L E M B AG A J U R U TE R A M A L AY S I A

KDN PP 11720/4/2013 (032270) B OA RD OF E NGI NEERS MALAYSIA

THE VOL.89
JANUARY-MARCH 2022
INGENIEUR
M A G A Z I N E O F T H E B O A R D O F E N G I N E E R S M A L A Y S I A

DIGITAL ECONOMY
BOARD OF ENGINEERS MALAYSIA

50
celebrates

th

a n n i v e r s a r y
1972 ~ 2022
 EDITORIAL BOARD
2021-2022

PRESIDENT EDITORIAL BOARD

Datuk Ir. Haji Mohamad Zulkefly bin Sulaiman
ADVISOR
BOARD MEMBERS Datuk Ir. Haji Mohamad Zulkefly bin Sulaiman
Datuk Ir. Haji Mohamad Zulkefly bin Sulaiman
Dato’ Ir. Ahmad Redza bin Ghulam Rasool CHAIRMAN
Dato’ Ir. Nor Hisham bin Mohd Ghazali First Admiral (R) Dato’ Ir. Ahmad Murad bin Omar
Dato’ Prof. Ir. Dr. Mohd Hamdi bin Abd Shukor
First Admiral (R) Dato’ Ir. Ahmad Murad bin Omar EDITOR
Datuk Ir. Baharin bin Din Dato’ Ir. Fong Tian Yong
Datu Ir. Zuraimi bin Haji Sabki
Datuk Ir. Ali Ahmad bin Hj. Hamid
EDITORIAL MEMBERS
Ir. Zailee bin Dollah
Prof. Emeritus Ir. Dr K S Kannan
Ir. Megat Johari bin Megat Mohd Noor
Ir. Prem Kumar
Ir. Sundraraj a/l A. Krishnasamy
Ir. Ong Ching Loon
Prof. Ir. Dr. Norlida binti Buniyamin
Ir. Fam Yew Hin
Ir. Mohd Khir bin Muhammad
Ar. Azman bin Md. Hashim
Sr Rogayah binti Yunus

REGISTRAR
Ir. Dr. Megat Zuhairy bin Megat Tajuddin

SECRETARY
Ir. Hamzah bin Hashim

The Ingenieur is published quarterly by the Board of Engineers Malaysia (Lembaga Jurutera Malaysia)
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1
 INGENIEUR

43

CONTENTS

4 President’s Message Feature

Announcement
5 Call for Articles
Cover Feature
6 Digitalisation &
Computational Intelligence
Revolutionise Power
Transformer Maintenance
14 Building Information
Modelling in Digitalisation of
the Construction Industry
17 IoT-based Traffic
Management System
27 From Barter to Social Media
Payment Platforms
31 Integrating Industry 4.0
Elements in Chemical
Engineering Education
43 Work From Home:
Occupational Safety and
Health Perspective
48 Modular Wiring System
Guidelines
52 Continuing Professional
Development (CPD)
Requirements

27 31

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Do You Know?
60 Digital Economy
6
Project Report
65 Repurposing Old Mining
Ponds for Water Sustainability

Research & Development

71 Steady-State Thermal
Transmission Properties Test for
Building Materials
71
Report
75 What Others Say About
Digital Economy

Engineering Nostalgia
80 Kuala Kangsar Flood 1967

65 80

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 INGENIEUR
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Digital Economy
When the Government launched the Digital
Economy Blueprint in February 2021, it recognised
the power of the digital wave that continues
to impact the global community. The ability to
seize opportunities emerging from innovative
technologies and business models, plays an
important role in driving new engines of the
country’s economic growth. By 2025, the digital
economy is expected to contribute 22.6% to the
country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The Emerging Technology sector under this
Blueprint driving the Fourth Industrial Revolution
aims at establishing specific digital toolkits to
facilitate the improvement of digital capabilities
of professional service firms. This includes all
Engineering Consultancy Practices in uplifting
their digitalisation efforts to increase productivity
and move ahead of the curve.
The shift towards greater digitalisation by
consultancy firms is gathering momentum. It
is interesting to note that the McKinsey Global
Institute industry Digitalisation Index 2015
indicated that the construction industry is among
the least digitised. More innovative digital tools
such as BIM, IoT and future-proof design and
construction are coming onstream. It is thus
imperative that engineers keep themselves
abreast with these innovative tools to stay
relevant in the industry.
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T h e c o n s i d e r ab l e a d v an c e m e n t i n
digitalisation and computational intelligence
in preventive maintenance regimes for power
transformers in extending the operational
lifespan of the equipment will be an added
contribution to the UN Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs). The article on ‘Digitalisation and
Computational Intelligence Revolutionise Power
Transformer Maintenance’ provides a detail
account on the digitalisation that is currently
underway in the electrical power system.
It is also interesting to note that the World
Economic Forum commented that engineers,
designers and architects are combining
computational design, additive manufacturing,
materials engineering, and synthetic biology to
pioneer a symbiosis between micro-organisms,
our bodies, the products we consume, and even
the building we inhabit.
In this new era of Digital Economy, one
would expect more disruptive technologies in all
industries. Engineers who wish to stay relevant
and competitive should adopt and master
digitalisation tools as early as possible.
Datuk Ir. Haji Mohamad Zulkefly bin Sulaiman
President, BEM
 L E M B AG A J U R U TE R A M A L AY S I A
KDN PP 11720/4/2013 (032270) BOAR D OF EN G I N EER S M AL AY S IA

THE VOL.88
OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2021
INGENIEUR
M A G A Z I N E O F T H E B O A R D O F E N G I N E E R S M A L A Y S I A
The Ingenieur is published quarterly by the Board of
Engineers Malaysia. The following are the themes

ANNOUNCEMENT
for the coming issues.

