Reducing costs to provide more affordable medicine

AS energy is a significant part of the business operating costs of pharmaceutical companies, reducing energy costs translates to lower cost of the goods produced. This ultimately benefits patients as it means that medicine is made more accessible and affordable, says Steven Thong, engineering services director of MSD International GmbH (Singapore branch).

The firm is one of the four winners in the Excellence in Energy Management category in the EENP Awards 2015. This award category recognises companies that have demonstrated a high level of commitment to excellence in energy management. Being a pharmaceutical company, MSD International GmbH (Singapore branch) is located at Tuas Biomedical Park and is a strategic site for the global healthcare leader. MSD is a trade name of United States-based Merck & Co, Inc. Like all its manufacturing sites, the Singapore operations too face challenges of operating in an increasingly resource-constrained world.

"Improving energy efficiency is the most impactful, quickest and sustainable avenue to reduce energy cost significantly. It is something the organisation and its people can do proactively to control and influence every aspect of the operation, from conserving energy use in offices to optimising on-site power generation systems or even enhancing demand-side management," says Mr Thong.