Overall picture

Singapore has been consistently ranked favourably as one of the best places to do business in the world, and this comes as no surprise. In the latest Doing Business Project 2009 undertaken by the World Bank Group, Singapore came out tops in several categories.

The categories that Singapore was ranked first included:

* The ease of doing business

A high ranking on the ease of doing business index means that the regulatory environment is conducive to the operation of a business. Also, the Singapore economy is based on free enterprise, with no restrictions on foreign ownership of business.

* Employing workers

Employing workers measures the flexibility of labour laws among various countries over the world. It examines the difficulty of hiring a new worker, rigidity in terms of working hours and problems faced while dismissing a worker.

* Trading across borders

This ease of trading across borders criteria includes documentation, time and cost to export and import. Singapore is also ranked first for having the most open economy for international trade and investment by the World Economic Forum.

Taxation

Singapore is business friendly and an ideal country for company formation because of the ease with which taxes can be filed and paid, and also its low corporate tax rates relative to many developed economies in the world. From Year of Assessment 2010 onwards, the corporate tax rate of Singapore is to be 17%, just 0.5% higher than that of Hong Kong – Singapore’s closest competitor in the Asia region.

However, the effective tax rate is significantly lower than most of the countries, if not all the countries, in the region. With a further reduction in the 1% from 18% to 17% in corporate tax rate, it will enhance Singapore’s appeal to attract investment dollars.

In addition, the Singapore Government has been actively trying to encourage the growth of a knowledge-based economy and have in place a myriad of tax incentives – thereby lowering the effective tax rates of companies. Some of the tax incentives schemes handed out by the Economic Development Board of Singapore (EDB) include:

* Pioneer Industries

The EDB may grant pioneer incentive to an approved industry which is not being carried on in Singapore on a scale adequate to the economic needs of Singapore, and for which there are favourable prospects for development. The tax relief period of a pioneer enterprise shall commence on its production day and shall continue for such period, not exceeding 15 years.

* Pioneer Service Companies

Similar to the Pioneer Industries scheme, it is granted to services which fall under the list of ‘qualifying activities’. These include any engineering or technical services such as laboratory, consultancy and research and development activities, computer-based information and other computer related services, the development or production of any industrial design and such other services or activities as may be prescribed.

* Development & Expansion Incentive

A tax relief period of up to 10 years as the Minister may determine not exceeding 5 years for each period may be granted upon approval to the manufacturing or increased manufacturing of any product from any industry that would be of economic benefit to Singapore.

* Enhanced Tax Deduction for Research & Development (R&D) expenses

Where a taxpayer directly carries out qualifying R&D activities in Singapore, he can claim a further deduction of 50% of the amount of qualifying R&D expenses incurred. This is in addition to the 100% deduction he can claim for such expenditure.

Treaties and Agreements

Currently, Singapore has signed 18 free trade agreements (FTAs) with many of the world leading economies including the United States of America, Japan, Korea, and China. There are also 5 on-going FTA negotiations, with countries like India and Mexico. In the words of International Enterprise (IE) Singapore, these FTAs act as “superhighways that connect Singapore to major economies and new markets”. The FTAs have lowered the cost of doing business by reducing or eliminating tariffs, easing investment rules, and enhancing intellectual property regulations.

On the tax front, Singapore has also concluded many Double Taxation Agreements (DTAs) with other jurisdictions. This provides certainty to businesses regarding when and how tax is to be imposed, thereby reducing compliance costs. DTAs also allow companies to claim for relief of taxes paid overseas. To date, Singapore has signed and ratified comprehensive DTAs with 60 countries, 7 limited treaties and 4 more which are signed but not ratified.

In essence, with efficient planning and structuring, Singapore is a great jurisdiction for company incorporation, as it results in a higher net profit after tax. The efficient economy, good infrastructure, skilled workforce and sound economic policies in place has certainly boosted Singapore’s reputation an ideal jurisdiction to do business in.

