A digital revolution is sweeping Singapore’s business world, transforming industries and reshaping the future.
Whatever business you’re running, there’s no escaping the need to take bold steps to go digital. You must compete with the rest of the world or risk being left behind.
We know that having to automate various aspects of your operations could be a huge undertaking.
So, if you need a hand, consider setting up a training committee with NTUC. An NTUC Company Training Committee (CTC) enhances your employees’ skills to meet current and future demands. The CTC will also help you meet your business goals.
Over 2,300 companies in different industries across Singapore have successfully reinvented themselves with the help of these committees. More than 200,000 workers have also rebooted their skills through the CTCs.
Public transport operator Go-Ahead Singapore is one company that has tapped into the CTC to steer itself towards success.
Gearing Up for a Digital Future
Go-Ahead Singapore runs 31 bus services with a fleet of around 450 buses and a workforce of over 1,000.
The company is always looking for ways to improve efficiency. In 2019, it formed an NTUC CTC with its union, the National Transport Workers’ Union (NTWU).
Since then, the committee has been providing valuable advice on the company’s automation plans.
In 2020, Go-Ahead Singapore rolled out the vehicle health telematics system, which enhanced the productivity of its engineering and maintenance workers.
“The vehicle health telematics system comes with a predictive analytics module that alerts the engineering team via SMS if it senses that some of the components require attention, and that allows for early intervention.
“We’re now looking at how can we enhance it to incorporate AI [artificial intelligence] technology into this product,” said the company’s Managing Director Leonard Lee.
With this system, the company prevented potential vehicle breakdowns and major repairs. This reduced repair costs and the workload of workers who previously had to manually check tyre pressures daily.
Driving Up Efficiency
The CTC also guided the implementation of the BC Click mobile application from 2019 to 2020, which helped to automate the daily tasks of its 800 bus captains.
Senior Bus Captain Ang Chun Hong shared that the app has helped him become more efficient at work.
“Last time, we had to go to the office to sign in via a computer. We also had to manually fill in paper forms to ensure the bus was in order.
“Now with the BC Click app, we just need to be within the bus bay to sign in, which saves us time.
“Also, when we check the bus, we don’t have to fill in forms [anymore] because the checklist is already in our phone. It saves time and conserves the environment,” he explained.
Mature bus captains received customised hands-on training on using the app. Today, they are more confident in navigating the tech-driven world.
The app also minimises office-based administrative work, resulting in a more agile and eco-friendly operation and workforce.
A Union-Powered Transformation Journey
NTWU provided valuable guidance throughout the digital journey through the NTUC CTC. Additionally, it gathered important feedback from the ground prior to rolling out the new digital initiatives.
“We took in feedback to make things better for the workers. We also checked with the union and sought their advice on what should be changed.
“We also helped to manage the ground,” said NTWU Assistant General Secretary Anthony Raj.
For instance, the union played a key role in convincing bus captains to adopt the BC Click mobile app.
Mr Anthony shared that the union guided the company in effectively communicating the changes to the bus captains, ensuring that the new app would be more readily accepted.
“We discussed with the management first and asked them how they plan to explain [the changes] to the bus captains. We also asked questions as a bus captain.
“From there, we suggested not to use certain words or sentences. We also said to [take the approach] of how a bus captain talks to another bus captain,” said Mr Anthony. He is also Go-Ahead Singapore’s union representative.
This strong union-management relationship has been key in fostering the success of the positive transformation.
“Our relationship with the union is characterised by a very strong spirit of collaboration and open communication.
“Together, we work towards the same goal of ensuring the well-being of our staff and fostering a very supportive and productive work environment.
“This would increase and maximise operational efficiencies and lead to staff being more engaged and motivated to do their work,” said Go-Ahead Singapore’s Mr Lee.
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