• Vol. 90 Apr-June 2022

Engineering Fraternity
• Vol. 91 July-Sept 2022
Physical Connectivity
ENGINEERING • Vol. 92 Oct-Dec 2022
PRACTICE Green Engineering

Articles and other contributions relevant to the

themes are welcomed, but the decision to publish
rests with the Editorial Board.
Advertising inquiries are also welcomed. Please
refer to the BEM advertisement in this issue for the
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 INGENIEUR
Digitalisation &
Computational Intelligence
COVER FEATURE
Revolutionise Power
Transformer Maintenance
By Associate Professor Ir. Ts Dr Wong Shen Yuong
Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering
Xiamen University Malaysia
T
he Malaysian Government aspires to
transform Malaysia into a digitally enabled
and technology-driven high-income nation,
and a regional leader in the digital economy.
The fourth industrial revolution (IR4.0) and
digitalisation technology are the keys to thriving
in the digital economy. IR4.0 is a phenomenon
that has emerged from several technological
initiatives, and it is normally used to represent
an era of digitalisation in which data is collected,
processed, and analysed automatically so that
various components of a system can collaborate
digitally. Among all the technological possibilities
and tools, the four main drivers for digitalisation
and intelligent networking of machines and
processes are Big Data, Cloud, Internet of Things
(IoT), and Computational Intelligence, as shown
in Figure 1. Big Data represents an enormous
quantity and variety of collected data, that
provides crucial insights when processed. Cloud
technology inter-connects software and data with
web-hosted servers, and it has the characteristics
of higher data storage and calculation capacities.
IoT is a combination of various information
sensors, devices and technologies, providing real-
time collection of any object or process that needs
to be monitored, connected, and interacted.
Whereas Computational Intelligence (CI) is always
applied to processing and analysing big data,
leading to better decision making.
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Digitalisation’s Impact on the Power
Sector and Economy
A revolution via digitalisation is currently underway
in the electrical power system, which has remained
largely unchanged for more than 100 years.
Stunning advances in digitalisation can cut down
electrical power system costs in at least five ways:
i.e., by reducing maintenance and operating costs;
improving power quality; increasing power station
and network efficiency; diminishing the electrical
power system’s downtime and unplanned outages;
and extending the operational lifetime of assets.
Network failures are expensive, both for the utility
and for the economy.
Figure 2 shows the overall worldwide savings
from digital-enabled approaches that could be in
the order of USD80 billion per year over the period
2016-2040, or approximately 5% of total annual
power generation costs based on the enhanced
global deployment of existing digital technologies to
all power stations and network infrastructures [1].
The ultimate goal and potential benefit reaped
from digitalisation in the electrical power system is
likely to be the possibility of extending the operational
lifetime of power station equipment, through better
monitoring and improved maintenance. Given that
lifetime of all the power equipment in the world could
be extended by five years, then close to USD1.3
trillion of cumulative investment could be deferred
Figure 1: Evolution of Industries.

Figure 2: Cost-savings from digitalisation in power station over 2016-2040.

