S$112m boost for digital drive by Singapore petrochem sector

Singapore

PLANS to digitise operations on Jurong Island so as to prepare the local petrochemical industry for the future of manufacturing received another boost on Thursday when Japanese firm Yokogawa Engineering Asia opened in Singapore its first co-innovation centre worldwide.

The centre, in which the firm will invest S$112 million over the next few years, will work with both its clients and IT companies to develop technologies to apply Big Data to industrial automation systems. These can bring about a wider adoption of remote monitoring technologies to improve planning and predictability, thereby contributing to lower maintenance costs and operation expenditures, the firm said.

Yokogawa observes that its clients in the oil and gas as well as chemical industries are increasingly facing challenges in enhancing the availability, reliability, safety and operational effectiveness of their plants.

At the same time, advances in sensor and communication technologies are enabling the sector to retrieve more insights into the manufacturing process and across the overall supply chain.

"There is a strong need to exploit information technologies to process a large amount of information available from new sensor technology," said Yokogawa in a press release. "The industries are in dire need for a breakthrough technology to process Big Data available from the integration of information technology and operation technology, and apply it back to the industrial automation systems to achieve better predictable, highly adaptable and vertically integrated manufacturing processes."

The firm's managing director John Hewitt notes that the centre sits in a country with high connectivity to the region. "The centre opens up new opportunities for Yokogawa to work closely with our clients to respond quickly to the needs of the global market situation, and to develop next-generation capabilities and technology to enhance the competitiveness of the industrial automation industry," he said.

The Economic Development Board (EDB) said it is pleased that Yokogawa has chosen Singapore for its co-innovation centre. "These innovations can help transform our manufacturing facilities, particularly in oil & gas and chemicals, to be 'best-of-class' in terms of resource efficiency," said EDB assistant managing director Lim Kok Kiang.

"In turn, the lead demand generated in Singapore for these smart industrial solutions will enable Yokogawa to demonstrate the effectiveness of their new technologies before they are exported to the region and beyond."

BT had earlier reported that US multinational firm Emerson is looking to roll out its data analytics technology in Singapore to help petrochemical firms modernise their plants. The engineering and technology company estimates that this could generate up to US$150 million a year in total energy savings for companies on Jurong Island.