- Focus on continuous improvements and new benchmarking exercises to elevate safety and operational standards;
- UEM Edgenta and PLUS continue to be at the forefront to support national recovery efforts and spur economic growth;
- UEM Edgenta open to partnerships with local businesses and SMEs to leverage its technology-enabled solutions for the infrastructure and facilities management sectors.
Full Release: Kuala Lumpur, 30 March – UEM Edgenta Berhad (“UEM Edgenta” or “Company”), the region’s leading Asset Management and Infrastructure Solutions company and PLUS Malaysia Berhad (“PLUS”) consolidated their strong partnership in a collaboration that will see the expansion of digital solutions in highway maintenance operations, developed primarily to elevate service delivery and in support of national aspirations recently announced by the Ministry of Works (“MoW”).
UEM Edgenta, through Edgenta PROPEL Berhad, its Infrastructure Solutions arm, has provided highway maintenance services to PLUS since 1988. Since then, the Company has continually adopted innovative technologies that enhance operational efficiencies and safety standards to become one of the region’s leading highway maintenance service providers. The use of advanced technology such as Internet of Things (“IoT”) and machine learning has enabled UEM Edgenta to deliver better service quality and actionable insights via real-time data streams that flow into the Company’s Command & Contact Centre (“CnC”), located at its headquarters in Kuala Lumpur. The Company then leverages on predictive analytics to detect potential faults and enhance predictive maintenance for a smarter asset management approach.
“Using advanced technology, we developed the Road Asset Management System (“RAMS”), which enables us to plan short and long-term road maintenance activities, prioritising our responsibilities of managing over 1,000 kilometres of highway assets for PLUS. The key advantage of this system, combined with our experience and discipline, is the convenience to design long-term asset management plans and maintain optimal timing of maintenance works at multiple locations,” said Syahrunizam Samsudin, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of UEM Edgenta during a joint UEM Edgenta and PLUS Top Management site visit to Bertam, Penang that took place yesterday.
Due to the ongoing Conditional Movement Control Order (“CMCO”) that limits inter-state travelling nationwide, the reduction in highway use has enabled PLUS and UEM Edgenta to conduct continuous improvement activities and new benchmarking exercises to explore and set enhanced safety and operational standards.
Some of the improvement plans introduced following the exercise conducted from 2019 throughout 2020 are the streamlining of the Service Level Agreement (“SLA”) between PLUS Master Maintenance Agreement and Malaysian Highway Authority (“MHA”) M1 service level standards; establishing the Desired Service Level maintenance kit; the bundling or packaging of maintenance activities; assessment of asset condition adoption of the ‘Traffic Light Concept’ in addition to rationalisation of standard tools, equipment and consumable items; as well as output based contracting.
According to the Managing Director of PLUS, Datuk Azman Ismail, “Our inter-urban highway network is a critical link for the nation, and contributes to stimulating economic growth, especially during this phase of national recovery. As the guardian of this asset, PLUS is committed to continue serving highway users for commercial or leisure purposes.”
Responding to the aspirations announced by the MoW in its launch of the Strategic Organisation Plan for the Ministry, Datuk Azman looks forward to a close collaboration between PLUS and UEM Edgenta in supporting one of the Ministry’s key aspirations of ‘enhancing organisational governance to improve the efficiency of service delivery’.
“UEM Edgenta’s highway maintenance operations service partner network has over 200 experienced and capable Bumiputera companies who have grown sustainably with PLUS for over 30 years, to maintain our assets and keep the highways in prime condition for the convenience of our users. We value them as key stakeholders in our network and will always ensure their welfare and well-being are taken care of, as we move to transition into the post-pandemic economy,” he added.
For UEM Edgenta, Syahrunizam said the Company is also keen to use its knowledge base and support the government, local companies and SMEs operating in the infrastructure and facilities management ecosystem to realise another aspiration announced by MoW – ‘to expand the use of digital technology in infrastructure development and maintenance’.
He added, “The majority of our diversified client base in Malaysia operates under the purview of MoW, regulated through the Ministry’s agencies, including the Public Works Department (“JKR”) MHA and Construction Industry Development Board (“CIDB”). Enhancing the capabilities of people and SMEs operating in this space, especially to share our experience in adopting technology solutions in these industries, is an effort UEM Edgenta is keen to spearhead. We have an established Leadership Centre in the Klang Valley which serves as the hub for this effort and will propose to MoW on possibilities in this area.”
UEM Edgenta and PLUS are also committed to play their part as responsible corporate citizens through various programmes, including a cash relief disbursement to highway maintenance front liners in appreciation of their contributions throughout the pandemic. Furthermore, the Company has recently completed COVID-19 screenings nationwide for all of its essential front liners, including from Healthcare Support Services (“HSS”) and Property & Facility Solutions (“PFS”) businesses, as part of its commitment to provide added assurance to all its stakeholders that the services delivered by the Company are in line with current health and safety protocols.
