Grand Prix Winner

Quarantine Electronic Tag Monitoring Solution

Hitachi Asia Ltd.

In the midst of a global pandemic, strict quarantine measures are fundamental for safeguarding the health and safety of the public. In 2020, Hitachi Asia’s (Singapore) Info-Communications Technology Solutions Business Unit (ICTB) conceptualised and developed a digital solution that could facilitate incoming travellers’ compliance with quarantine requirements.

The quarantine monitoring system is an IoT-based, real-time solution that securely tracks the movements of travellers who have been issued a quarantine notice. Developed within the short span of two months, this project demonstrated Hitachi’s capabilities in Smart IoT while exemplifying Hitachi’s Social Innovation Business by contributing to the wellness of citizens during the COVID-19 outbreak.

2nd Prize

Vietnam Post - Nationwide Expansion of Non-cash Payment Service

Hitachi Asia (Vietnam) Co., Ltd.

As part of efforts to raise the quality of life in Vietnamese society, Hitachi Asia (Vietnam) worked with the Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) to develop and roll out a nationwide cashless payment platform for Vietnam Post and its service providers.

This "Collaborative Creation Project" combined SMBC's expertise in payment operations with Hitachi's advanced technology and know-how in financial systems to create improved pension and social security payment methods for Vietnam Post. The team also received help from Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) and Hitachi (Japan). As a result of this project, HAS-VN was able to provide a stable pension service to people all over Vietnam, as well as improve citizens’ overall quality of life by creating greater convenience in payment services.

3rd Prize

COVID-proof Resilient Supply Chain Solution

Hitachi Asia Ltd.

When aircrafts fall short of inspection requirements or face sudden maintenance issues in foreign countries, they are often unable to obtain the parts they need on such short notice. To address this problem, Hitachi Asia (Singapore) and Hitachi Vantara Malaysia worked with AirAsia Malaysia to pioneer a first-of-its-kind aircraft part-sharing marketplace using blockchain technology.

As various budget airlines each hold excess inventory and parts that are highly similar, the team envisioned that such a platform would greatly benefit airlines and vendors. With the ongoing COVID-19 situation hitting airlines especially hard, this solution alleviated the problem by contributing to the efficiency and resilience of their supply chains. This sharing economy will also allow less parts to be manufactured, reducing emissions, as well as reduce flight delays to improve passenger convenience.

Special Prize 1

Supply, Design, Fabrication, Installation, Testing of Proton Beam Therapy Equipment (PBT) for the New National Cancer Building, Singapore

Hitachi Asia Ltd.

In May 2019, Hitachi Asia (Singapore) commenced the installation of its Proton Beam Therapy (PBT) Equipment in the National Cancer Centre building in Singapore. PBT is a form of external beam radiation therapy that uses protons rather than photons, which allows for far greater precision in treating tumours.

As the first centre of its kind in the ASEAN region, the project team had to formulate brand new procedures to proceed with the installation. Furthermore, it encountered numerous unexpected and unprecedented challenges, such as the COVID-19 lockdown in Singapore and major component damages. Despite all this, the team was able to persevere and innovate, ultimately recovering from the setbacks and completing the PBT equipment installation on schedule without any delays.

Special Prize 2

ATM Services for Thailand’s Government Saving Bank

Hitachi Terminal Solutions (Thailand) Co., Ltd.

To reduce costs and leverage innovative new Fintech solutions, the Government Saving Bank (GSB) of Thailand chose to outsource its ATM services. While Hitachi Terminal Solutions (Thailand) was initially slated to take on this project, a sudden shift in strategy and a reorganisation within GBS led to a suspension of the original bid and the opening of another new bid for vendors.

Undeterred by this development and determined to secure the project once again, Hitachi Terminal Solutions (Thailand) (HOTS-TH) collaborated with Hitachi Payment Services (HPY) and tapped on their considerable experience in ATM service provision. By demonstrating their joint ability to provide advanced, efficient and convenient solutions to GSB’s customers, HOTS-TH and HPY’s persistence resulted in them securing the project – Hitachi’s first and biggest ATM services project in Thailand.

