Organised by the Association of Process Industry (ASPRI), this second edition of the event featured the latest products and services for plant construction, engineering and maintenance of the process industry from over a hundred participating companies from 18 countries.
The Singapore pavilion showcased several major local industry players such as Mun Siong Engineering, PEC and Rotary Engineering and international exhibitors including Aggreko, GERB Schwingungsisolierungen, McConnell Dowell, Sulzer and Technip.
A two-day conference accompanied this year’s exhibition, exploring the theme “Asia’s Growing Process Industry: Harnessing Innovation to Advance Business Opportunities and Operational Excellence in the New Decade”. Industry experts discussed the state of innovation, business opportunities, regional partnerships and plant optimisation.
Chiew Nguang Yong, general manager of Shell Chemicals Seraya Pte Ltd, delivered the keynote address on capability enhancement, productivity improvement and strategic partnership in the process industry.
Two other expert speakers included Himadri Basu, vice-president and managing director of Jacobs Engineering Pte Ltd who spoke on “EPC Alliance Programme – A Win-win Situation” between EPC contractors and owners, and Koh Chun Peng, director for business development at Rotary Engineering Ltd, who shared his views on “Managing and Building a Diverse Workforce While Improving Productivity, Safety and Quality.”
Also featured at the conference launch was the signing of an MOU by three Singapore-based companies – HSL Constructor, Mun Siong Engineering and FRP Products – forming a consortium to target potential projects in Vietnam.
The process industry plays a vital role in support of Singapore’s S$58 billion downstream oil, petrochemical, chemical and pharmaceuticals sectors. (US$1=S$1.3).
Despite a challenging global environment, the country has been able to attract a steady stream of investments. The process industry aims to capitalise on several projects, including a US$2 billion petrochemical complex by Jurong Aromatics Corporation, a US$4 billion steam cracker complex by ExxonMobil, a US$700 million cell culture plant by Novartis, and a US$176 million polyolefin elastomer manufacturing facility by Mitsui Chemicals.
James Goh, ASPRI president, said: “The region is poised to offer many good business opportunities for the process industry. The multitude of contracts up for grabs means that players in the industry will have the chance to grow their expertise. One of the best ways for them to be competitive regionally is to collaborate on these projects. ProcessCEM Asia offers the ideal platform for participants to reach out to the international community of engineering, procurement and construction, or EPC, service providers – to learn, network and promote their business. This will drive further growth in the region.”
ASPRI spearheads efforts to build the process industry by various stakeholders such as the government agencies that supported the three-day event: SPRING Singapore, Economic Development Board (EDB), International Enterprise (IE) Singapore, and Workforce Development Authority (WDA).
The other groups which supported the event included Asian Productivity Organization, Institution of Engineers Singapore, Singapore Chemical Industry Council, Workplace, Safety and Health Council, Singapore, International Society of Automation, Singapore Business Federation, and Singapore International Chamber of Commerce.