SIAEC leverages Covid-19 downtime to improve efficiency, retrain workers

A FULLY digitalised task management system and reusable window masks for aircraft that are being repainted were among the internal creative triumphs that SIA Engineering Company (SIAEC) S59 put on display at launch of its Innovation Week on Monday (Apr 4).

These ideas were hatched and implemented as SIAEC tried to reposition itself during the significant downturn in business during the pandemic. After launching the second phase of its transformation programme in January last year, SIAEC is on track to spend the S$40 million it had originally estimated in November 2020 on such new initiatives.

Speaking to the media at the launch of its Innovation Week, chief executive Ng Chin Hwee said that he was impressed by the ingenuity of employees who had injected their own ideas to improve both productivity and safety of the company's operations.

"Some of the ideas that came from us were supplemented and strengthened by ideas that came from the ground. If we can seed more and more of these ideas, then I think this system becomes self-sustaining.

"What is most important is making sure that we deliver the outcome; and thus far, we are seeing the benefits flowing in from all of this transformation," he said, adding that he expects that the company will continue to invest more resources to fund these initiatives.

National Trades Union Congress secretary-general Ng Chee Meng said at the event that he was "glad" to see that SIAEC had been able to position itself for growth since the Covid-19 pandemic struck.

"I'm glad that the government heard our feedback over the last 2 to 3 years, pumping in significant amounts of money in JSS (Jobs Support Scheme) and other equivalents to pull up the aviation industry, looking not just to keep the aviation industry alive but, when times are turning, launch the aviation industry to the forefront," he said.

SIAEC's Innovation Week has been held annually since 2017 and was held virtually in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. Defence and engineering group Singapore Technologies Engineering (ST Engineering) S63 was among the companies that were invited to set up booths so as to facilitate the sharing of ideas between their employees.

One of the innovations that SIAEC showed off during the event was E-Task, an internal project management system that digitalises the numerous digital taskcards that engineers use to execute their jobs. Instead of carrying hardcopy documents around, the engineers now carry an iPad with all the information that they require.

Because the taskcards are digitalised, the amount of administrative work to work on data entry is also reduced. Instead of laying off clerical administrative staff, they were retrained to provide a higher level of technical support so that engineers could get more done on the ground.

Another innovation that SIAEC showcased was a reusable mask for the windows of aircraft undergoing paint stripping and repainting. The mask would reduce 60 per cent of the time required to mask the windows and be applied on the ground in May this year.

While each window had to be individually masked with paper or aluminium foil and tape in the past, SIAEC co-developed the reusable mask with Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star) using a polymer that is light and able to withstand the stripping process.

In addition, SIAEC's Ng said that the company has made strides to diversify its operations beyond servicing Singapore Airlines' fleet, which made up about 80 per cent of the company's topline as at November last year.

For instance, he noted, the company signed a 10-year agreement to provide in-field services for Rolls-Royce customers.

Ng is also optimistic about the additional capabilities that SIAEC is building with its recent acquisition of a 75 per cent stake in maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) service provider SR Technics Malaysia to form a joint venture as the aviation sector recovers.

"We find that when we bring in new capabilities over time, then they can farm out the less productive work over time to low-cost centres in Malaysia," he said.

SIAEC closed at S$2.62 on Monday, up 2.3 per cent or S$0.06.

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