More funding, facilities and training for construction productivity drive

SINGAPORE - Imagine an apartment block built by stacking separate rooms together, complete with finishings and fittings. That is how a new executive condominium at Canberra Drive will be assembled, using an advanced construction method that is expected to raise productivity by more than 40 per cent.

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Here is the media statement from Singapore Press Holdings:

Transforming construction productivity through innovative technologies at BuildTech Asia 2014

BuildTech Asia's exhibition showcase and conference sessions span across the 'hardware and software' of the built environment - from construction technology to facilities management solutions

SINGAPORE - The fourth edition of BuildTech Asia 2014, the region's leading trade show for the built environment, opens today as part of a week-long series of events under the Singapore Construction Productivity Week.

Organised by Sphere Exhibits and hosted by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), the three day trade exhibition is held from 14 to 16 October at Singapore Expo Halls 3 and 4.

The event was officially opened by Ms Grace Fu, Minister, Prime Minister's Office, Second Minister for the Environment and Water Resources and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Over 200 exhibiting brands from nine countries including Australia, China, Germany, Ireland, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan will be showcasing a wide array of products, machineries and cutting edge technologies from Autodesk, Bonco Enterprise, Higa Trading, Hydro Dynamic Engineering, Shinhan Tech-Engineering, Straits Construction, and Zuuse Australia among many others.

To address the productivity challenges faced by the industry as it copes with a tightened supply of foreign workers and evolving standards, this year's BuildTech Asia provides a platform for the exchange of knowledge and ideas for a more streamlined workflow, from sourcing of building materials to management of building facilities.

Across the region, the built environment sector faces challenges related to productivity and efficiency such as labour shortages and budgetary constraints.

While Singapore's total construction demand reached a historical high of $35.8 billion in 2013, value-added productivity in the construction sector declined by 0.2 per cent per annum from 2010 to 2013. Nonetheless, site productivity had shown an improvement of about 1.2 per cent per annum in the same period.

A strong pipeline of major infrastructure projects coupled with government initiatives to promote the use of productive technologies including the Construction Productivity and Capability Fund (CPCF) have resulted in a stellar offering of Singapore's latest and best technologies for industry players across the region who are faced with productivity challenges.

Mr. Chua Wee Phong, Chairman of Sphere Exhibits Pte Ltd, said: "Since Sphere Exhibits first partnered with the Building and Construction Authority four years ago, BuildTech Asia has grown to become the authoritative trade event for industry leaders and trade professionals across the region. With the government's continued initiatives to boost productivity in the construction sector, we are sure that visitors will find the most advanced solutions for their business productivity challenges at BuildTech Asia."

Dr John Keung, CEO of BCA said: "Technology is one of the major contributors to improve productivity in many sectors and the built environment sector is no different. As part of the Singapore Construction Productivity Week, the BuildTech Asia exhibition plays an integral role in bringing to life the latest game-changing technologies available today that will help firms improve their business processes and increase the productivity of the workforce."

Enabling technologies for the Built Environment

This year, BuildTech Asia focuses on advanced productive technologies that have been identified to play important roles in transforming construction productivity. Visitors can look forward to the latest technologies, products and updates in Building Information Modelling (BIM), Prefabricated Pre-finished Volumetric Construction (PPVC), Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) and Prefabricated Bathroom Unit (PBU) from companies such as ACME Equipment, Arcodeco, Autodesk, Crown Systems, Glodon, Graphisoft, Hitachi Construction Machinery, Shin Han Engineering and many others.

Exhibiting for the first time at BuildTech Asia, Excel Precast's CEO Tan Bian Tiong said: "Building and construction is one of the underlying drivers of economic growth for developing countries in Asia. As the market shows promise in many of the large and developing economies in the region, we are delighted to demonstrate our capabilities and expertise to the regional audience at BuildTech Asia this year, and look forward to forging valuable business partnerships."

The trade exhibition is expected to attract more than 6,000 attendees from around the region and will also be supported and attended by trade associations and business delegations from Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Russia, Thailand, Vietnam, and more.

Facilities Management Solutions Expo 2014

To promote better integration across the building and construction and facilities management sectors, Facilities Management Solutions Expo 2014 will be held concurrently with BuildTech Asia to present an end-to-end showcase for both sectors. Visitors will have the opportunity to network and exchange knowledge on future readiness and advice on all aspects of the aftercare and maintenance of facilities, with the backdrop of design and construction for better integration.

It features several smart solutions and intelligent products through the country pavilions, such as the Green Trade Project Office Taiwan (GTPO) and energy-saving technologies from the German Pavilion.

GTPO will showcase environment friendly, healthy and fashionable new smart technologies for the home from 16 Taiwanese companies. "We are proud to showcase Taiwan Green Demo House, an environmentally friendly, reusable exhibition show booth featuring solutions that could help buildings in Singapore to achieve up to 56 per cent energy savings," said Marketing Director George Hu from GTPO Taiwan, Ministry of Economic Affairs.

Companies such as DHybrid Power Systems, AVERMANN and others at the German Pavilion will present the latest in German fuel reduction systems, including solar energy systems and alternative energy sources and systems, waste management, water management, innovative heating products and more.

Exciting line-up of conferences and activities at BuildTech Asia 2014

Two key conferences for the industry will take place on 16 October to address the latest trends in the built environment sector. Jointly organised by Sphere Exhibits and Singapore Institute of Building Limited (SIBL), the inaugural Facilities Management Conference 2014 will address the transformation of facilities management through effective and productive use of energy-efficient resources and smart innovation.

Over 100 delegates will hear from industry leaders from companies such as Philips Lighting, Cushman & Wakefield and DOCOMO interTouch, and government organisations including Ministry of Manpower, Singapore and Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), Taiwan to discuss the issues and challenges in facilities management as well as the use of innovative technologies for the sector. Conference session highlights include Productivity and Security, Effective Manpower/HR Practices, Integrated Estates Management and more.

Organised by SCAL and supported by Sphere Exhibits, the Environment Sustainability Conference 2014 is themed 'Building Sustainably' and will highlight a broad range of topics from the use of sustainable design, green building materials and energy efficiency in order to promote sustainable practices in the built environment. Some of the key tracks include Architecture and Sustainable Design, Green/Sustainable Construction Practices amongst other key topics.

Visitors can also attend the Tech Connect seminar series on the show floor that includes workshops, demos and short speaking sessions by C-level speakers presenting the latest technologies and products to address the most pressing industry issues.