Steve Sparkes Managing Director
SWAGELOK SINGAPORE
"Services such as technical training, custom fabrication, risk management, reduction of fugitive emissions, and other on-site services are increasingly in demand."
Please introduce Swagelok Singapore?
Swagelok Singapore is the exclusive distributor of Swagelok products and services in Singapore. As an authorized sales and service center of Swagelok company, we ensure that customers have ready access to Swagelok’s high-quality fluid system components and value-added services. Our components can be found anywhere, and are used for high temperatures, pressures, and other highly critical environments where leaks are unacceptable. Our products have been used anywhere from deep-sea oil and gas extraction kilometers under the sea, to the Apollo space missions. We serve diverse industries ranging from semiconductor, oil and gas, research and development, life sciences, and the chemical and refining sectors. How important is the chemical industry to Swagelok Singapore and what recent industry trends have you noticed?
There are over 100 global chemical companies here in Singapore that we have been serving for almost 50 years, so this industry is a major focus for us. We have noticed that chemical customers are becoming increasingly well-informed when it comes to selecting components, and thus more demanding in terms of the sophistication and complexity of the services they require to operate efficient, reliable, and productive fluid systems. As a result, services such as technical training, custom fabrication, risk management, reduction of fugitive emissions, and other on-site services are increasingly in demand. To serve this demand, our Engineering Services team has grown 33% since 2016, and we are looking to strengthen this team by acquiring more talent. What role do fluid systems play in the sustainability of a manufacturer’s operations?
Companies are moving beyond environmental regulations and are now looking at net zero targets. This means that safe, compliant components and fluid system designs should protect the environment and help companies achieve their sustainability goals.
Our dependable fluid system components are trusted to perform in the most challenging environments and we provide a limited lifetime warranty for our products. Our expertise is necessary for our clients to feel confident in the performance of their fluid system assets throughout their full lifecycle. Leakages are unacceptable so we offer services such as guidance on designing leak-tight systems and leak detection services wherein our highly-trained field engineers go to customer facilities to help identify potential leak points in the systems and suggest leak-tight, compliant components that are low-fugitive-emissions-certified. This not only increases plant safety, maintains uptime and reliability, and minimizes total cost for our clients, but also improves sustainability and complies with related regulations. This is where we make a big difference to companies finding ways to reduce their impact on the environment. Since we started Onsite Services in 2016, we have conducted over 70 leak detection services which resulted in energy cost savings of US$800,000.
Companies are increasingly mindful of their sustainability credentials, with some of the more progressive companies realizing that there are real financial benefits from reducing leaks, while also mitigating environmental risks. Do you have a final message?
Swagelok is in the “trust business”, that is to say, our deep knowledge of the industry and reputation for quality has won us the trust of over 100 chemical and petroleum refining customers. Our well-trained, highly experienced and engaged associates have helped empower teams to increase the safety of their operations and maximize the performance of their fluid systems. Swagelok Singapore will continue to be involved in all our current markets, particularly chemicals and refining because we want this industry to have ready access to high-quality fluid systems products and leverage the value-added services we provide, such as design and assembly, technical training, and on-site services to maximize safety, efficiency, reliability and sustainability.
We are expanding our business here in Singapore and looking for more experienced, highly trained, and motivated people to join our team, and contribute to the local economy. Finally, we will continue to help our clients maximize their profits and improve sustainability.