[10012017] Singapore Power joins global utilities in plan to enlist startupshttps://www.spgroup.com.sg/dam/jcr:1ca77a53-0ed5-4491-b7f1-3755f8caf616asese k of em, hat the ainh is inilop s in m- ate gal les. this ort lts. ort and feancy ing lso ed ang in- GP Ka rs, of colrts ese the erga- the orrs. ith rmtahat yce to ur- TC) 5. system and has made a difference to a future generation of lawyers. 4 | TOPSTORIES The Singapore Power joins In the pipeline global utilities in plan to enlist startups CJ urges legal sector to embrace march of technology Sundaresh Menon endorses tech blueprint for Singapore courts over next five years By Claire Huang huangjy@sph.com.sg @ClaireHuangBT Singapore DEVELOPMENTS in technology have forced lawyers to rethink practice areas and legal eagles in Singapore must stride towards these advances “with receptive openness”. This, as technology is expected to improve the quality of services and lead to cost savings for law firms, and ultimately, for society, said Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon at the opening of the legal year at the Supreme Court on Monday. Already, online dispute resolution platforms that allow users to find resolution without having to litigate have been implemented in the Netherlands, CJ Menon said, adding that it is “likely just a matter of time” before for the courts over the next five years. A unified One Judiciary IT Steering committee would also be set up to review, revise and update the blueprint initiatives. In tandem, the Singapore Academy of Law (SAL) presented its Legal Technology Vision outlining the aims of adopting legal tech and incubating a legal tech scene here. One of the aims, specifically targeting small- and medium-sized law firms, is to encourage adoption of baseline technologies, including office productivity suites, billing and practice management systems. Another is to look into the possibility of collaborative and shared virtual platforms and workspaces, as well as web- and cloud-based tools that can be accessed remotely. This could create a virtual marketplace that matches demand for and supply of Supreme Court ■ Amendments to Criminal Procedure Code to establish Rules Committee expected later this year He also touched on the appointment of three Senior Counsels – judicial commissioner Edmund Leow who is returning to the private sector, the Attorney-General’s Chambers’ (AGC) solicitor-general Kwek Mean Luck, and deputy chief prosecutor of the these avenues that “blend negotiation, mediation and arbitration” legal services, provide information could By be applied Andrea in fields such as motor accident workplace injury yers clients. AGC, Francis Ng. Soh and rating tools for the benefit of law- claims, as well as insurance claims or A further goal is to create fresh sandrea@sph.com.sg disputes. legal technologies by finding ways to To harness technology to enhance link the legal sector up with innovative professionals from other discip- the @AndreaSohBT administration of justice, he has endorsed the technology blueprint lines, said Mr Menon. Singapore SINGAPORE Power has joined the By Claire start-up Huang bandwagon. The pilot programme, The launched grid operator owned by Temasek Holdings on huangjy@sph.com.sg by Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon at @ClaireHuangBT the opening of the legal year 2017, is Singapore expected to be expanded later to include shipping law and arbitration. said Mr Menon. TO help the public identify lawyers The move is meant to improve the who Monday have expertise in certain launched practice accelerator programme with eral, without seven disadvantaging other those interna- quality of Singapore’s legal services areas, the Singapore Academy of Law and the standard of the Bar in gen- (SAL) has rolled out a voluntary accreditation scheme so practitioners who choose to remain non-accredited, he said. can apply to have their skills recognisedtional utilities “Participation in to the scheme help will energy For a start, lawyers specialising be entirely voluntary and will not be building and construction law can apply under the Specialist Accreditation lawyers will continue to be able to exclusionary. Thus, non-accredited start-ups gain exposure to various Scheme. The first batch of accredited practise in their field, in the same way specialists markets in this field will around be announced in January 2018. Senior Counsel are nonetheless able senior lawyers are exempted. that those who are not world. appointed The Free Electrons accelerator programme Toyota aims come to on recruit board energy to Scania, test-bed start-ups truck to co-create platooning the system next generation Hwee Hwee of ideas year, and in their respective solutions research address- By Tan hweetan@sph.com.sg centres in Sweden and Japan. One of @HweetanBT the two companies will be selected ing future Singapore trends based on the outcomes in clean of the phase 1 energy and trials to proceed into phase 2 projected from 2018, during which trials and trucking industry.” IF the truck platooning trials starting from energy early 2017 go according efficiency, to plan, among other areas, and development of the technology multiple truckloads of cargo at Singapore’s port can be transported will take place in Singapore. between SP terminals said. by just one driver The trials in Singapore will initially in the near future. involve transporting containers from This autonomous freight technology calls for one human-driven truck Pasir Panjang Terminal to Brani Terminal the Singapore port. A 10-kilo- The firm initiated the programme to lead a convoy of one or more driverless with trucks. Coast Highway has been designated metre long test route along West movement. Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, Scania and Toyota to Electricity test-bed The Ministry of Transport and PSA for the phase 2 trials. The inter-terminal haulage may eventually be penned the agreements on Monday with scaled up to include Supply haulage within Board in Ireland, the truck platooning system for use the port area and between Pasir Panjang Terminals and the Tuas Port. on Singapore’s public roads. These agreements followed Energias a memorandum Taking de on truck Portugal, platooning will Innogy in of understanding inked by the Ministry of Transport and PSA in October well as allow for more freight move- help alleviate manpower shortage as Germany, Tokyo Electric Power Company truck platooning (Tepco), trials will Permanent and Secretary Origin for Trans- Energy and 2015 to collaborate and co-fund truck ment at night to ease traffic congestion. drivers needed. platooning projects. The take place in two phases over a port and Chairman of the Committee three-year period from January 2017 on Autonomous Road Transport in to December Ausnet 2019. Scania and Services Toyota Singapore, Pang Kin Keong Australia. said: Together the eight utilities have 73 mil- will undertake first phase of the “Trucking as we know it today is a and managers. truck platooning trials lasting about a highly labour-intensive industry. We lion end customers across more than 40 countries, and a combined net income of US$148 pany plans to billion. collaborate with A*Star By Amit Roy Choudhury Under the MOU, the British com- amit@sph.com.sg @AmitRoyCBT to establish technology centres here Singapore to exploit growing capabilities in Internet of Things (IoT) will and advanced be managed haul) applications. BRITISH The aero-engine programme maker Rolls-Royce and A*Star signed a manufacturing technology in the industrial, healthcare, transport and memorandum of understanding (MOU) by on Jan two 9 to advance accelerator its digital other sectors. The partners proposed centres in Silicon capabilities and, at the same time, facilitate the growth of the supporting sensor technology design laboratory dustries can benefit from”. are likely to include a collaborative Valley: New Energy Nexus and swissnex in Singapore San since 1950, Francisco. conics. It may also include digital ecosystem in Singapore. on developing IoT sensors using Rolls-Royce, which has been nanotechnology and microelectron- present They a collaborative have extensive systems networks business. At its Se- create in solutions the to innovation connect sensors ecosyssiders the country a key regional hub computational science development for its civil, defence, marine and laboratory, among other purposes, to power letar campus it assembles and tests with the digital value chain, including aero engines that power the Airbus analytics software, applications 380 tem and the Boeing and 787 Dreamliner. have design experience and cybersecurity. and expertise patented in hollow, connecting titanium turing capabilities innovators, including digital said SP. Singapore is also the only place outside of the UK where it manufactures tegic development of future manufac- The MOU also proposes the stra- its wide-chord fan blade. manufacturing and advanced manu- As part of the six-month programme, 12 start-ups will gain exposure to various markets around the world by collaborating with major utility firms in three separate week-long modules in Silicon Valley, Lisbon and Dublin, and Singapore. The Singapore leg, as the final module, will focus on contracting pilot projects between the start-ups and utilities, according to the Free Electrons website. It will also include an overview of Singapore’s startup ecosystem and market, a final pitch event and an awards ceremony. In between modules, there will be ongoing conversations in the form of technical and business mentoring, and discussions on pilot opportunities. Being part of Free Electrons allows SP to foster international collaboration with some of the world’s largest international utilities, as well as partner some of the world’s most promising startups to develop solutions that could shape Singapore’s, and the world’s, energy future, he added. The initiative by the eight utilities comes at a time of tremendous industry transformation worldwide due to the growing popularity of renewable energy, the decentralisation of the energy system, regulatory uncertainties and disruptive new technologies. In Singapore, the electricity market is also set to be fully liberalised from mid-2018 onwards. Already, numerous independent electricity retailers banking on technology for a competitive edge have entered the market in the past two years, BT recently reported. The Free Electrons programme is open for applications from Jan 9 to Feb 28 this year. The selected start-ups will be announced in April. ■ Civil Justice Commission to wrap up review of processes by year-end ■ Review of medical litigation procedures to be finalised this year ■ Refinement of the Singapore International Commercial Court's rules under way State Courts ■ Employment Claims Tribunal − set up to help employees resolve salary-related disputes in a fast and affordable way − is expected to operate in April ■ New State Courts Tower to be operational by 2020 Family Justice Courts ■ Tweaks to the family justice system are in progress, including devising norms for child maintenance to be based on actuarial data and setting clear professional standards for practitioners In closing his speech, the Chief Justice paid a tribute to outgoing Attorney-General (AG) VK Rajah, who steps down on Jan 13. Congratulating Mr Rajah for his “many remarkable to practise as advocates. But accreditation will function as a mark of recognition that a particular lawyer in fact has particular skills and expertise,” The scheme will have two tiers: a lower tier (accredited specialist) for younger legal practitioners and an upper tier (senior accredited specialist) for more experienced legal practitioners. Candidates will be selected by a panel comprising judges, legal practitioners and industry professionals. The assessment is based on the candidate’s involvement in the practice area and panel interview, among other things. Younger lawyers will have to sit an examination while face a shortage of truck drivers. In this regard, truck platooning technology presents us with an opportunity to boost productivity in both the port PSA International’s regional CEO for South-east Asia, Ong Kim Pong said the progress made in truck platooning “underlines our joint commitment to being future-ready, while also helping us to continue to serve our customers better through fast and efficient inter-terminal container The Business Times understands under 2 million teus (20 foot equivalent units) of cargo annually are being transported between terminals using trucks. One industry observer estimated using truck platoons with one lead and two autonomous trucks in each platoon, PSA may save S$10 million annually or S$7 per teu moved over land by reducing the number of Mr Pang said that by taking on truck platooning, truck drivers will be offered opportunities to take on higher-skilled roles as fleet operators This falls in line with a drive in the facturing technologies and processes for manufacturing, assembly and MRO (maintenance, repair and over- Ian Davis, Rolls-Royce chairman, said that by “sharing our world leading expertise in digital technology”, Rolls-Royce and A*Star can together build a digital ecosystem “that all in- Mr Davis said that with its Smart Nation initiative, Singapore has demonstrated that it is “continually transforming, able and inventive”. That is why Singapore is a compelling partner to work with on “some of our digital strategy streams”, he added. He said that the MOU would expand and deepen the company’s capabilities in Singapore. He added that 90 per cent of the company’s sales comes from outside its UK home market. He added: “Today 50 per cent of Source: Singapore Supreme Court The specialist accreditation will have to be renewed every two years. SAL said the scheme is expected to benefit more than 900 legal practitioners who practise building and construction law. Former Law Society president and senior counsel Lok Vi Ming, who now runs his own dispute resolution practice, welcomed the accreditation scheme as it will “encourage practitioners to keep up with latest developments in a particular industry or practice area” and will ramp up different expertise. “The public is always looking for product differentiation – people who can deliver better in a particular area larger maritime industry to align job profiles with the aspirations of younger, more technologically savvy Singaporeans. Mr Ong opined that it is timely to move on to the next steps in developing autonomous truck platooning technology as PSA prepares for its future terminals in Tuas. PSA is building the next-generation port (NGP) from our aircraft (engine) sales come from Asia, in 20 years 70 per cent of of our sales will come from this region.” Singapore’s importance lies in the fact that it is a major engine repair and maintenance centre of the company. A*Star chairman, Lim Chuan Poh, noted that Singapore is the largest aviation hub in Asia. The total output from the aerospace industry in Singapore is worth S$8.3 billion out of which 90 per cent comes from MRO activities and the rest from manufacturing. The sector employs 20,000 highly-skilled talent with the vast majority being locals, Mr Lim said. Singapore hosts more than 100 aerospace companies. These include multinationals such as Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier and Rolls-Royce, and local enterprises such as ST Aerospace, SIA Engineering Com- achievements over the course of more than three decades in the law”, Mr Menon said: “You have devoted yourself tirelessly to advancing the interests of justice throughout your career. There can be no higher calling for a lawyer; and you have discharged it with great distinction.” Veteran lawyer Lucien Wong has been appointed the new AG and will serve a three-year term. