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DIRECTORY OF SINGAPORE PROCESS & CHEMICALS INDUSTRIES 2021/2022
goodness’, if I do this in two hours, what am I going to do for the next two days?’
Such fear can pose challenges for companies trying to adopt productive processes to improve the efficiency of their operations.
It’s not only about
technology
Contrary to popular perception digitalisation is not only about technology. While we are often taken in by all the shiny new devices, like sensors, wearables and markers, DX should not begin with technology.
“The intent of digitalisation is sometimes easy to miss because we can be overwhelmed with just so many solutions that are out there. Where we want to make sure the members are in sync is really the intent. Why are we doing this? Is it because it’s fashionable or is it because there are some processes that can help member companies improve?” said Mr Nah.
ASPRI has been helping members to explore and expand their knowledge of digitalisation - what is digitalisation, why should companies adopt it, what is involved and what do they have to do to enjoy the benefits of digitalisation - even before looking at some of the digital tools that are available.
Asked about the percentage of buy-in from member companies for DX, Mr Chua indicated that it’s about 50%. He said for the non- committal group of members, DITA may have to realign its strategy to get them on board.
By getting the entire community involved, it is ASPRI’s hope that someday digitalisation will be embedded in the PCM industry, much like safety.
“We take pride in our industry because we believe that our safety standards are a lot higher compared to other sectors. Safety has become second nature with every employee and every organisation, and we are well known for that. With digitalisation technology adoption, we are moving the same way as we have done for safety, building up that kind of culture. It’s not something that can be changed overnight. We have got to start in a very progressive manner. You start with one and hopefully that one will influence another two. This is the kind of progression that we are actually looking at. Perhaps, a kind of herd mentality,” said Mr Chua.
Adding, Mr Nah said, “The top six PCM contractors in Singapore are, perhaps, already the front runners in the DX journey. DITA is trying to encourage our larger members, which we can consider as the second tier, to emerge
from the rest of the pack to join the front- runners. Perhaps, like a second wave.“
“So Danny and I are part of this movement that aims to help equip as many of these members as possible to step up to their potential.”
Having to wrestle with Covid-19 and the disruptions it has caused to manpower deployment and day-to-day operations may have forced many companies to put everything else on the backburner.
“This is something that we don’t encourage. In fact, we are telling our member companies it is because of such challenging times that you have got to relook at your business model, not to backpedal. You’ve got to continue to rethink your business model and see whether there are technologies available that can effectively provide a substitute or an alternative solution to your shortage of manpower,” Mr Chua added.
Pilot programme to gauge
process sector readiness
In preparation of the PCM IDP, a pilot was conducted involving over 10 companies ranging in size from under 100 to 300 employees using two solutions identified for them to implement, namely project management and workforce management.
The aim was to find out about the readiness of these sample companies. It would require the companies to be indexed and categorised.
“We decided to use the Best Productivity Practices Implementation Index (BPPII) to gauge our member companies on where the companies were as far as technology or digitalisation adoption is concerned. With the index we can categorise the companies into level one, level two and level three.”
“Through the pilot we realised that different companies have different preferences stemming from the fact that they all have different needs depending on their trade or service,” Mr Chua said.
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