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 INGENIEUR
Figure 3: The Bathtub curve of faults.
over the period 2016-40. In other words, investment
in power stations would be reduced by USD 34 billion
per year and that in networks by USD 20 billion per
year [1].
Revolutionise Power Transformer
Maintenance
One of the single highest value components in the
electrical power system, are power transformers,
or simply transformers, comprising up to 60% of
the total investment [2]. Power transformers are at
the heart of the power station. The flow of power
and electricity into our homes and other locations
would not be possible without the availability of
power transformers. Power transformers, which
enable the transmission of electricity to any
location are indispensable in power transmission
and distribution systems. Any failure or hidden
defects in transformers can cause operational
problems in the system, resulting in economic
and resource losses. Early detection of abnormal
conditions and fault diagnosis reduces productivity
loss and avoids abnormal event management
while the power station is still in a controllable
operating condition. A lot of attention has been
given to this topic because it is the central
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component of abnormal event management.
Power transformers, being the core of the power
system, play both technical and economic
functions in a power system.
As transformers begin to age due to a high
workload, several internal faults occur. The failure
occurrence rate of a transformer can be described
by the well-known “bathtub curve” in three
stages: Infant, Normal Operating and Wear-Out,
as depicted in Figure 3. In the Infant stage, the
failures are mainly caused by design and assembly
errors. In the Normal Operating Stage, the
transformer operates smoothly with a low failure
risk. In the Wear-Out stage, the failures are mainly
caused by ageing insulation and degeneration
[3]. The functional lifespan of a transformer is
approximately 40 to 50 years.
Digitalisation in IR4.0 presents abnormal event
management strategies in three ways;
(1) online monitoring of the transformer’s
condition which is now possible, thanks to
the digital technology such as IoT, big data,
and cloud services,
(2) use of Computational Intelligence (CI) to
detect and diagnose transformer faults,
and
(3) the integration of online monitoring and CI
in transformer asset management.
Figure 4 : How data can be used in CI research studies.
The asset management strategy of power
transformers has been considered as one of
the most essential power system equipment
asset management processes because of the
substantial investments in power transformers
and the effect they have on the operational
reliability of power transmission systems.
Generally, transformers’ asset management
can be classified into the following three main
activities:
(1) Condition monitoring techniques,
(2) Performing maintenance plans, and
(3) Ageing, health, and end-of-life assessments.
Another significant application of asset
management strategy of power transformer is
reducing the influence of carbonisation from the
current power energy system [4].
Under such circumstances, a single IT platform,
linked to a data acquisition system comprising
the necessary hardware such as sensors and
communication peripherals for transmitting
and receiving signals is required to facilitate the
integration of data coming from different sources.
Further data processing steps are conducted
using a suite of signal processing algorithms to
analyse, transform and extract useful information
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from the collected sensing data. Various
measurement data can be stored in a database
hosted on the IT platform or in the Cloud. A variety
of online and offline measurement data and
methods can be used for further analysis, e.g.,
current and voltage measurements, temperature,
furan content, water content in oil measurement,
partial discharge detection, acoustic and vibration
monitoring measurements, polarisation-based
measurements, frequency response-based
winding deformation and displacement detection.
An illustration on the possible digitalisation usage
is shown in Figure 4.
With the advent of digital disruption, CI
methodologies continue to evolve in many
forms and have demonstrated their importance
in preventative maintenance by their ability to
assess and monitor the operational status of
transformers [5]. CI opens up a new avenue
to address complex real-world problems using
nature-inspired computational methodologies.
CI defines the theory, design, application and
development of biologically and linguistically
motivated computational paradigms. These
advanced approaches offer a useful means
for transformer fault detection and diagnosis,
as compared with conventional techniques.
Nonetheless, this does not mean the conventional
methods are ineffective, however, in many
aspects, the conventional methods incur higher
operating and management costs [6], along with
some other deficiencies. On the other hand, CI-
based measures aid the conventional methods
by providing more precise and accurate detection
and diagnosis results, leading to convenient and
effective solutions.
Computational Intelligence: The Way
Forward
There are three main pillars of CI, i.e., data-
based, knowledge-based, and search-based
methods. Data-based methods such as Artificial
Neural Network (ANN), Support Vector Machines
(SVM), Wavelet Neural Network (WNN), and
Deep Learning (DL) make use of the data
collected from the power transformer monitoring
processes, to learn from the data, to identify and
analyse the patterns, to make effective decisions
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in the pursuit of less preventive maintenance and
efficiency.
Knowledge-based methods reason and make
decisions based on the heuristic knowledge
derived from data (or provided by humans) to solve
complex problems, such as the Expert System
(ES), Fuzzy Logic (FL), and Adaptive Neural Fuzzy
Inference System (ANFIS).
Search-based methods exhibit powerful
search capability in solving complex optimisation
problems that often involve multiple conflicting
objectives, such as the Genetic Algorithm
(GA), Particle Swarm Optimisation (PSO), Gene
Expression Programming (GEP) and Artificial
Immune System (AIS).
When choosing the appropriate CI algorithm
for a real-world power transformer diagnosis,
one must consider several factors: (1) the model,
(2) the category of the model (3) the strength
and limitation of the model, (4) the tools used,
(5) whether similar research has been carried
out before, if yes, when? (6) the corresponding
applications with respect to the model - the what?
(7) the motivation of the research implementation
- the why?
These factors have been considered and
explained in “Computational Intelligence for
Preventive Maintenance of Power Transformers”,
Applied Soft Computing, 2021 (S.Y Wong and
others) [7].
An analysis has been published depicting the
distribution of CI-based methods pertaining to
the condition assessment of transformers from
2010-2021, as presented in Figure 5. It shows
that the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) is the
most widely used model in the literature. This is
followed by DL, FL, and PSO. Moving forward there
are clearly many exciting areas for CI researchers
to drive innovation in the context of preventive
maintenance for transformers.
Safe Operation
One of the main factors affecting the safe
operation of transformers is internal short-circuit
faults. Some transformers experience winding
deformation and even insulation breakdown when
hit by short-circuit currents below the specified
strength. The cumulative effect of winding
Figure 5: Publications of different CI methods for power transformer fault detection and diagnosis
from 2010-2021
deformation can cause serious malfunctions.
Transformer short circuit accidents do great
harm to the operation of the power grid system.
Another safety hazard is the overload operation
of the transformers. To avoid the occurrence
of accidents, effective control measures must
be taken from various aspects to ensure the
safe and stable operation of the transformer
and the power grid system. Therefore, applying
CI methods to perform online or offline control
