Hirose Implements Hubble for Single-Level Ground Operations & OLS Compliance

We are excited to welcome Hirose Singapore (Hirose), a leader in steel precast and heavy temporary steel materials leasing, as our new client. By implementing our Hubble Aura IoT for Resources Tracking (Hubble Aura IoT), Hirose is now able to track their workers' locations in real-time, fulfilling the requirements of the Off-site Levy Scheme (OLS). Read our customer success story below on how this implementation significantly enhances their operational efficiency and safety standards. 

Company Background of Hirose

Hirose has provided heavy temporary steel materials essential for various construction projects, including civil infrastructure and building construction since 2009. Their critical materials include:

• Steel deck panels: Maintain traffic flow in large-scale urban development and provide access platforms within work sites. Form temporary floor surfaces for vehicular access in water or drainage projects.

• Steel sheet-piles: Used as retaining walls in civil engineering and foundation works.

• Steel H-Beam: Used as soldier piles in retaining wall systems and as structural members supporting road deck panels.

• Steel support members: Provide stability in deep excavations.

Challenges of a 11,335m² Steel Site

Steel materials at Hirose's site cause challenges in accurate location tracking. Steel surfaces reflect Bluetooth signals, leading to interference and reduced signal quality. Additionally, steel absorbs Bluetooth signals, weakening the signal further. The more steel between the dongle and the anchor, the weaker the signal.

Another challenge is Hirose site layout, which includes an indoor production area and an outdoor storage area. Rainy weather in the outdoor area exacerbates signal interference and Bluetooth inaccuracies in IoT devices.

Hirose is also seeking ways to manage rising labour costs without sacrificing productivity, while complying with the latest dependency ratio ceiling (DRC) announced by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), effective January 1, 2024. 

Hirose's indoor site

Hirose's outdoor site

How Hubble Aura IoT for Resources Tracking Supported Hirose 

Real-time Worker Location Tracking with Bluetooth Location Anchors, IP67 Bluetooth Dongles and LoRaWan Gateway

Our team conducts multiple site surveys and strategically places Bluetooth location anchors in areas with minimal obstruction, optimising their placement to ensure strong, stable signals. Anchors are positioned every 30 to 50 metres, with adjustments based on site layout and interference. Additional anchors in high-interference areas help maintain coverage and accuracy, compensating for signal loss due to steel structures.

Mapping installation of Bluetooth Location Anchors throughout Hirose indoor and outdoor site

In addition, the location anchors have 5-year battery life and waterproof design, providing reliable performance in various environments, including Hirose’s outdoor storage areas. This feature ensures consistent connectivity and accurate tracking.

Workers are assigned Bluetooth dongles, which they carry around the site for location tracking. These dongles have a range of 50 to 300 metres and an IP67 rating, indicating they are waterproof and dustproof. This robust design makes them ideal for challenging environments, maintaining reliable connectivity despite exposure to elements and interference from steel structures. Hubble Aura IoT uses a combination of Bluetooth and other IoT technologies, such as Wi-Fi for the LoRaWan Gateway, to ensure more reliable and consistent connectivity. 

Achieve Cost Savings with Worker Levy Reductions under OLS

One effective strategy of managing rising labour costs is to leverage technology to optimise workforce management and achieve cost savings. Accredited Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DfMA) operators like Hirose can now enjoy significant worker levy reductions under the BCA OLS. These reductions can be up to 47% per work permit holder, potentially saving up to SGD 300,000 annually for 100 work permit holders. Achieving these savings requires implementing a robust worker management system that ensures:

Live Location Tracking

With workers carrying Bluetooth dongles and the installation of location anchors and a LoRaWAN Gateway on-site, Hirose can experience real-time tracking of their workers' locations throughout the entire indoor and outdoor site.

Location-based information through geofencing

The platform’s real-time location tracking capabilities allow Hirose to continuously monitor and view worker positions, ensuring they remain within designated safe zones. Users can also click into the workers’ profile on the floorplan to see their full details in the profiles, ensuring the qualified workers are at the right site. Supervisors can also receive alerts if workers are outside of the geofenced areas for immediate corrective actions. 

Ensure qualified workers are at the right locations by clicking into their profile

The platform also has the ability to efficiently search multiple workers in one go and filter workers by details such as company, along with the floorplan view, enabling Hirose to optimise worker allocation and planning. This helps in overcoming the challenge posed by complex site layouts like Hirose’s and ensures effective management of manpower resources.

Easy Filtering and Multiple Selection of Companies 

Seamless Searching of Multiple Workers by Name

Uneditable records of workers' locations

Lastly, the platform ensures uneditable worker location records by generating the workers’ movement summary reports directly from the platform in an Excel sheet format. This helps to prevent data tampering and ensures precise location records.

Manpower Movement Summary Report Generation 

Conclusion

Integrating Hubble Aura IoT has enabled Hirose to overcome site management and manpower tracking challenges in steel-intensive environments. This integration enhances their operational efficiency, safety standards, and regulatory compliance, setting a new benchmark for workforce management in the construction industry.