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DIRECTORY OF SINGAPORE PROCESS & CHEMICALS INDUSTRIES 2022/2023
The PCM IDP Digital Roadmap provides an online self-assessment checklist for SMEs to better understand their digital maturity and readiness, as well as identify gaps in their digital capabilities. The checklist takes into consideration factors such as the SME’s current business operations, level of digitalisation and business expansion plans.
Grants are available to assist companies to adopt the tools. To expedite adoption, the ESG and IMDA have pre-approved certain solutions that are available in the market. For those not on the pre-approved list, companies will have to convince the authorities to provide the grant. ASPRI can support member companies in their application if these tools are deemed useful in improving companies’ productivity.
As digitalisation will affect other facades of a company’s operation, from improving productivity to adoption of greener technology, Mr Chua hopes that digital adoption will one day be embedded within the industry, just like safety.
“We take pride in our industry. Safety has become second nature with every employee and every organisation, and we are well known for that. With digital technology adoption, we are moving in the same way as we have done for safety, building up the kind of culture. It’s not something we can change overnight. We have got to start in a progressive manner. We start with one and hopefully that one will influence another one. This is the kind of progression that we are looking for, perhaps a kind of herd mentality.”
Once dismissed as fringe and not competitive, renewable energy has become mainstream in a world scarred by the fallout from climate change. In a report published in September 2021, the World Meteorological Organization
said the number of floods, droughts and other disasters has spiked almost five times over the last 50 years, from 711 in the 1970s to over 3,000 in 2010s. In 2020, it estimated 30.7 million people became climate refugees, three times more than the number affected by armed conflicts and violence. By 2050, the number of climate refugees is forecast to top 200 million.
The world has begun the transition to cleaner energy to reduce carbon emissions from fossil fuels, a key contributor to global warming. While the Russia-Ukraine conflict may have caused some of the countries to renege on their commitments as they grapple with the energy shortfall, we are constantly reminded that mankind ignores global warming at their peril.
A low-lying island nation that faces an existential threat from climate change, Singapore has a national agenda for sustainable development. Unveiled in February 2021, the Singapore Green Plan comprises five pillars which touch on almost every dimension of the nation’s life, from how we live to how we work and play. The wide-ranging plan cuts across all sectors of society, ranging from infrastructural development, research and innovation to training programmes.
Two key pillars have direct impact on the Energy and Chemical (E&C) Industry, said Mr Ethan Ng, Director, Oil Markets, Midstream & Downstream Consulting, S&P Global Commodity Insights. “Energy reset, which mainly looks at the usage of green energy, for example solar or clean energy imports. It also involves the use of sustainable fuels for global trade and travel, which in this case resonates with aviation fuel and cleaner energy vehicles.
“The second pillar, what we call the green economy, mainly looks at increasing carbon and energy efficiency investments, that actually promote sustainability as one of the key pillars for businesses, and the main goal is actually to transform Singapore into a carbon service hub and Jurong Island specifically into a sustainable Energy and Chemicals hub.”
Jurong Island – the epicentre of Singapore’s climate commitments
Home to more than 100 leading companies, Jurong Island is to be transformed into a sustainable Energy and Chemicals Park. While it is recognised that Jurong Island has made strides in being green, it is felt that it can do more.
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Helping PCM Industry Make Energy Transition