measurements of power transformer faults,
especially internal faults, is a powerful tool
to provide predictive maintenance actions for
engineers. The CI algorithms can protect the
power transformer and improve the security of
the working environment for both the power grid
and engineers.
Power Quality
Power quality includes four related terms:
Voltage Quality, Current Quality, Supply Quality,
Consumption Quality. Poor power quality has a
significant negative impact on industrial processes
and the commercial sector. From the perspective
of power quality, the needs of industrial processes
are different, and each approach has specific
weaknesses in terms of power quality attributes.
Important power quality considerations for
industrial end-user centres are costs associated
with machine downtime, clean-up costs, product
quality, and equipment failures.
The primary method of recognising and
identifying power quality is based on visual
inspection of the disturbance waveform, which may
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depend on the power monitoring instruments to
continuously monitor power delivered to customer
sites and record the disturbance waveforms. The
consequence of this method is that large data
files are produced for power quality engineers to
inspect in the disturbance waveforms. Therefore,
the development of CI methods in signal analysis
for automatically characterising and identifying
various power quality disturbances reduces the
data workload of engineers [8]. The application
of CI-based methods mainly performs pattern
recognition or signal processing to detect, localise,
estimate, and classify disturbances in the supply
lines.
Power System Reliability
Power system reliability will improve when
transformer incipient faults are detected and
eliminated before they deteriorate to a severe
state. Therefore, the search for a reliable method
for incipient fault detection in power transformers
is still a topic of interest in many utilities.
Reliable and stable flow of energy is essential
for all electrical utility companies, making power
transformer one of the most important assets
and largest investments. For these reasons, the
condition assessment and incipient fault analysis
of transformer are high priority.
Energy Security
With the rapid rate of population growth,
urbanisation, and economic growth, the demand of
electricity continues to grow. Hence the first thing to
take into consideration is the condition assessment
of the electrical equipment. It is of utmost
importance to make sure the equipment (especially
the transformer) is operating at its planned working
condition to deliver the optimum efficiency.
Energy security can be improved by ensuring
the availability and continual uninterrupted
flow of energy supply to meet the demand of
the nation, which impacts national security.
The security of energy supply becomes a risk
management strategy with strong references to
cost effectiveness associated with both energy
supply and energy demand. The question is how
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to interpret a situation in which the imbalance
between the supply and the demand for electricity
is so big that it leads to a loss much larger than
it would have been if the condition assessment
and incipient fault analysis of the transformer had
been taken care of in advance. Energy security
concerns the ability to satisfy energy needs by
the energy systems. This stems above all from
the risk of interruptions of electricity delivery at
determined times.
Does this mean a stick-to-the-bone Dissolved
Gas in Oil (DGA) expert need to abandon his
classical arsenal?
No, of course not. Digitalisation and CI
technologies do not replace conventional
methods, but with the availability of digitalisation
and CI analyses, better plans can be made with
regard to fault diagnosis of power transformers. As
such, the necessary decision-making processes
can be accelerated, avoiding power disruption due
to downtime of the transformers. In other words,
these models complement the conventional
methods by providing learning capabilities to
maximise reliability, optimise operations, and
minimise maintenance costs. CI-based models
can help revolutionise the current diagnostic
practices, allowing industry practitioners to reap
the benefits of CI in the maintenance of power
transformers in the long run.
Conclusion
As a key enabler in IR4.0, considerable
advancement in digitalisation and CI is expected
to take place, resulting in new preventive
maintenance regimes for power transformers
that are more critical than ever in creating a
sustainable future. Through better monitoring and
improved maintenance, CI methods can reduce
the frequency of unplanned outages, as well as
limit the duration of downtime by quickly detecting
the point of failure and recognising the cause of
failure. This enhances the productivity, safety,
accessibility, and sustainability of electrical power
system, and improves the resilience and reliability
of supply. Information and communication
technologies are also changing markets,
businesses and employment. New business
models are emerging.
 Digitalisation and CI technologies do not replace
conventional methods, but with the availability of
digitalisation and CI analyses, better plans can be made with
regard to fault diagnosis of power transformers.
Policy makers, business executives and
other stakeholders are encouraged to embrace
digitalisation and CI methods in their business
operations to promote the digital economy and
transformation, in line with the long-term goals as
outlined in Wawasan Kemakmuran Bersama 2030
(WKB 2030) and the Malaysia Digital Economy
Blueprint, at the same time realising the aspirations
of International Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs) advocated by the United Nations, primarily
SDG7: Clean and Affordable Energy and SDG9:
Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure. This
article seeks to provide greater clarity to industry
stakeholders and decision-makers in Government
on how digitalisation revolutionises the way
maintenance can be carried out for equipment
in the electrical power system using digital tools
and technology in the decades to come, besides
offering insights into the transformational potential
of CI that can help drive strategic initiatives for
smart condition monitoring and fault diagnosis to
propel the country towards a more sustainable,
secure and smarter energy future.
REFERENCE
[1] IEA, Worldwide cost savings from enhanced
digitalisation in power plants and electricity
networks over 2016-2040, IEA, Paris .
[2] A. Jahromi, R. Piercy, S. Cress, J. R. R. Service,
and W. Fan, An Approach to Power Transformer
Asset Management using Health Index, IEEE
Electrical Insulation Magazine, vol. 25, no.
2,(2009), pp. 20-34.
[3] H. d. Faria, J. G. S. Costa, and J. L. M. Olivas,
A review of monitoring methods for predictive
maintenance of electric power transformers
based on dissolved gas analysis, Renewable and
Sustainable Energy Reviews, vol. 46, (Feb. 2015),
201-209.
[4] B. P. Das and J. C. Leicht, Digital Power
Transformers - An Intelligent Approach to Smart
Asset Management, in: CIGRE AORC Technical
Meeting 2019, Bali, Indonesia, (2019), 1-8.
[5] Y. Wang, D. Chang, Y. Fan, G. Zhang, J. Zhan, X.
Shao, and W. He, Acoustic localization of partial
discharge sources in power transformers using
a particle-swarm-optimization-route-searching
algorithm, IEEE Transactions on Dielectrics and
Electrical Insulation, vol. 24, no. 6, (Dec. 2017),
3647-3656.
[6] A. Y. Alqudsi and A. H. ElHag, A cost effective
artificial intelligence based transformer insulation
health index, in: 2017 3rd International Conference
on Condition Assessment Techniques in Electrical
Systems (CATCON), Rupnagar, India, (2017), 108-
111.
[7] S. Y. Wong, X. Ye, F. Guo, H. H. Goh,
“Computational Intelligence for Preventive
Maintenance of Power Transformers,” Applied
Sof t Computing, 2021. DOI:10.1016/j.
asoc.2021.108129
[8] S. Santoso, E. J. Powers, W. M. Grady and A.
C. Parsons, Power quality disturbance waveform
recognition using a wavelet-based neural classifier.
I. Theoretical foundation, in IEEE Transactions on
Power Delivery, vol. 15, no. 1, (2000), 222-228.
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Building Information
Modelling in Digitalisation
COVER FEATURE

