The Chemical Plant of the Future
How and why the Singaporean chemical industry is adopting new technologies
Many people have difficulty distinguishing between automation and digitalization, especially when other terms like IoT and Industry 4.0 are thrown into the mix. While digitalization refers to the transition from analog to digital, creating a connection between the physical asset to a centralized system or a cloud, automation refers to endowing machines with learning and doing capacities to perform tasks without human interference. In this article, we will explore some ways these technologies are revolutionizing the chemical industry in Singapore, from manufacturing to health and safety compliance.
Before any process can be automated or improved, data must first be collected using sensors. During our research, we met with Jonas Berge, senior director at Emerson Automation Solutions’ Applied Technology Division at the Emerson Solutions Center in Tuas, where new sensing hardware is incorporated into chemical plants and refineries on the nearby Jurong Island. “A lot of plants wrongly believed they already had sufficient data that they just needed to put to good use, but it turns out that many need a lot more data, and therefore more sensors,” he explained. “We have found that a lot of smaller chemical companies seem keener on adopting automation and digitalization compared to large refineries. Perhaps this is because their smaller size affords them more agility, and it is easier to make changes to a smaller plant,” he continued.
Although historically the chemical industry may have lagged behind other sectors, such as semiconductors, when it came to adopting industry 4.0 practices, the tide has now turned, particularly in Singapore, where industry associations are pushing for their adoption. For example, the Association of Process Industry (ASPRI), a prominent membership-based trade association that represents the interest of companies in Singapore’s Process Industry, launched the Process Construction and Maintenance (PCM) Industry Digitalization Readiness Index (DRI) to provide guidance and industry benchmarking for their members along their digitalization journey. “The association remains fully committed to guide and handhold our members to embark and sustain their digitalization journey,” explained Wayne Yap, the executive director at ASPRI.
If a system can be automated successfully, it can reduce the amount of physical human presence required for the operation of a plant, thus limiting workers’ exposure to potentially hazardous equipment or chemicals. Furthermore, the reliability and accuracy afforded by modern sensors mean that faults in a plant’s systems can be detected faster, allowing them to be fixed sooner. This rapid detection may not only prevent costly downtime for a plant, but more importantly avoid catastrophic failures. Singapore’s government is all too aware of this fact, and in 2017, the Prime Minister announced a target to reduce and sustain Singapore’s workplace fatality rate at less than 1 per 100,000 workers by 2028. To help achieve this, the Ministry of Manpower has released a Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) 2028 report containing recommendations on Singapore’s national WSH strategies for the next decade. The report acknowledges the immense potential for WSH to be transformed through technology and recommends the development of a WSH Technology roadmap to identify emerging technologies that can solve WSH problems.
“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.”
Steve Sparkes, Managing Director, Swagelok Singapore
Chandran Jayabalan, head of sales – Asia at Aggreko, which provides energy solutions to the petrochemical and refining industry, described how Singapore’s increasing regulations around sustainability are driving demand for Aggreko’s services: “The PCR industry is looking at carbon sustainability, especially following the implementation of the carbon tax in Singapore, while digitalization and remote monitoring plays an important role to manage their emission portfolios,” he explained.
The digital revolution is not limited to manufacturing and factory floors. Ai Lee Ng, Singapore director of Lisam Systems, a provider of environment, health, and safety (EHS) compliance solutions and services, explained: “Regulations change frequently nowadays, particularly in the fields of Global Harmonized Systems (GHS) and transportation, so new technologies are essential to keep up with a fluctuating environment. Singapore remains stricter than other SEA countries. Even though these countries have regulations, enforcement will not be as strict as here.”
“There has been an uptick in the use of AI, particularly when it comes to packaging within the chemical industry. These AI tools are particularly useful for the identification of repeated patterns and foreign object detection.”
Chin Hui Ho, Hub Director Singapore, SICK Sensor Intelligence
Chemical companies face the challenge of having to comply with good regulatory practices at the regional level as well as at the global level. Digital tools like Lisam’s ExESS chemical management software enable the efficient management of all product data relating to compliance, hazard communication, environmental reporting, and inventory management throughout a product’s life cycle.
The World Economic Forum’s 2020 Global Competitiveness Report (the last produced) ranked Singapore sixth globally in ICT adoption and digital skills, and third in digital legal framework, and the country has only improved these since. Moreover, the nation boasts the world’s second-fastest broadband speeds. Chemical manufacturers based in Singapore are in a prime position to leverage technology, as the country enjoys excellent infrastructure, strong IP protection laws, and an excellent talent base. Organizations like the Singapore Chemical Industrial Council (SCIC) are also making efforts to ensure that the talent pool does not get left behind as technology advances ever forward. “As businesses embrace technological advancements, it becomes imperative to ensure that the workforce also undergoes a similar transformation by acquiring new knowledge and skill sets to support these emerging roles,” said Terence Koh, the executive director of the SCIC.
Singapore’s rich ecosystem of start-ups, tech companies, and service providers means that plant owners need not look far to find a digital solution to their operational challenges. The Singaporean government, through its various arms such as the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), continues to push technological innovation and R&D and bridge the gap between academia and local industries. All this puts the Singaporean chemical sector in a prime position to exploit emerging technologies to gain an edge over competitors abroad.
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