Even those who enjoy cooking do not enjoy cleaning up after cooking. And those who do not enjoy cooking, and are doing it only because there are no options, would simply hate cleaning up after cooking. Something similar to this happens inside a factory or industry environment. Even those, who are quite good in operating the plant machinery, may not enjoy cleaning up all that machinery with sharp edges or convoluted parts, after the work. While they may thoroughly dislike doing it directly with their hands, having the right industrial cleaning equipment like pressure washers, steam cleaners, tube cleaners, and an industrial sweeper, would make the work much easier for them.

Still, even with good industrial cleaning equipment like an industrial sweeper, staff and workers of a factory are unlikely to enjoy the cleaning up job, the way they enjoy their main job. Doing the productive part of the work at the factory gives people some creative satisfaction, but mopping up after the work does not. Cleaning is an act that does not give any productive satisfaction, even if it is done with the right industrial cleaning equipment.

However, the job of cleaning will give a lot of creative satisfaction, so far it is done as a business, with profit motive. That is why the crew of any industrial cleaning service would be absolutely comfortable with the job. And with the type of industrial cleaning equipment that they have at their disposal, the job will be fast and through. Many companies prefer to engage industrial cleaning agencies to do their cleaning job precisely because they understand this work philosophy from their own experience.

All industrial cleaning equipment, including an industrial sweeper, are specially designed to perform the complicated industrial cleaning tasks, while human hands are not. And each new model of the industrial cleaning equipment that reaches the market performs better than the older model. The industrial sweeper that are in use now operate so silently that it has made noise pollution due to cleaning a thing of the past.

Double brooms are a great advantage with an industrial sweeper, and a fact that makes it one of the best industrial cleaning equipment. The side broom circulates at a much lower speed than the main broom in front, since the job of the side broom is mainly to direct debris into the cleaning path of the main broom.

Another big plus point of an industrial sweeper is that it has been developed to satisfy all ergonomic requirements, which means that the size, shape, and height of this industrial cleaning equipment is such that the user is unlikely to have any form of strain injuries or posture-related problems even if they have to operate the machine on a daily basis. Because of the adjustable handle of the industrial sweeper, people of any height can use it without any discomfort.

Huge warehouses are an essential part of many businesses, and so the responsibility for warehouse cleaning becomes an essential part of the lives of those business owners. Manufacturers, wholesalers, exporters, and those in any business that requires bulk storing, need warehouses for storing their goods. Warehouse cleaning becomes an exacting job because these are large buildings, which go up to considerable heights, and so the surface to be cleaned is substantial.

Industrial cleaning machines are imperative for the cleaning of such large areas. Some business owners prefer to manage their warehouse cleaning jobs themselves, whereas others hire warehouse cleaning agencies to do the job. Both options have its pluses and minuses. Where the warehouse is pretty large, buying their own industrial cleaning machines may work out cheaper in the long run for some businesses, than hiring warehouse cleaning agencies. However, doing the job themselves will involve some additional expenses outside the actual cost of the machines, and these should be taken into consideration before deciding to invest in big things like industrial cleaning machines.

Once you buy a whole set of industrial cleaning machines, you will have to oversee their repair and maintenance also. Though these machines may work well for the first couple of years, pretty soon they will start needing spare parts and frequent servicing to ensure optimum performance. Further, you will require trained staff to manage the warehouse cleaning satisfactorily. Top portions of a warehouse are generally accessible only through a ladder, and every one may not be capable of handling it.

If the existing staff is not up to managing the warehouse cleaning even if the company has its own industrial cleaning machines, extra staff might have to be hired for doing the job. That would be another expense. Even if the company has got staff who can manage the job, diverting them from their regular job to do the warehouse cleaning may not work out practical for all companies. Whether it is practical or not would depend upon the type of business the company is doing.

On the other hand, if you hire a warehouse cleaning agency, you will not have to worry anything about the maintenance and repair of the machines, or also about managing the job. That means you are free to concentrate fully on what is the main profit generating area of your business. And when you hire an agency, or even just hire industrial cleaning machines, there are bound to be tax benefits, since the charges will be shown as operating costs or expenses. In short, both options have its merits and demerits. The answer to the question, whether entrusting the warehouse cleaning job to an outside agency would be profitable or not, would depend upon the type of business that is being done, and the extent of the company’s ability to manage their warehouse cleaning themselves.

