Surbana Jurong and Microsoft to develop cloud-based Smart City in a Box solutions, enhance app offerings

Singapore, 25 November 2016 – Surbana Jurong and Microsoft announced today that they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to jointly develop cloud-based Smart City in a Box solutions, while enhancing its suite of applications, in the Asia Pacific region.

Launched in July 2016, Surbana Jurong’s Smart City in a Box is an integrated set of solutions with a dashboard that allows city officials to load customisable applications (Apps) in four key areas – security, efficiency, sustainability and community (See Annex A). This enables them to track, monitor and manage cities better.

Surbana Jurong will tap into Microsoft’s Azure – a cloud computing platform for building, deploying and managing applications and services through a global network of Microsoft-managed data centres – to upgrade its Smart City in a Box to the cloud, which will bring the following benefits to clients:

• Deployment of Smart City in a Box solutions from anywhere
• Scalability – flexibility to expand and increase capacity
• Cost savings: No need for CAPEX investment in hardware and infrastructure
• Disaster recovery as backup can be provided for Business Continuity Plan
• Automatic software updates

The MOU will also see Surbana Jurong using Microsoft’s technology to enhance its Smart City in a Box with more sophisticated predictive data and stream analytics, cognitive services, sensing technology and machine learning.

Using Microsoft Azure’s predictive analytics services, including machine learning and video analytics, Surbana Jurong will be able to enhance its predictive lift and asset management services.

• Predictive Lift Analytics– New sensors can be installed in lifts to predict breakdowns before they occur, thus shifting the lift maintenance / repair regime from reactive to predictive. By detecting abnormal speeds and jerkiness, the information is fed into the system which uses an algorithm to predict when the lift is likely to fail and trigger an alert for repair / maintenance works before a breakdown occurs. Through predictive analytics, spare parts can be ordered in advance to ensure that they are available when maintenance / repair works need to be carried out.
• Video Analytics– Video analytics can be used to enhance surveillance effectiveness and reduce reliance on manpower to monitor multiple video screens. Video analytics use algorithms to detect situations which may require follow up action. For example, it is able to detect when a person faints in the lift or if a suspicious package is left behind and trigger an alert for help faster. Cost savings will also be achieved in the long run while increasing productivity.

Surbana Jurong will also be able to access Microsoft’s latest research and development, new technology for smart city solutions and open up opportunities for collaboration with each other’s partners.

This MOU is the first of its kind collaboration for Microsoft in the region, which will leverage Surbana Jurong’s live operating experience in Smart City Solutions. Surbana Jurong currently monitors over 24,000 lifts in Singapore’s public housing estates. Microsoft will also gain a partner with mutual interest to develop and adopt solutions from its growing partner ecosystem.

Said Mr Wong Heang Fine, Group CEO of Surbana Jurong Private Limited: “We are very happy to partner Microsoft to enhance our Smart City in a Box solutions. By bringing our Smart City in a Box solutions to the cloud, our clients will be able to deploy more solutions seamlessly across more geographies at a lower cost. They will enjoy scalability and have the latest technology solutions at their fingertips without heavy upfront investments in hardware and software. When implemented, Surbana Jurong’s predictive lift analytics solutions using Microsoft’s technology has the potential to disrupt the market and reshape the way we tackle lift breakdowns. As our predictive analytics capabilities are refined and enhanced over time, we could see a reduction in the number of lift incidents in the future.”

“We are very excited to partner Surbana Jurong. We see great synergies as Microsoft’s leading edge cloud solutions can be deployed in Surbana Jurong’s existing Smart City ecosystem in Singapore’s public housing estates. While we test-bed different solutions in Singapore, we also hope to eventually deploy these in the Asia Pacific region where relevant,” said Mr Alberto Granados, Vice President, Microsoft Asia Pacific.

The MOU was signed by Mr Wong Heang Fine, Group CEO of Surbana Jurong and Mr Alberto Granados, Vice President, Microsoft Asia Pacific during the event at Microsoft Auditorium, One Marina Boulevard.

About Surbana Jurong

Surbana Jurong (SJ) has a rich 50-year heritage in the development of Singapore’s urban, industrial and infrastructure landscape. SJ traces its roots to the Housing Development Board (HDB) and the Jurong Town Corporation (JTC), agencies synonymous with Singapore’s early township and industrialisation efforts.