Harmony Award

Surging sales for Hitachi Refrigerator in Philippines Amidst the Pandemic

Hitachi Asia Ltd. (Philippines Branch)

Despite the pandemic providing a fresh set of challenges and issues for Hitachi Asia’s home appliances business in the Philippines, HAS-PH was able to achieve soaring sales figures of 1 million USD in 2019, with numbers continuing to grow through 2020.

HAS-PH attributes this success to their strong business strategy in 2019, which called for the reinforcement of Hitachi as a premium brand within the Philippine market. In addition to the high quality of products, HAS-PH and Hitachi Home Electronics Asia placed a strong focus on creating strong business relationships with their clients. By establishing collaborative partnerships and maintaining transparent, consistent communication with them, the team was able to achieve successful outcomes for all parties.

Sincerity Award

Balancing Five Ongoing Projects in Parallel During the COVID-19 situation

PT. Hitachi Asia Indonesia

In spite of the COVID-19 situation, Hitachi Asia (Indonesia) displayed remarkable resilience by seeing five simultaneous projects to their scheduled completions. On top of this, HAS-IDN was able to avoid even a single positive COVID-19 case between the project team and the site erection sub-contractors.

This feat was achieved by the team’s ability to remain flexible in unprecedented times. HAS-IDN quickly adapted to the new situation by creating numerous backup roles within the organisation so work could continue in the event any member tested positive, all while implementing a host of safe working arrangements to both comply with customer requirements and minimise the risk of infection.

By successfully balancing safety and efficiency, the HAS-IND demonstrated its value as a reliable vendor capable of completing the work regardless of the circumstances.

Pioneering Spirit Award

Shell MDS Plant Turnaround 2019

Hitachi Asia (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd.

Hitachi Asia (Malaysia) is the main contractor for several of Shell MDS’s factory equipment. Due to a workplace incident involving such equipment that constituted a major safety issue, the Shell MDS plant faced an outage that could have potentially caused major delays for work schedules.

HAS-ML addressed this problem through a series of measures. Firstly, they worked closely with Shell MDS to conduct a thorough analysis of the root cause of the incident, where it was concluded that the incident was an accident rather than non-compliance with safety regulations. Secondly, HAS-ML went beyond the scope of their contract and took the initiative to gather replacement spare parts and equipment to enable the quick resumption of work. Finally, they created a special incentive scheme for all the contractors able to deliver quality work and meet the site work schedule. These initiatives impressed Shell MDS and assured them of the team’s ability to swiftly resolve ad-hoc issues with initiative.

Inspire the World Award

Hitachi Work Safe – Returning to Work Post COVID-19

Hitachi Asia Ltd.

Ensuring the safety of employees in the workplace is a fundamental responsibility for all corporations and Hitachi Asia (HAS) has always prioritized this belief.  The current pandemic has had an impact of monumental proportions on our lives and workplaces. Considering this, (HAS) developed a COVID-19 response plan for the workplace through the implementation of a technological solution. These solutions are set to solve the immediate problems people face, such as returning to the workplace considering the ‘new normal’. The activities proposed will last from now till 2021 and aim to build resiliency. 

The solution we are building is a 10-step response plan for Safety & Compliance at the workplace. As a pilot to showcase the solution, we will integrate a smart tablet at the gantry of the office lobby, which will allow for facial recognition (FR) and human temperature sensing. This will automatically open the gantry to allow staff/visitor to enter the building via contactless entry/exit. The solution will keep all relevant details to ensure everyone complies with local and Hitachi regulations.

Powering Good Award

Hitachi and Chulalongkorn University Sign Memorandum for Cooperative Relationship on Social Innovation in Thailand

Hitachi Asia (Thailand) Co., Ltd.

In early 2020, Hitachi Asia (Thailand) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Chulalongkorn University to cooperate on defining and identifying solutions to the societal challenges that may affect Thailand’s society in the future. This agreement to drive social innovation has led to the both parties’ adoption of Hitachi’s “Kizashi” methodology to identify future trends and business opportunities in Thailand.

With the pandemic, travel became difficult and the planned Kizashi workshop in Thailand was unable to proceed. However, through the sincerity and effort of every member, the workshop was successfully brought online. This ultimately led to the discovery of 10 types of future trends, which were evaluated together with students from the university for further exploration. The project, which will pave the way for future growth in the country, was fuelled by both parties’ shared dream of empowering the future leaders of Thailand to do greater societal good via Hitachi’s Kizashi methodology.