Various mixing vessels are designed to make mixing processes very effective, multipurpose and multitasking. MAXBLEND, as a mixing vessel, is far more superior to any traditional mixing vessels. Its mixing technology is advantageous for mixing due to its highly enhanced functionalities. It utilizes half the power that is required to drive most other mixing vessels; it manages efficiently a huge range of substances of varying viscosity; it handles industrial operations at changing level of liquid and it doesn’t have room for waste.

The mixing vessel provides the ultimate in flexible manufacturing and superior mixing technology in vertical mixing. It is also effective in solid particle suspension by the stable, uniform dispersion. It can also control easily the particle distribution due to a production of the vessel’s consistent shear rate. 

Another superiority of the MAXBLEND is its high pace of gas assimilation at lower power consumption. There is also a drastic improvement in heat transfer effectiveness.  A change in the performance of heat transfer is lessened so as to easily manage temperature. It also yields a short mixing duration, which makes it far superior than a conventional impeller.

The distinctiveness of it is in its highly advance technology. It employs a distinctive impeller design, connecting the blade of its bottom paddle with the upper grid. This enables a perfect flow model which wasn’t possible in a traditional impeller. It demonstrates a superior performance irrespective of the height of the liquid. The technology of the vessel constantly maintains its performance even when the height of the liquid varies.

The highly advanced characteristics of MAXBLEND due to superior mixing technology make its use very effective in industrial mixing setting. It revolutionized the mixing industry by its efficiency, steadiness and high performance. The numerous benefits of it make it beneficial for mixing in industries.

WORK AREA SAFETY IN INDUSTRIAL PLANTS

To make your work area safe you must know what hazards you can expect to encounter and what to do to control and eliminate them. The information contained here explains the importance of working safely and methods for controlling safety in your work area.

Here we briefly describe many of the hazards frequently encountered in plants like Built-in hazards, Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical and Environmental hazards.

BUILT- IN HAZARDS: Certain features of plant layout and design like location of equipments, stairs, entrance and exits, the layout of floors, platforms, lighting arrangements, heating and ventilation systems are already exist i.e. built-in that you cannot change. These can cause accidents and the best you can do is to recognize and avoid them.

MECHANICAL HAZARDS: In various cases of accidents chances of moving parts of machinery or tools are involved. A worker has to take special care to keep his clothes, body and tools away from moving machinery. When a machine has to be shut down for repairs the machine electrical controls must be locked and warning signs must be posted on the panel like “Danger. Do not start, personnel working”.

Working on pipe lines, tubing system will produce exposures to heat and pressure, avoid accident by isolate the system and cool down and de-pressurize it. 

Many plants have hand trucks, forklifts etc for moving material within the designated aisles, if a work is to be done near or traffic paths protect yourself and others by placing signs and barricades to warn traffic or else the result could be serious injury if your ladder is struck by passing vehicle. Do not place the tools and material in such a way that they are not a hazard to traffic by falling in the aisle.

Temporary scaffoldings, platforms are erected while working at heights, on buildings walls, roof and ceilings. These items should have railing and guards to keep workers, tools and materials from sliding and falling off the edge. Place signs below the scaffold to warn the passerby of the falling objects. Make sure a worker is attentive and cautious while working at height, as a slip could have been fatal. Ladders in use for working at height must be secured from both top and bottom and should be at safe angle, steps of ladders should be clear of tools, grease etc. Hanging scaffolding are secured by rope rigging from top and the platform should be level because if the rope at one end breaks or loose the platform can swing down to vertical position rapidly dumping off workers and material. Safety belts and harness should be use to secure yourself while working on heights and roofs.

ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS: occasionally worker is required to work in hot conditions near boiler or heaters though such are normally insulated but generally there is some heat in the area. Place an air blower to supply cool air & expel the hot air. Prolong exposure in high temperature work areas can cause heat cramp and heat exhaustion. Severe and rapid stomach or muscle cramps are due to excessive loss of body moisture and salt. Dizziness, weak pulse, lower than normal body temperature, heavy sweating are the signs of Heat exhaustion. Taking Salt tablets and Drink water in moderate amounts are routine preventive measures for both heat cramps and exhaustion.