of the Construction Industry

By Ajith Menon, Managing Director
BIMAGE Consulting

Building Information Modelling explained

T
he digital economy is a highly competitive
form of economic organisation and
contributes to the growth of globalisation
due to the use of information and communication
technologies that have a cross-border nature.
This facilitates quick response and adaptation
to changing environmental conditions, including
risk-forming factors. By 2025, 75% of businesses
will leverage digital platforms and ecosystems but
globally, construction has lagged other sectors in
leveraging digital technologies.
Embedding construction in the ecosystem
of the digital economy is impossible without
the digitalisation of the industry, which should
follow the path of accelerated implementation
of IT technologies in the design and construction
process, as well as the creation of a unified
information environment for construction, uniting
all existing information systems, optimising their
activities regarding the collection and analysis of
information in the field of construction, process
automation.

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 The driver of the digital transformation of
the construction industry is Building Information
Modelling (BIM) technologies. BIM is about
creating 3D models of buildings & Infrastructure
and increasingly about ‘linking’ all kinds of data
which is recorded in all sorts of data sources
during the lifecycle of the building. This includes
requirements, time, schedule, specifications, cost
figures, environmental data, management, and
maintenance data. In this way, all combinations of
data are created which can be of value to parties
in the construction and infrastructure sector at
any given point during the building lifecycle. By
digitally representing all aspects of infrastructure,
construction companies can cut down on waste
and delays by identifying potential challenges
before execution in the field. Thus, BIM, which
gives construction professionals advanced insight
into designing buildings and infrastructure, will be
highly useful.
Today, there is a wave of awareness
programmes and activities regarding BIM, that is
created and supported by technology companies
and Industry associations, and aided by the heavy
investments in infrastructure announced by many
Governments to revitalise the economy after
the pandemic. These will provide an opportunity
to utilise BIM and related technologies in
transforming the construction and infrastructure
industry.
In the next 30 years, the number of people
living in cities will double and this growth will
require the construction of thousands of new
buildings, roads, and other utility infrastructure
to build “Smart Cities”. Combining BIM and a
Geographic Information System (GIS) will be
a game-changer in planning, designing, and
executing a Smart City project, where a reliable
City Model is prepared.
Apart from large projects, medium and small-
scale projects are generally delivered by Small
Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and they form the
backbone of the country’s economic development.
As productivity is the key issue in construction
projects, BIM provides tangible and intangible
benefits such as addressing performance
problems that have long plagued the construction
industry.
The COVID-19 pandemic has presented many
challenges and on-going uncertainty to many
businesses including construction. While it can
be difficult to know how conditions will change,
the ability to adapt at speed to a new way of doing
business is critical. As the pandemic is forcing
the adoption of new business models and as
many organisations scramble to adapt to these
new conditions, some have been hampered by a
lack of digital preparedness. Legacy and siloed
technologies – always high-cost and slow-moving –
are now an even greater liability. Now is the time to
make those hard decisions around replacing legacy
technologies and assessing new technologies,
including Cloud-based & mobile-enabled Common
Data Environment (CDE), Augmented Reality (AR)
and Virtual Reality (VR), Machine Learning (ML),
Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Internet of Things (IoT),
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which allow companies to track construction,
enable collaboration among stakeholders and
project team, even from remote locations, thus
enabling projects to continue in a digital and virtual
environment, eliminating the risk among the team
members to meet and work together.
As construction sites all over the world are
gradually getting active after lockdown and where
sites have re-started, only a partial number of
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workers can safely return under social distancing
rules. This could prove to be tedious in getting
the optimised output within the stipulated time
frame of projects. The sooner the adoption and
implementation of digital technology such as BIM,
Cloud & mobile-enabled CDE, VR, the better will
be the results for the construction industry to cope
with the worst effects of the pandemic and get
back on track.
IoT-based Traffic
Management System
By Ir. Mohamed Shahriman Bin Mohamed Yunus
Ir. Mohd Rudzuan Bin Ariffin
CREaTE & CKE Kelantan
Jabatan Kerja Raya
T
he Internet of Things (IoT) is a new paradigm
that has transformed traditional ways of
life into high-tech lifestyles by enabling the
connection of electronic devices and sensors via
the Internet to improve our lives [1]. In 1999, Kevin
Ashton, co-founder of the Auto-ID Laboratory in
the United Kingdom, created the term "Internet of
Things" to describe a system in which the Internet
is linked to the real world by ubiquitous sensors
such as Radio frequency identification (RFID) [2].
IoT has emerged as one of the most important
technologies of the 21st century in recent years.
Things such as vehicles, appliances, traffic control
management, and so on, may now be connected
via sensors, software, and embedded devices,
allowing for seamless communication between
people, processes, and things. Such data acquired
for sharing requires minimal human intervention.
With the increasing adoption of IoT devices and
technology, we can expect to see a significant shift
in our everyday routines. IoT converts physical
items into an information ecosystem, where we
may connect our lives to technology and achieve
higher levels of freedom.
TECHNOLOGIES THAT HAVE MADE IoT
POSSIBLE
While the concept of IoT has been around for a
long time, the latest innovations in a plethora of
different technologies have made it realistic [3]:
COVER FEATURE
Access to low-cost, low-power sensor technology
More manufacturers are able to implement IoT
technology due to the availability of low-cost,
dependable sensors.
Connectivity
A variety of Internet network protocols have
simplified the connection of sensors to the Cloud
and other “things” for efficient data transfer.
Cloud computing platforms
The increased availability of Cloud platforms
allows both enterprises and consumers to gain
access to the infrastructure they require to scale
up without having to manage it all.
Machine learning and analytics
With advancements in machine learning and
analytics, as well as access to diverse and vast
volumes of data stored on the Cloud, businesses
can gain insights more quickly and easily. The
expansion of these linked technologies continues
to push the boundaries of IoT, and the data
produced by IoT feeds these technologies as well.
Conversational artificial intelligence (AI)
Natural-language processing (NLP) has been
brought to IoT devices thanks to advances
in neural networks, making them appealing,
inexpensive, and feasible for home use.
As IoT becomes more prevalent in the
marketplace, businesses are capitalising on the
17
 INGENIEUR
immense business value it can provide. These
benefits include:
● Gaining data-driven insights from IoT data
to help better manage the organisation;
● Increasing the productivity and efficiency of
business operations;
● Developing new business models and
revenue streams; and
● Easily and smoothly integrating the physical
business environment to the digital world to
accelerate time to value.
Figure 1: Industry 4.0
Figure 1 depicts the term Industry 4.0 (IR
4.0), which refers to a new phase of the Industrial
Revolution that places a strong emphasis on
interconnectivity, automation, machine learning,
and real-time data. Industry 4.0, also known as
IoT or smart manufacturing, combines physical
production and operations with smart digital
Figure 2: Revolution of Industry
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technologies, machine learning, and big data to
create a more holistic and better-linked ecosystem
for manufacturing and supply chain management
organisations. While each company and
organisation is unique, they all confront the same
challenge: the need for connectivity and access
to real-time insights across processes, partners,
products, and people.
Prior to Industry 4.0, there were historical
stages of industrial revolutions that resulted in
paradigm shifts in the manufacturing domain:
mechanisation via water and steam power, mass
production via assembly lines, and automation via
information technology, as seen in Figure 2 and
Table 1.
JKR TOWARDS IR 4.0 AND IoT
CHALLENGES
Jabatan Kerja Raya (JKR) Malaysia or the
Public Works Department founded in 1872 is
responsible for the development and maintenance
of Malaysian public infrastructure such as public
Government offices, schools, hospitals, police
and army facilities, ports and airports, has gone
through three stages of the Industrial Revolution.
Under Theme 5: Innovative Organisation of the
JKR Strategic Framework 2021-2025, JKR is
driving engineering towards IR 4.0 and IoT to
enable improved service delivery for the public
and the country.
JKR developed the Smart Traffic Management
system to improve existing traffic management
systems by enhancing system monitoring of traffic
 First Industrial revolution (IR 1.0)
Between the late 1700s and the early 1800s,
there was a revolution. Manufacturing
progressed over time from focusing on manual
labour performed by humans and supported by
work animals to a more optimised form of labour
conducted by humans through the use of water
and steam-powered engines, as well as various
sorts of machine tools.
Beginning in the late 1950s, a third industrial
revolution began to emerge as manufacturers
sought to integrate more electronics and,
eventually, computer technology into their
facilities. During this time, manufacturers began
to move their focus away from analogue and
mechanical technologies and toward digital
technology and automation software.
Third Industrial Revolution (IR 3.0)
Table 1: Stages of Industrial Revolution
lights, data visualisation, and analytics using a
single platform from a Malaysia-based mobile
provider. The concept "traffic management"
refers to a set of procedures designed to protect
traffic capacity while also improving the security,
safety, and dependability of the overall road traffic
system. Smart Traffic Analytics & Recognition
System (STARS) is the term given to the intelligent
monitoring system.
Since 2018, JKR, through its Cawangan
Kejuruteraan Elektrik (CKE) Kelantan, has taken
the challenge to benefit from IoT technologies
to improve their monitoring, reporting and other
aspects of operating traffic lights in 10 districts in
Kelantan, where 34% of traffic lights in Kelantan
are installed with the STARS system.
STARS is a traffic management system that
enhances existing traffic control systems by offering
central monitoring, visualisation of data, and
analytic capabilities on a single platform. It enables
authorities (such as JKR and municipal councils)
Second Industrial Revolution (IR 2.0)
With the advent of steel and the use of electricity
in industries in the early 20th century, the
world started a second industrial revolution.
With the arrival of electricity, manufacturers
were able to boost efficiency and make factory
machines more mobile. As a means of increasing
productivity, mass manufacturing techniques
such as the assembly line were developed during
this phase.
A fourth industrial revolution, known as Industry
4.0, has evolved in recent decades. With the help
of interconnection via the Internet of Things (IoT),
access to real-time data, and the introduction
of cyber-physical systems, Industry 4.0 pushes
the emphasis on digital technology from recent
decades to a whole new level. Industry 4.0
enables corporate owners to gain a deeper
understanding of and control over every part of
their operations, as well as to utilise real-time
data to raise productivity, improve procedures,
and drive growth.
Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR 4.0)
to centrally monitor all traffic signals under their
control on a single platform. It would also notify
all specified stakeholders of any difficulties and
the progress of their resolution. This escalation is
carried out using the cell phone of the stakeholders,
using the chat application 'Telegram.'
STARS was developed to improve the
conventional monitoring of traffic light cycles
during normal and heavy traffic, particularly on
celebration days, school holidays and public
holidays, as traffic in Kelantan is congested during
these peak times. The time quality management of
their staff can also be improved by implementing
this STARS technology.
SMART TRAFFIC ANALYTICS &
RECOGNITION SYSTEM (STARS)
STARS is a technology utilised in traffic light
systems to actualise the Industrial Revolution
19
 INGENIEUR
Figure 3: Location of the control board and traffic lights
4.0 through the Internet of Things (IoT), software,
and hardware. This technology was created in
partnership with JKR CKE Kelantan, a service
provider and supplier of light traffic system
equipment. STARS was created to tackle the
limits and challenges experienced by the JKR CKE
Kelantan, such as reducing public complaints,
enhancing monitoring of traffic light systems,
improving system performance and reliability,
and being able to collect the necessary statistics.
Figure 3 shows the location of the control board
and traffic light system. Figure 4 depicts the
configuration of components in the control board
such as the traffic controller, IoT Gateway, and
Modem.
Figure 4: Modem and traffic controller setup
(Front and back panel)
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STARS System Network
Figure 5 illustrates the STARS network, which
includes Cloud servers, base stations, modems,
gateway communication, data gathering devices,
traffic controllers, IoT gateways, traffic lights, and
mobile devices.
Conventional vs STARS System
Solution Process Flow
Figure 6 shows the process flow for both the
conventional and STARS systems. A few standard
processes, such as damage complaints from
users or the general public, can be eliminated
when the STARS system is implemented.
Time for Problem Solving
Figure 7 shows the effectiveness of response
time for the STARS system in comparison to
the conventional system, where now JKR CKE
Kelantan is capable of resolving problems up to 72
% of the time. According to statistics, the STARS
system can address four issues in comparison to
a single issue in the conventional approach.
Labour, fuel consumption and time response
Figure 8 shows a comparison of the conventional
system and the STARS system in terms of staff
Figure 5: Network Diagram of STARS

