The fifth edition of BuildTech Asia, the region’s leading trade show for the built environment, opens today in conjunction with Singapore Construction Productivity Week. Organised by Sphere Exhibits and hosted by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), the three-day trade exhibition will be held from 13 to 15 October, 2015 at Singapore Expo Hall 3. The event is officially opened by Mr Quek See Tiat, Chairman, Building and Construction Authority.
BuildTech Asia 2015 features the latest in construction technologies and materials,addressing the growing demand for smart building and construction technology in Asia, where the smart building market is expected to reach USD 1,036 billion in 2020.
Industry stakeholders are also increasingly recognising the need to adopt advanced technologies to gain a competitive advantage through higher productivity and efficiency.
To support industry efforts towards greater productivity, BuildTech Asia 2015 showcases a variety of products, machineries and smart construction technologies by close to 150 exhibiting brands from over 10 countries and regions, namely China,France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and USA. Exhibitors include Atlantic International, Bentley Systems, Industrial Concrete Products, Innocom Technologies, JP Nelson Equipment, Philipp Group and ST Building Solutions Pte Ltd, among many others.
Mr. Chua Wee Phong, Chairman of Sphere Exhibits Pte Ltd, said: “Building and construction technologies are evolving rapidly year on year. As the region’s leading trade show for industry professionals, we are committed to introducing key technologies to meet the needs of companies in Asia. With our new Building Technology section at BuildTech Asia, visitors from around the region will find a variety of smart construction solutions that will help them increase productivity in a competitive industry landscape.”
Dr John Keung, CEO of BCA said: “Construction in Singapore and advanced countries is gradually moving towards Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DfMA), where we design for labour-efficient construction and move as much construction work off-site as possible. Adopting advanced technologies that support DfMA is pivotal to the growth of Singapore’s built environment sector. Our focus for the Singapore Construction Productivity Week this year also centres on smart construction technologies and improving integration and collaboration across the construction value chain. We are glad that BuildTech Asia 2015 brings together a variety of solutions and construction technologies to enable firms to boost their productivity.”
Highlights of BuildTech Asia 2015
Among the key construction technologies and smart materials on showcase include Building Information Modelling (BIM) technology, which supports the DfMA approach for labour-efficient construction; cross laminated timber (CLT) / glued laminated timber (glulam), an innovative and eco-friendly timber product that can be used in place of steel, and concrete canvas, a flexible fabric that hardens to form a concrete layer when hydrated.
Launching their BIM asset management system at BuildTech Asia, Quartz Sys Pte Ltd’s CEO Sohn Young Seok said: “Smart construction technologies have the potential to greatly improve productivity and reduce dependence on labour for businesses. We are excited to introduce our new products and expertise to the international audience at BuildTech Asia this year, and share in the knowledge exchange for the transformation of construction productivity.”
Anticipated to attract more than 6,000 attendees from across the region, the trade show is supported by government and trade associations from Indonesia, Malaysia,Myanmar and Vietnam, as well as business delegations from Austria, Bangladesh,China, India, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, and Thailand.
Breakthrough Technologies and New Initiatives to Enhance Construction Productivity
The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) introduces five breakthrough technologies at BuildTech Asia 2015 for the built environment sector.
IDA will showcase how the use of smart technology such as sensors, analytics and autonomous systems will help Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the built environment sector improve their productivity and growth prospects. The solutions displayed are:
• Safety management using drones by Avetics
• Real-time measurement and monitoring by Trevis Technology
• Pay-per-use mobile tool for work site safety by IDD SolutionNet
• Real-time project monitoring by Magicsoft
• Biometric work site manpower movement tracking by Intercorp Solutions In addition, to support Singapore’s need to better retain skilled workers in the built environment sector, leading attendance management solutions provider Intercorp Solutions, in partnership with Singapore Contractors Association Limited and supported by the Ministry of Manpower and IDA, officially launched the Foreign Construction Worker Directory System (FCWDS) at BuildTech Asia today. The FCWDS, an industry-wide platform, will support the built environment sector in optimised usage and retention of skilled manpower. Workers with expiring work permits can register online and employers need only search the database for workers with relevant skills and can directly hire them after an interview. This initiative is an example of how companies across the value chain can benefit from the use of technology to enhance productivity and growth.
“Construction companies are now allowed to hire workers immediately after their work permits expire. We are pleased to introduce the FCWDS to help facilitate this by matching skilled workers with prospective employers and expediting the recruitment process. The FCWDS helps to ensure that skilled foreign construction workers continue to work in the country, supporting the industry’s drive for higher productivity,” said Sam Tay, Director of Intercorp Solutions.
Local construction and civil engineering company Tiong Seng signed separate agreements with two international firms: PERI, the world’s largest formwork supplier,and software engineering corporation Tekla. Through embracing the latest advanced formwork technology and BIM technology, Tiong Seng and its partners commit to enhancing construction productivity in the region.
Under the MOUs, Tiong Seng and PERI will work towards elevating the existing knowledge and skill-set in advanced formwork technology, while Tekla will be supporting Tiong Seng to develop a BIM Competency Centre to study and devise new workflows and innovative uses of the Tekla platform in construction.
Empowering Health & Safety in the Workplace at BuildTech Asia 2015
A safe work environment contributes to reduced downtime and hence improves productivity in the workplace. The inaugural Workplace Health & Safety Conference,themed ‘Zero in on Safety’, brings together built environment sector stakeholders for informative sessions on key health and safety topics in today’s workplace, including 3D and BIM technology for construction safety, and enhancing safety by integrating smart construction for workers. The one-day conference, held concurrently with BuildTech Asia 2015, will take place on 15 October.
Close to 100 delegates from across the region will hear from notable local and international industry leaders such as CPG Consultants, Institution of Engineers Singapore, Institution of Occupational Safety and Health, International Powered Access Federation, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Singapore Institute of Building Limited and Singapore Institution of Safety Officers to name a few.
Supported by Workplace Safety & Health Council, the conference will highlight the importance of managing health and safety risks in the workplace and provide the opportunity for industry stakeholders to network and learn about the latest trends and developments in construction safety.
Visitors can also attend a series of networking sessions at the Sundowner Lounge on the show floor that includes demos and short speaking sessions by C-level speakers presenting the latest productive and smart technologies and products to address the most pressing industry issues.
For more on BuildTech Asia 2015, please visit http://www.buildtechasia.com/
For information on Singapore Construction Productivity Week, visit www.scpw.sg
To learn more about the Workplace Health & Safety Conference, visit http://www.buildtechasia.com/whsconference
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About BuildTech Asia 2015
Hosted by Building Construction Authority of Singapore (BCA), and held during the Singapore Construction Productivity Week (SCPW), BuildTech Asia 2015 is now into its 5th edition focuses on technologies that address the challenges of building and construction across different vertical industries. BuildTech Asia 2015 is 3-day trade event dedicated to make a difference to the future of the industry. For more information, please visit www.buildtechasia.com
About the Singapore Construction Productivity Week (SCPW)
Organised by the Building and Construction Authority of Singapore (BCA), the Singapore Construction Productivity Week (SCPW) is an industry hallmark event for developers, architects, consultants,builders and suppliers to exchange ideas on construction productivity, as well as share the latest developments in new productive technologies, best practices and success stories. Held from 13 – 16 October 2015, key events this year include the BuildTech Asia Exhibition, Build Smart Conference,Skilled Builders Project, Productivity Race and Building Information Modelling (BIM) Competition. For more information, please visit www.scpw.sg
