A whopping $222.9 million. That is how much the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) saved through innovations and work improvement ideas from its people. An all-time record high, this achievement is a 36% increase from the previous year.
Speaking at the MINDEF PRIDE (PRoductivity and Innovation in Daily Efforts) Day 2013 awards presentation ceremony held at SAFRA Toa Payoh on 5 Sep, Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen highlighted the importance of continuous innovation in MINDEF and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). He said: "As Singapore progressively develops and our organisations mature, the next phase of improvements, generally, must come from innovation-led productivity."
Dr Ng also reaffirmed the importance of the individual’s commitment to the PRIDE movement, as "to improve further, we will need (the individual's) creative ideas and new approaches…to sharpen our processes because there are always possibilities, there are always avenues to achieve our goals in better ways".
One such unit was the 6th Army Maintenance Base (6AMB). They came up with the idea of the Infra Red Laser Aiming Device (IR LAD) Test Kit, which accurately detects whether the LAD in the rifles is properly functioning within seconds.
"Previously, our people had to draw out the weapons, carry them to a dark room which had to be created from scratch, such as putting up curtains, test the LAD with night vision goggles and then put the rifles back. It was estimated that we took 320 manhours to test approximately 2,000 rifles, which was very tedious and time-consuming," explained Military Expert (ME) 5 Sima Rai.
The Commanding Officer of 6AMB added: "Now a soldier just needs to carry the testing device, and once you hear the beeping sound and see the blinking of the green light, you can tell that the infra-red laser is working fine."
The test kit, which reduced the time spent to just five manhours, was so effective that the Singapore Police Force adopted it for their own use. For its innovativeness, 6AMB was awarded the Minister for Defence Award (MDA) (Organisational Excellence), making it the second consecutive time that they have received the award.
"Winning this again is…something that really honours the unit and the hard work of our people on the ground," said ME5 Rai.
Another recipient of the MDA and MDA (Innovation) was the Force Readiness Squadron (FRS). Winning both awards for two years in a row, these guys are so passionate about their cause that they have set up an FRS Innovation Team, otherwise known as the Inn Team.
Made up of like-minded people who truly believe in spreading the innovation culture, the seven-man team act as a facilitator for units when they encounter problems such as not knowing how to get funding and other resources for their projects. Spear-heading this two-year-old committee is ME5 Eric Tan Chew Kung Poh.
He said: "Basically, the Inn Team has the clarity and network for such information, because we know who to look for and what the processes are, so we can provide help to the units whenever they need us."
At the award ceremony, a total of 123 awards were presented to individuals, groups and units from MINDEF and the SAF in recognition of their outstanding and innovative projects. One of the individual award recipients was First Sergeant (1SG) (NS) Seah Boon Ping.
While conducting a Chinook Rotor Head Seal Pressure Test during his In-Camp Training (ICT), 1SG (NS) Seah sparked off an idea which led to his unit achieving an annual cost avoidance of $55,000.
To prevent oil leakage, engineers were required to perform pressure testing on seven rotor head oil tank seals in a Chinook helicopter. However, this process was tedious as only one seal could be tested at a time. When 1SG Seah did the testing, he questioned why the testing could not be done all together as it was taking 28 hours to test one aircraft. From his experience in his job at ST Aerospace, he knew that multiple testings at one time was feasible, so he raised this possibility to his colleagues at the 6 Air Force Engineers and Logistics Group (6AELG).
"Personally, I like to accept challenges to solve problems. I saw this as a problem and the innovative culture in the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) and in my present company makes me want to help them more," said the 34-year-old.
His idea led to the team of eight from 6AELG to acquire and modify a multi-point pressure tester. Pressure is then simultaneously applied through this central chamber via the seven ports to each individual oil tank, so that the testing can now be done within four hours per aircraft. The idea has since been shared with other helicopter engineers in the SAF.
The PRIDE Movement has been promoting a culture of organisational excellence, innovation and productivity across MINDEF and the SAF since 1981. This year's theme, "Our PRIDE, My Commitment", reflects the importance of the individual's commitment and contributions towards building an organisation that constantly strives for excellence.
To showcase a range of innovative projects contributed by individuals and teams from MINDEF and the SAF, the MINDEF PRIDE Day 2013 Exhibition will be held at the atrium of SAFRA Toa Payoh from 5-7 Sep 2013, 10.30am to 9pm.
Open to the public, the exhibition includes projects from ST Engineering and Defence Science & Technology Agency as well.
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