Figure 6: The process flow for conventional and STARS systems

21
 INGENIEUR

Figure 7: Time comparison for conventional and STARS systems

Figure 8: Comparison requirement of workers, fuel and time for conventional and STARS systems

requirements, vehicle fuel, and response time in
the case of a TNB supply failure.
Display and Monitoring system
The advantage of the STARS system is that
information such as traffic light location map,
phase information, loop sensor, intersection
statistic, operation status, and others can be
monitored on a single screen, as illustrated in
Figure 9.
Figure 10 shows the real statistics of inter-
sections and working status for each traffic
light that uses the STARS system, which can be
accessed via portable devices such as a mobile
phone, tablet, or laptop, as well as a monitoring
centre. STARS can also keep up with the most
recent operating circumstances.
Figures 11, 12, and 13 show the analysis
periods for each phase, vehicle counts at certain
intersections, and the status of traffic controllers
(Multi Plan-MP/Vehicle Actuated-VA) and warning
lists by STARS.

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Figure 9: STARS system information display
Figure 10: Traffic light status monitoring
Alert Message on mobile device
● Real-time alerts can be sent to mobile
devices
● Warnings include details, time information,
description and links to display the location
of the incident
The use of the Telegram app is designed to
provide real-time monitoring of the complete traffic
light system. Damage to the traffic light system
will be reported directly from the controller to the
smartphone via the app. Damage to traffic light
systems, such as power supply, trip status, MP or VA
sensor loop, and so on, will be notified in real-time to
the officers involved for assessment and immediate
action. To facilitate monitoring and follow-up action,
the Telegram app can create small groups for
maintenance based on the zones involved.
23
 INGENIEUR

Figure 11: Green light time periods at each phase

Figure 12: Analysis of vehicle counts at specific intersections

Figure 13: Information on traffic controllers (Multi Plan-MP/Vehicle Actuated-VA) and warning lists

