
of ways not only to complement our range of environmental
services but also to maintain our competitive edge.
Our GPS vehicle tracking system enhances the monitoring
and control management of our vehicles in the area of
operation resulting in positive improvements in resource
productivity and customer satisfaction while our wireless
mobile quality management system allows cleaning inspectors
to do real-time submission of inspection grading using
their mobile phones.
Logistics
Our logistics subsidiary, SembCorp Logistics
(SembLog) continuously invests in and leverage new technologies
to achieve operational excellence and to introduce new
and innovative solutions to its customers. Web-based
IT systems are also extensively deployed to provide
customers with real-time visibility of the activities
along their supply chains.
The backbone of our supply chain information platform
is the uVisible which integrates information from partners,
suppliers and customers. It is the single point of contact
via web-interface for all supply chain related information
such as global track and trace, inventory visibility,
electronic ordering, etc.
SembLog also uses a suite of decision support tools
such as Strategic Supply Chain Network Modelling, Business
Process Analysis and Improvement and Route Planning
to optimise our customers’ operations and supply
chains, thereby delivering cost savings and improved
services.
An example of how SembLog uses technology to improve
operations and work processes is the Electronic Library
Management System, EliMS®, for which SembLog is
one of the patent holders. EliMS® is an RFID-based
(Radio Frequency Identification) system that allows
books, CD-ROMs and other materials to be borrowed, returned
and sorted with minimal human effort. This cost effective
labour-saving system has been successfully implemented
in all the public libraries and major private libraries
in Singapore.
SembLog has also integrated various processes, systems
and radio frequency (RF) technology to design a secure
supply chain management solution called the Cert-Hub,
a patent-pending system. In the face of rising international
terrorism, there is increasing demand for supply chains
that are protected from potential sabotage or tampering
by terrorist groups.
Designed to meet the requirements of the Smart and
Secure Tradelanes initiatives introduced by the Strategic
Council on Security Technology in the United States,
Cert-Hub is a secure physical and virtual hub that provides
real-time track and trace via satellite tracking. This
total solution involves screening of the cargo at the
point of origin and tracking it until its safe delivery.
Information on the cargo is provided at source via the
satellite tracking of the RF tag that is used to secure
the container. Any tampering of the secured container
will trigger an alarm for exception management upon
its arrival at the intended destination.
Marine Engineering
Staying at the forefront of progress SembCorp
Marine (SembMarine) keeps ahead by developing marine
engineering innovations and cutting-edge proprietary
designs in various marine engineering fields.
In addition to the many productivity-boosting and
cost-saving employee-led innovations initiated across
its yards, a significant rig construction milestone
was achieved by Jurong Shipyard when it developed the
innovative “load-out and mating-in-dock”
method. This achievement won national acclaim when it
clinched the prestigious Innovation of the Year 2003
Award conferred by SPRING (Standards, Productivity and
Innovation Board) Singapore, which recognises outstanding
innovations that have resulted in significant operational
improvements. A paradigm shift from previous approaches,
which involve the building and stacking of different
parts on the high seas (offshore-mating method) or on
land (block-stacking method), the new technique allows
for simultaneous construction of the upper and lower
hulls, and subsequent load-out and mating in a safer
and more controlled dry dock environment. Enabling productivity
enhancements and faster delivery schedules, while meeting
high quality and safety standards, the technique will
consolidate SembMarine’s position in the niche
market of building semi-submersible oil rigs.
The technical expertise and design capabilities of
SembMarine are also evident by the various proprietary
designs and innovations spearheaded. Within a span of
seven years, Jurong Shipyard has made tremendous progress
in containership design and building, having advanced
from earlier 830 TEU and 1,080 TEU proprietary designs
to its latest 2,500 TEU and 2,600 TEU series of high-specification
container vessels. The yard’s latest 2,500 and
2,600 TEU vessel designs represent a milestone achievement,
being the largest and most advanced of their kind developed
locally. Designed for quality, durability and performance,
vessels in the latest series are capable of carrying
high container intake at fast speed.
Reflecting its strong jack-up building and design
capabilities, PPL Shipyard also conceived the proprietary
design for the Pacific Class 375 ultra deep drilling
jack-up rig, equipped to drill high pressure and high
temperature wells of more than 30,000 feet. The Pacific
Class 375 jack-up design incorporates the Baker Marine
Time Tested Proprietary Jacking System that can withstand
storms without the use of a Rack Chock System. When
completed the jack-up rig will be capable of operating
in water depths of 375 feet and drilling depths of 30,000
feet. One such Pacific Class 375 jack-up drilling unit
has been ordered by Kristiansand Drilling, a joint venture
company between Sembawang Shipyard and Deep Drilling
1, a subsidiary of Skeie Group AS (Norway), for US$110
million.
|
