Onn Wah is a beacon of sustainability for SMEs

SMALL and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are seldom in the limelight when it comes to significant achievements in sustainability. This makes the recent recognition of Onn Wah Precision Engineering at the Energy Efficiency National Partnership Awards 2023 in Singapore all the more noteworthy. The company secured the Outstanding SME award, marking a milestone in its sustainability journey.

Onn Wah was established in 1961 and specialises in manufacturing precision metal components. Its operations, involving high energy-consuming CNC (computer numerical control) machines and climate-controlled facilities, employ around 150 individuals across two shifts. While SMEs often face resource constraints that can limit their sustainability efforts, Onn Wah’s story reflects a conscious and strategic approach to decarbonisation.

Recognising its limitations, Onn Wah partnered with the Energy Efficiency Technology Centre (EETC) in August 2021 to perform an Energy Assessment Study. The recommendations from this audit led to a series of transformative changes.

The company replaced traditional lightings with LEDs, installed motion sensors, and reduced air leakages in their systems. Additionally, Onn Wah installed a 263 kWp solar panel system on their rooftop, and an Energy Monitoring Information System (EMIS) outfitted with 102 sensors to comprehensively map energy usage across the facility.

The company also applied 133 blackout and heat rejection solar films to its windows to further decrease energy consumption. The rectification of the compressed air leaks and LED light replacements will result in annual energy savings of 46,576 kWh and 29,486 kWh, respectively.

“Initially we were worried that the audit would just be a paper exercise that will end up with just a report for filing. I am happy that the audit helped us understand our overall energy consumptions better and enable us to make clear decisions to realise the savings,” said Lam Keng Yew, Onn Wah’s managing director. “I would recommend this energy audit as the first step for all SMEs to begin their sustainability journey.”

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Meanwhile, the implementation of the EMIS allowed the company to better understand their building’s overall energy usage. “The readings are real-time, and we can set notifications if certain thresholds are exceeded. We believe that with the data, we can make better decisions in energy reductions. Currently we are still learning how to derive more benefits from using this EMIS,” said Lam.

Beyond technological enhancements, Onn Wah also focuses on developing the relevant skill-sets of its staff. To this end, the company has enrolled its employees in sustainability courses and encouraged each staff member to plant a tree, thus contributing to NParks’ OneMillionTrees Movement.

Said Lam: “I believe that everyone understands the need to act on sustainability, but few are willing to prioritise it. We hope to change that by creating a culture of sustainability within the company, and that all decisions made within the company will consider its impact on the environment. Hopefully, all employees will help spread the culture at home too.”