Mindef saves $222.9m through innovation and productivity

SINGAPORE - The Ministry of Defence achieved $222.9 million in savings in the last financial year, thanks to innovation and work improvement ideas.

This was revealed at the MINDEF PRIDE (PRoductivity and Innovation in Daily Efforts) Day 2013 awards presentation ceremony held at SAFRA Toa Payoh this morning.

The event was officiated by Minister for Defence, Dr Ng Eng Hen.

A total of 123 awards were presented to individuals, groups and units from MINDEF and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) in recognition of their outstanding and innovative projects.

Speaking at the awards presentation ceremony, Dr Ng highlighted the importance of continuous innovation, noting that “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.”

The MINDEF PRIDE Movement has been promoting a culture of organisational excellence, innovation and productivity across MINDEF and the SAF since 1981. PRIDE Day is held annually to recognise the outstanding efforts and contributions by participants of the MINDEF PRIDE Movement. 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.

The MINDEF PRIDE Day 2013 Exhibition will be held at the atrium of SAFRA Toa Payoh from Sep 5 to 7 2013, from 10.30am to 9pm. The exhibition showcases a range of innovative projects contributed by individuals and teams from MINDEF, the SAF, ST Engineering and Defence Science & Technology Agency.