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 Figure 14: Alert message on mobile device
IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY
Outcome of Development
The effects resulting from the innovation of STARS
are as follows:
● Improved service delivery in the CKE
Division, especially in the complaints and
maintenance unit
● Facilitate the management by Unit
Perunding Inspektorat & Keselamatan
Electrik (UPIKE) in JKR CKE Kelantan in
monitoring the status of traffic light damage
at intersections.
● Assist in implementing the needs of
customers and stakeholders of the
Department in the form of providing public
services such as information that is clear,
focused and always up-to-date.
● Savings on vehicle maintenance costs and
fuel consumption.
● Able to reduce labour and overtime costs.
● The time in identifying problems on-site can
be reduced.
● Reduce the risk of accidents to road users
during traffic light damage
Impact of STARS
The impact of STARS development are :
● Digitalisation – Empowering traffic light
systems towards smart technology.
● Urbanisation – Achieving the goal of
transformation on the level of work
efficiency.
● Environment – Empowering
recommendations from MAMPU for the
use of ICT towards Green Technology in the
public service.
● Raise the image of the JKR in the eyes of
the community.
Benefits from STARS
The advantages of this system are:
● Efficient response period to customer
complaints
● Reduce the operating cost of traffic light
monitoring systems
25
 INGENIEUR
The advantage of this system is that it is
capable of resolving problems, particularly
public complaints from road users in the
event of traffic light damage, and it allows the
department to maintain traffic lights effectively.
● Provide status reports in real-time
● Ensure system accessibility from any
mobile device
● Collect data more efficiently
● Communicate with other devices such as
CCTV, flood sensors, etc.
● Communicate with other devices.
Potential Market
The potential application of STARS are as follows:
● Traffic management to improve mobility in
the city. A three-fold outcome is expected,
including analysis of traffic conditions,
optimisation of traffic signals and detection
of accidents or traffic incidents.
● It can optimise the flow of vehicle and
traffic signals by calculating the time to
reach intersections.
● it will also be able to generate structured
summaries of data, such as traffic volume
and speed according to lanes, which can
be used to facilitate other tasks, including
incident detection.
CONCLUSION
Since 2018, JKR CKE Kelantan has been
implementing the innovative product with the
STARS system monitoring 34% of Kelantan's total
traffic lights. The innovative development was
to achieve or support the JKR framework 2021-
2025 under Theme 5: Innovative Organisation.
The STARS system is used to replace conventional
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traffic light monitoring systems, which have been
used for a long period.
STARS is capable of solving difficulties through
the use of high-tech, inventive, simple, and effective
approaches. This innovation has the potential to
boost the department's efficiency in obtaining the
most up-to-date information and delivering it to
road users. The advantage of this system is that
it is capable of resolving problems, particularly
public complaints from road users in the event of
traffic light damage, and it allows the department
to maintain traffic lights effectively. The most recent
traffic light damage information can be broadcast
through the Telegram app . This information is
available online to the public and officers, creating
demand for potential market applications.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The authors would like to acknowledge the Centre
of Excellence for Engineering & Technology
(CREaTE), Dynamic Traffic System Sdn Bhd and
TM One teams for all the support rendered to
the development of the Smart Traffic Analytics &
Recognition System.
REFERENCE
[1] Kumar, S., Tiwari, P. & Zymbler, M. Internet of
Things is a revolutionary approach for future
technology enhancement: a review. J Big Data
6, 111 (2019)
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet of
things
[3] https://www.oracle.com/internet-of-things/
what-is-iot/
From Barter to Social Media
Payment Platforms
By Dr Mahdi H Miraz
Xiamen University Malaysia
‘M
y Brilliant Second Life’ was the title of
the workshop conducted by the Chester
and North Wales branch of the British
Computer Society, circa 17 years ago. In fact,
through this particular workshop, I and I believe
many other participants were first introduced to
the concept of a virtual currency (of the Second
Life) i.e., the Linden Dollar, which could be
exchanged for real world currency. Second Life has
a closed-loop economy where the Linden Dollar
is used. However, the Linden Dollar, in fact, was
not the first digital currency. The history of digital
currencies dates back to 1989 when DigiCash
first materialised and conceived by David Chaum
in 1983. DigiCash was first supported by the
‘Mark Twain Bank’ of Missouri, USA - which was
later acquired by the Mercantile Bank, followed
by Deutsche Bank of Germany. Unfortunately,
DigiCash was unable to grow, and the company
later went bankrupt. The major reason for its
failure is that it entered into the market well before
electronic commerce (e-commerce) became totally
integrated within the realm of the Internet. In fact,
e-commerce, and electronic payment (e-payment)
systems are now considered as a complementary
duo – one cannot survive without the help of the
other. Various emerging e-payment solutions,
such as mobile, social media, peer-to-peer (P2P)
payment platforms as well as cryptocurrencies,
have significantly contributed to the recent
proliferation of the e-commerce industry. Another
catalyst of the recent proliferation of this duo is
obviously the COVID-19 pandemic. Contactless
payment as well as online shopping have both
contributed to contain the spread of the virus.
One of the major catalysts of the human
history of the last 3,000 years is money, including
FEATURE
the exchange of commodities – more commonly
known as the barter. In the contemporary realm of
the ‘connected’ economy, spending a day without
exchanging any sort of money, be it cash or
cashless, is nearly impossible. From barter to the
envisioned Libra of Facebook, from consensus-
based Yap society’s Rai (Fei) stones, (see Figure
1) to blockchain enabled cryptocurrencies, from
traditional paper currencies or minted coins to
contactless plastic cards or wearables. Time
and time again, money has gone through several
different forms, in order to address the human
needs of any distinct era, aligning with and/or
adopting the technologies that the particular era
has offered.
We have now entered into a cashless world,
where different technologies, such as mobile
payment platforms, have even set foot in the
activities of the street beggars, (see Figure 2).
In some countries, including China, beggars and
hawkers are now seen to utilise mobile payment
systems based on Quick Response (QR) code, in
order to receive payments for the alms they earn
through begging or for the products they trade.
On the face of it, such widespread adoption and
diffusion of payment technologies may seem to
be a great blessing. In fact, there are certainly
many more background issues than meets the
eye. Further study, especially in terms of ethical,
legal, privacy and regulatory aspects, are needed.
Government agents also need to take appropriate
steps, particularly in terms of monetary and
regulatory point of view.
With the widespread diffusion of the Internet
as well as the advent of smartphones, there
are now innumerable desktop, web, and mobile
applications (apps) available to satisfy various
27
 INGENIEUR Figure 2: Tech-savvy beggars in China1

human needs 2 including (but not limited to)

a
transferring funds or making payments. Various
web applications have already been or are being
broadened and/or customised offering the
services on a smartphone or other handheld
devices. That being the case, since the social
media payment platforms and the mobile payment
platforms are now inevitably inter-related, the
discussion of the former remains incomplete
without the discussion of latter.

