The National Healthcare Group has taken a significant step forward in its operations by upgrading its human resource system. This upgrade is set to bring about numerous benefits and changes within the organization.

Empowering Healthcare with Advanced HR Technology

About the Upgrade

The National Healthcare Group has successfully implemented a cloud-powered platform as part of its human resource system upgrade. This platform is designed to enhance staff mobility and enable data-driven decision-making.Through the iConnect@NHG project, the health cluster has undergone a modernization of its HR system. The core of this modernized system is the HR platform from SAP, which is integrated with SAP's cloud-based predictive analytics and business intelligence software service. This integration provides real-time workforce data visibility, helping the organization make informed decisions on talent management and workforce planning.Now, NHG can manage staff performance, engagement, and well-being more effectively by accessing comprehensive and streamlined workforce data, paired with sentiment analysis. Additionally, the implementation of a low-code tool from SAP has provided employees with easy access to tasks, policies, and personalized workspaces. This is a first among public health clusters.The first phase of the project, which began in January last year, introduced modules such as Central, Time Management, Recruitment, Onboarding, Learning and Development, and Performance and Goal Management. The second phase, which started over a year ago in November, rolled out advanced features like Succession Management and Compensation Planning.

Why the Upgrade Matters

For its HR modernization, NHG adopted a mobile-first, data-driven approach. As explained by NHG chief HR officer Khoo Swee Lan, "We needed a system that could enhance mobility, improve data accuracy, and support continuous learning – all while being accessible to employees on the go."From the first month of implementation, it was evident that about 90% of staff, or 19,000, readily utilized their new employee mobile application. Over 95% also logged into the HR platform and completed more than 25,000 workflows. This shows that the upgrade has not only enhanced employee engagement but also reduced administrative tasks. Moreover, it empowers staff to make proactive decisions by providing them with easy access to data.

The Larger Trend

Synapxe, Singapore's national health tech agency, has recently rolled out a common analytics platform for the public healthcare system. The cloud-hosted HEALIX (Health Empowerment thru Advanced Learning & Intelligent eXchange) consolidates existing data infrastructures from individual hospitals and health facilities. It also provides access to cloud-native tools for developing AI models, which Synapxe has been promoting to the sector.Enabling data-driven decisions is what led NHG to provide its community care partners with access to a health programme management platform. The NHG Cares Partners Portal allows these community partners to monitor care demand by tracking registration and attendance and real-time updates. It also gives them access to anonymized population health data for designing programmes tailored to communities.This upgrade is a significant step towards improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the National Healthcare Group's operations. It showcases the organization's commitment to leveraging technology to enhance healthcare services and decision-making.

Originally a mechanical engineering firm, Krones has embarked on an impressive journey of expansion. It now offers a wide range of products including bottling lines, packaging machines, and digital solutions. This diversification doesn't halt at just these offerings; Krones continues to push the boundaries by providing innovative technologies that significantly enhance production efficiency and sustainability, particularly for food and beverage manufacturers.

Partnering for a Sustainable Future

In a move that showcases its commitment to sustainability, Krones partnered with PureCycle Technologies. PureCycle is renowned for its patented process of purifying polypropylene waste into high-quality recycled resin, aiming to close the loop in polypropylene recycling. This innovative approach utilises a unique solvent-based method that separates and purifies polypropylene from contaminants and other plastics. It not only enhances the quality of the recycled material but also ensures it meets the strict standards required for various applications.Polypropylene presents significant environmental challenges due to its low recycling rates. These challenges encompass non-biodegradability, microplastics, resource-intensive production, chemical pollution, end-of-life challenges, and ecosystem disruption. Addressing these requires improved recycling infrastructure, the development of biodegradable alternatives, and greater public awareness.This collaboration is set to develop innovative solutions for the recycling and repurposing of polypropylene waste. Using PureCycle's proprietary process, they create 'ultra-pure' recycled resin from used polypropylene plastics. PureCycle is expanding efforts with a new processing and production facility, with Krones technology playing a crucial role in processing and sustainability efforts.As Dustin Olson, CEO of PureCycle, states, "The polypropylene market produces 90 million tonnes of plastics per year, and because there simply has not been the appropriate technology, less than 10 percent of that material is recycled. PureCycle has developed ground-breaking technologies that enable us to clean these plastics at the molecular level, removing colour, odour, and contaminants."PureCycle's solvent-based technology converts polypropylene feedstock into a sustainable, ultra-pure recycled resin with like-new characteristics that can be used infinitely within the new end-to-end facility. They have also invested in Krones' MetaPure technology to wash and prepare all polypropylene stock materials for processing.Krones' MetaPure technology is designed to revolutionize the recycling process in the beverage industry. It focuses on transforming post-consumer PET bottles back into high-quality raw materials, enabling manufacturers to reduce their dependence on virgin plastics. By utilizing a sophisticated mechanical recycling process combined with cutting-edge decontamination methods, Krones MetaPure ensures that the recycled PET maintains the necessary quality standards for food and beverage applications.Demonstrating a firm commitment to sustainability, PureCycle made an additional investment in Krones' HydroCircle technology. This technology focuses on optimizing water usage and reducing wastewater by implementing a closed-loop system. It enables companies to recycle and reuse water in their production processes, minimizing environmental impact and leading to cost savings.Two HydroCircle units will help PureCycle move closer to a closed-loop concept. HydroCircle converts production wastewater into treated water that can be reused in the production process. All steps that produce wastewater during production are also considered.As Jon Larson, head of Plastics Technology at Krones North America, says, "PureCycle is a company that truly believes in true circularity in its processes. When discussing their need for greater sustainability efforts related to their wastewater, Krones' HydroCircle technology presented an ideal solution. As the first HydroCircle systems to be utilized in a U.S. recycling facility, these units will help convert approximately 90 per cent of all production waste into reusable process water that can be filtered back into the system."Once complete, the facility will be capable of creating 117,000 tonnes of ultra-pure, 'like-new' recycled resin each year, with PureCycle already scaling additional feed-and-prep facilities in the U.S. and overseas.As Olson further emphasizes, "Krones is a Tier One equipment supplier with a clear commitment to quality and sustainability. As the relationship grows over time, it has become clear that they are an ideal partner for these types of projects."To learn more about this latest development around polypropylene, contact Krones or visit www.krones.com.