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong also thanked Mr Rajah for his outstanding contributions to Singapore in a valedictory letter dated Jan 4. “Of particular note were your decisions that concerned criminal law. You delivered landmark rulings that clarified the law on criminal liability for common intention, as well as aspects of the law on sentencing. These Voluntary scheme started to accredit specialist lawyers One driver, multiple trucks Driver in first container truck leading 3* driverless trucks Lead vehicle linked to the platoon via wireless communications of expertise and if you have a mark of excellence that is presented to them, they will gravitate towards that mark,” added Mr Lok. The SAL is also developing the Legal Industry Framework for Training and Education (Lifted), which is part of the nationwide SkillsFuture initiative and will help lawyers develop core and specialist competencies in their areas of practice. For a start, Lifted will identify competencies and courses for corporate and commercial law, family law, legal technologies and legal support roles. It will be implemented in phases this year, starting with legal support roles. scratch at Tuas. Smarter, greener and automated, the NGP at Tuas will feature technology-boosting efficiency and productivity as well as improving safety and security. PSA is also test-bedding automated guided vehicles (AGVs) at the Pasir Panjang Terminal. The AGV technology is intended to be implemented at the NGP at Tuas. Rolls-Royce signs MOU with A*Star to deepen collaboration CJ Menon also paid tribute to outgoing Attorney-General VK Rajah (inset), who steps down on Jan 13. PHOTO: THE STRAITS TIMES, FILE PHOTO Coupling and de-coupling to allow other road users to cross between platoon vehicles Incorporates vehicle detection, anti-collision and lateral control technologies for safety *Number of trucks in each platoon may vary according to trial results. Source: PSA and Ministry of Transport pany, Wah Son Engineering, and Ka Shin Technologies. Mr Lim noted that over the years, Rolls-Royce has proven to be one of A*Star’s most valuable partners in collaborative research that “kick-starts innovation” for the industry. “These initiatives not only contribute to the local aerospace sector, but to the overall manufacturing landscape in Singapore,” he added. In 2007, Rolls-Royce joined the A*Star Aerospace Programme consortium as one of its founding members. In 2011, it established a Joint Lab with A*Star’s Institute of High Performance Computing (IHPC) in computational engineering. Mr Lim added that Singapore worked with Rolls-Royce and a few other industry partners to set up the Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Centre (ARTC) which was officially opened in 2015. Business Times | Tuesday, January 10, 2017 judgements reflected your commitment to a fair criminal justice system that tempers justice with compassion,” Mr Lee wrote. He added that Mr Rajah has done much to improve Singapore’s legal system and has made a difference to a future generation of lawyers. Singapore Power joins global utilities in plan to enlist startups By Andrea Soh sandrea@sph.com.sg @AndreaSohBT Singapore SINGAPORE Power has joined the start-up bandwagon. The grid operator owned by Temasek Holdings on Monday launched an accelerator programme with seven other international utilities to help energy start-ups gain exposure to various markets around the world. The Free Electrons accelerator programme aims to recruit energy start-ups to co-create the next generation of ideas and solutions addressing future trends in clean energy and energy efficiency, among other areas, SP said. The firm initiated the programme with Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, Electricity Supply Board in Ireland, Energias de Portugal, Innogy in Germany, Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco), and Origin Energy and Ausnet Services in Australia. Together the eight utilities have 73 million end customers across more than 40 countries, and a combined net income of US$148 billion. The programme will be managed by two accelerator partners in Silicon Valley: New Energy Nexus and swissnex San Francisco. They have extensive networks in the innovation ecosystem and have experience and expertise in connecting innovators, said SP. As part of the six-month programme, 12 start-ups will gain exposure to various markets around the world by collaborating with major utility firms in three separate week-long modules in Silicon Valley, Lisbon and Dublin, and Singapore. The Singapore leg, as the final module, will focus on contracting pilot projects between the start-ups and utilities, according to the Free Electrons website. It will also include an overview of Singapore’s startup ecosystem and market, a final pitch event and an awards ceremony. In between modules, there will be ongoing conversations in the form of technical and business mentoring, and discussions on pilot opportunities. Being part of Free Electrons allows SP to foster international collaboration with some of the world’s largest international utilities, as well as partner some of the world’s most promising startups to develop solutions that could shape Singapore’s, and the world’s, energy future, he added. The initiative by the eight utilities comes at a time of tremendous industry transformation worldwide due to the growing popularity of renewable energy, the decentralisation of the energy system, regulatory uncertainties and disruptive new technologies. In Singapore, the electricity market is also set to be fully liberalised from mid-2018 onwards. Already, numerous independent electricity retailers banking on technology for a competitive edge have entered the market in the past two years, BT recently reported. The Free Electrons programme is open for applications from Jan 9 to Feb 28 this year. The selected start-ups will be announced in April. Source: The Business times © Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Permission required for reproduction.