When working in enclosed areas, follow recommended safety measures. A person should be kept standby at the entrance, wear a safety harness and a lifeline so if you are overcome you can be pulled out. Enclosed space should be vented by air blower of toxic or inflammable fumes. Oxygen content in that space to be checked before entering. Do not wear nylon clothing and use non-sparking tool in an enclosed space to prevent sparking which can cause explosion in case working in a fuel tank. An explosion proof hand lamp should be used in such spaces.

Radiation from X-rays and radioactive material can cause severe damage to the human body. Wear special protective clothing to reduce exposure to the radiation. Radiation area should be clearly marked with radiation signs.

CHEMICAL HAZARDS: This is one of the most treacherous hazard, where chemicals are concerned one should know the properties and hazard of particular chemical involved. Read material safety data provided with it before handling. Wear protective clothes, gloves, fresh air mask and goggles or face shield. Make sure the chemical not to be splashed or spilled.

ELECTRICAL HAZARDS: Almost every job you perform will include exposure to electricity and its dangers. Avoid touching energized or hot wire. Always use equipment & tools, which are grounded and insulated. Do not use frayed, damaged or spliced chords. Avoid moist clothes, shoes, tools and hands. Metal objects and water is good conductor of electricity. Insulate nearby metal objects. Avoid wet surfaces and place insulating mats while working on panels.

Making Safety Work in an Industrial plant

In recent years thousands of industrial workers were killed and millions were temporarily or permanently disabled by work related accidents. Since it is a serious problem laws were enacted which requires a safe work place be provided for employees.

For nearly every accident the cause are unsafe condition or unsafe act, caused by either neglect or carelessness. Unsafe acts frequently take place due to lack of safety knowledge and are usually the result of using a tool incorrectly or using a wrong tool, failure to use proper protective equipment and guards. It is the duty of employee to do the job safely, must exercise caution, follow safety rules, avoid dangerous and risky work habits that can result in accident and injury. An accident could cause an employee lose time, pay, job and life.

A positive attitude should be developed by employer and as well as employee towards safety in doing everything. Develop safety habits; acquire knowledge and skills to protect yourself and others. To do this one must be aware of industrial accidents, hazards and injuries that are possible.

Firstly, about accidents they do not happen, they are caused by people doing something they should not do, or failing to do something they should do. The sharp edge of a saw cannot cause an injury until someone comes in contact with it. A hammer with a loose head or a cracked handle is unsafe. Any worker who uses the hammer in spite of this is committing an unsafe act, exposing him and possibly others to injury. Learning R A P can reduce number of accidents.

RECOGNISE potential accidents causes, doing something to AVOID exposure to accidents and doing your part to PREVENT it.

Secondly hazards, they are risks, dangers and peril that contribute to accidents. The potential hazards of fire and explosion are serious especially where flammable and highly volatile materials are used. The items require a fire to take place are 3, hence named FIRE TRIANGLE namely Oxygen, fuel or combustible material and source of heat (ignition/temperature). The key to fire prevention is to keep these three apart. Keep all combustible material like oil, paper, wood, greases, and chemicals, paints isolated from source of heat.

Thirdly injuries, some are caused by handling material in which the handler is the cause, not the material. Trying to lift too much and carry it too far or carrying something too large can cause strains, sprains and more serious injury.

Most of the tools in use have sharp points and edges, electrically operated moving parts, fluids under pressure and heat. Train yourself to recognize the potential hazards these can cause and to use them safely and correctly. Moving parts of machinery like exposed shafts, gears, belts, chain drives, flywheels, rollers and hydraulic press to name a few are also hazards. By putting guards and covers over them and using personal protective equipments help avoid accidents. Shut off electrical power or release pressure and heat in that part of machine before you start working on it.

Surfaces like floors, stairs, bench, ladders should be clear of oil, grease and liquid to avoid slips and falls while working and walking on them. Clear all loose hoses and chords in the way of work.

Inhalation of certain chemicals and gases can serious internal injury and illness. Face masks filters; portable air supply units and protective clothing reduce the exposure to poisonous and toxic materials.

The points mentioned here explain the importance of working at a plant with a greater degree of safety.