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DIRECTORY OF SINGAPORE PROCESS & CHEMICALS INDUSTRIES 2021/2022
Developed by the CII (Construction Industry Institute) based in the University of Texas, the BPPII provides:
• A list of the essential practices that need to be planned and implemented in construction projects, maintenance activities, shutdowns, and turnarounds;
• A checklist that determines the level of planning and implementation of these best productivity practices; and
• A list of strategies to achieve higher implementation levels of best productivity practice.
With the index, DITA aims to bring more members on board and at the same time lift those at the lowest level up to a higher level. It is not a lineal progression. By doing this it can also offer specific solution recommendations for the three different levels in line with their requirements and capabilities.
“Although we have a three-stage approach, it doesn’t mean that every company must go through stage one before they go to stage two or three. It all depends on the individual company, where they are, what is their style, and how far do they want to go. There will always be solutions out there in the market for these companies to adopt,” said Mr Chua.
“With project management, we are looking at some type of tracking system where we can actually quantify the progress of each project or job. Going forward, we intend to gather data of more member companies and understand where the constraints are. So that with the feedback we will be able to plot them out and have a better understanding what is actually happening on the ground,” said Mr Chua,
With the data, companies will also be able to better understand certain concerns or issues, which will come in useful to prepare them for future projects. It will help them to take special note of or avoid areas that should be addressed. The data collected can also be shared with plant owners so that they too will have a better understanding.
As the BPPII is being used by major plant owners, “in the near future, we could all sing (sync) in the same code”.
On including workforce management in the pilot, Mr Chua noted, “It’s all about trying to plan and allocate the manpower resources in an optimum way. That means that we do not want to rely on hardcopy, writing down names for deploying people. Using digital technology, we will be able to broadcast to all employees to inform them where they will be working next week, so on and so forth, which area and which supervisor they are going to report to.”
The pilot programme has helped member companies to better appreciate digitalisation and the solutions available.
“We are spoilt for choice. Truth be told, there was even one point in time when I felt overwhelmed, because I was talking to different vendors who were trying to sell their solutions to us. That was a very good start. Our members are now fully aware that there is actually a lot of technologies that are available. It’s a question is whether you actually have the need and the willpower to want to implement them,” said Mr Chua.
Companies also need not worry about training for their staff. ASPRI has a workgroup that looks after skills training for member companies, with the objective of “bringing members closer to share, learn and grow together”. Furthermore, the ASPRI-IPI training integrated centre has the capability to provide the necessary support. There are also many Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) programmes available, in addition to vendor training support.
Digital service model
– better for projects
While it would appear that the digital service model would be more appropriate for maintenance since it is repetitious rather than projects, the DITA co-leaders differed.
“With projects, the opportunity is greater, because there’s a continuum of work involved from beginning to end. And so you kind of know the boundaries in terms of the timeframe. And you can actually execute your work more smoothly and successfully from the start of the project to the end with an effective digital system. So, I actually think that the opportunity is greater for us to digitise, to automate, to transform when you talk about new projects,” said Mr Nah.
For Mr Chua, it is both a yes and no. “When I say yes, you have probably answered that question because of certain repetitive jobs.
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