Headquartered in Singapore, Surbana Jurong Private Limited (SJ) was formed in June 2015 through the merger of renowned urban planning & affordable housing design expert Surbana International Consultants, and Jurong International, Singapore’s premiere industrial and infrastructure engineering design stalwart.

In August 2016, SJ completed a transformational merger with world-renowned infrastructure engineering designer SMEC Holdings. With this complementary merger, SJ now boasts a combined global workforce of 10,000 employees in over 95 offices across 40 countries in Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas. SJ is also presently the largest Asia-based urban, industrial and infrastructure consulting firm. SJ today provides one-stop consultancy solutions across the entire value chain of urbanisation, industrialisation and infrastructure domains.

SJ’s motto ‘Building Cities, Shaping Lives’ reflects its belief that development is more than just steel and concrete. SJ creates spaces and infrastructure services where people live, work and play, shaping cities into homes with sustainable jobs where communities and businesses can flourish.

About Microsoft

Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) is the leading platform and productivity company for the mobile-first, cloud-first world, and its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.

For media enquiries, please contact:

Surbana Jurong

Alvin Hang
Group Director, Group Corporate Communications
T: 6248-1100 |alvin.hangwy@surbanajurong.com

Tian Zhiyuan
Senior Specialist, Group Corporate Communications
T: 6839-8529 | zhiyuan.tian@surbanajurong.com

Microsoft

Verdayne Nunis
Director, Commercial Communications
T: 6888-795 | vnunis@microsoft.com

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Annex A

Smart City in a Box (Full press release – http://bit.ly/2gfQ2Lp)

Dubbed ‘Smart City in a Box’, it is an integrated set of solutions with a dashboard that allows city officials to load customisable applications (Apps) in four key areas – security, efficiency, sustainability and community, enabling them to track, monitor and manage cities better

• Smart City in a Box launched in July 2016 with eight modules
• Some of the Apps provided in the first batch include:

1. Sustainability: energy saving e.g. smart lighting, energy usage monitoring
2. Security: facial recognition technology, water quality monitoring, smart lock, fire and smoke detection
3. People: feedback and engagement
4. Efficiency: asset upkeep and maintenance

• Working with Surbana Jurong’s city planners, customers can choose to deploy the relevant Apps from this set of solutions.
• A survey conducted in July earlier this year by Surbana Jurong amongst city leaders on Smart City readiness in conjunction with the World City Summit, revealed that over two thirds of city leaders listed that they are reliant on other cities for water and a quarter are also reliant on other cities for ICT services.
• The Smart City in a Box aims to address the need for a coherent and coherent and standardised set of technology solutions to manage city operations.
• Surbana Jurong’s integrated smart city solutions were developed from over 30 years of experience deploying its proprietary Integrated Estate Management System (IEMS) in Singapore’s public housing estates. The IEMS helps to monitor, relay, and analyse information to facilitate estate management.

About Surbana Jurong

Surbana Jurong (SJ) has a rich 50-year heritage in the development of Singapore’s urban, industrial and infrastructure landscape. SJ traces its roots to the Housing Development Board (HDB) and the Jurong Town Corporation (JTC), agencies synonymous with Singapore’s early township and industrialisation efforts.

Headquartered in Singapore, Surbana Jurong Private Limited (SJ) was formed in June 2015 through the merger of renowned urban planning & affordable housing design expert Surbana International Consultants, and Jurong International, Singapore’s premiere industrial and infrastructure engineering design stalwart.

In August 2016, SJ acquired world-renowned infrastructure engineering designer SMEC Holdings. It also announced on 13 October 2016 that it has acquired 100% shareholdings in AETOS Holdings Pte Ltd (AETOS) from Temasek (an investment company based in Singapore), which will expand Surbana Jurong’s overall service offerings to include safety and security capabilities.

With these latest acquisitions, the Surbana Jurong Group will now have a global workforce of almost 13,000 employees in over 95 offices across 40 countries in Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas, with an annual turnover of around S$1.3 billion.

SJ is also presently the largest Asia-based urban, industrial and infrastructure consulting firm. SJ today provides one-stop consultancy solutions across the entire value chain of urbanisation, industrialisation and infrastructure domains.

SJ’s motto ‘Building Cities, Shaping Lives’ reflects its belief that development is more than just steel and concrete. SJ creates spaces and infrastructure services where people live, work and play, shaping cities into homes with sustainable jobs where communities and businesses can flourish.