b MOBILE PAYMENT PROTOCOLS AND

PLATFORMS

Mobile payment is a very widely used broad term,

Figure 1a and 1b: Rai (Fei) Stone Money of the
Yap Society
without having any firm definition. In its simplest
form, any payment or transfer of funds completed
using a smartphone or any other mobile/handheld
device can be categorised as a mobile payment.
Rather than adopting any traditional route of
payment, e.g., cash, cards, cheques, etc., payment
is made using the user’s own device through
mobile wallet or mobile apps. In fact, there are
now so many mobile payment platforms available
in the market, users are spoiled for choices. These
include (but obviously not limited to): GrabPay,
ShopeePay, PayPal Mobile, Apple Pay, Google
Wallet, WeChat Pay, Samsung Pay, AliPay, Square
Order, MasterCard MasterPass, Intuit GoPayment,
Paydiant, Android Pay, Visa Checkout, etc. There
are several models of mobile payment, mainly
based on the techniques and technologies used.
However, the following are the major ones:

Short Messege Service (SMS) Payment

Payments, as the name implies, are made by
sending an SMS. Based on the agreed amount, as
shown on the SMS, the sender is charged by the

1 http://www.tammyduffy.com/ARTFASHION/index.
blog?entry_id=2368874
2 Mahdi H. Miraz, Peter Excell and Maaruf Ali, "User
Interface (UI) Design Issues for the Multilingual
Users: A Case Study", in the International Journal
of Universal Access in the Information Society, Print
ISSN: 1615-5289, E- ISSN: 1615-5297, August
2016, Vol. 15, No. 3, pp 431-444, Published by
Springer-Verlag, DOI: 10.1007/s10209-014-0397-5.
Available: https://link.springer.com/epdf/10.1007/
Figure 2: Tech-savvy beggars in China1 s10209-014-0397-5.

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carrier, which is then transferred to the recipient.
SMS payment is quite useful for people without
having a smartphone or the Internet.
Near-field Communication (NFC) Payment
NFC is fundamentally a set of wireless
communication protocols that facilitates exchange
of data between two NCF enabled electronic
devices. Usually, the sender has an NFC enabled
smartphone while the receiver has a ‘Point of Sale’
(POS)3 payment terminal. NFC payments can cover a
distance of 4cm to 10cm, based on the underlying
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology.
Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) Payment
In WAP payment or WAP Billing models, the WAP
protocol is first utilised for connecting to the
Internet; the payment is then made by simply
clicking the URLs or links provided. Consumers
are usually charged by the carrier, similar to
SMS payment models. Therefore, the users
usually do not need to register for this service or
authenticate themselves by entering username
and password.
Quick Response (QR) Code payments
The application of QR code in various domains,
including mobile payment, is becoming
increasingly popular. The QR Code payment is
usually integrated with mobile banking apps,
mobile wallets, different apps by various providers
and stores, etc. In most cases, user’s bank
details and/or cards require to be associated to
the apps; exceptions are P2P payment via QR
codes. If the account holder has a pre-existing
balance, perhaps transferred by P2P payment or
any other means, association of payment card or
bank account is not needed. QR codes can also
displayed on desktop-based websites facilitating
payment without any data (beneficiary details)
entry. Thus, as the security features of the buyer’s/
sender’s mobile carriers and apps are utilised
instead of those offered by the websites of the
merchants/receivers, such a payment model not
only eases the overall process but also offers an
extra layer of security.
3 Crowe, Marianne & Rysman, Marc & Stavins, Joanna. (2010). Mobile Payments at the Retail Point of Sale in the
United States: Prospects for Adoption. Review of Network Economics. 9. 2-2. 10.2202/1446-9022.1236.
Mobile Wallets
Mobile Wallets or Digital Wallets are mainly
installed apps on the user devices which
incorporate other mobile payment protocols
including QR Code and NFC to facilitate the
transfer of funds or payment. Apart from
payment information, different types of tickets,
boarding passes, royalty cards, etc. can also be
associated and stored in the Mobile Wallets.
Complex encryption mechanism, tokenisation,
different authentication techniques such as face-
recognition, fingerprint, etc. are combinedly used
to tighten the security aspects of Mobile Wallets.
Multi-faceted Social Media Payment
Platforms
Mobile payments are now entering into various
social media platforms, to facilitate the social
media users with P2P fund transfer solutions,
such as: Venmo, Google Pay Send (Google Wallet),
Twitter (Tweet Purchase and iPayYou), WeChat Pay,
Facebook Messenger, Apple Pay, etc.
Venmo
Venmo, a social media platform by Paypal, utilises
SMS payment model to facilitate P2P payments
amongst users. While pre-registration is not required
to initially receive funds, a payee needs to register
once she/he receives the payment notification by
SMS, in order to retrieve the transferred fund.
Google Pay Send (Google Wallet)
Google Pay Send, which was formerly known
as Google Wallet, is a popular social media
payment platform by Google. However, Google
Pay Send has now been consolidated with
Google Pay. In addition to Google Wallet apps,
this service also enables transferring funds via
integrated Google services including Gmail.
Such integration is a unique benefit offered
by the Google Pay Send, compared with its
counterparts. Interestingly, any user already
having a Gmail (email) account has intrinsically
signed up for Google Pay Send.
29
 INGENIEUR
Twitter (Tweet Purchase and iPayYou)
Tweet Purchase by Twitter enables business
organisations to promote and trade their products
and/or services immediately from their tweets.
The service is further augmented by integrated
matching platform features – when a seller
tweets the services and products being offered,
the underlying algorithm of the matching platform
feeds the tweets to the inferred possible buyers.
If there is a match, the buyers can directly hit the
‘buy’ button to purchase the tweeted products
and/or services.
iPayYou, also known as Pay by Twitter,
enables transacting bitcoins. The recipients of
any Bitcoin transactions via iPayYou, are notified
through tweets which contain customised
links to the iPayYou website, for the particular
transactions. Similar to Venmo, pre-registration
is not required to receive Bitcoins by iPayYou, but
registration is required before the transferred
fund can be used.
WeChat Pay
WeChat Pay is an integrated service of WeChat by
Tencent which is one of the popular multipurpose
social media apps in China and the surrounding
region including Malaysia. WeChat pay provides
a rich combination of different mobile payment
protocols such as QR Code, NFC, etc. Apart from
paying for goods and services, P2P fund transfer
via WeChat Pay is very popular amongst the users.
WeChat Pay HK is the localised version, especially
designed for the residents of HK.
Facebook Messenger
In fact, social media payment platform using
Facebook Messenger was introduced long before
Facebook declared the development of its own
cryptocurrency Libra. Along with their plastic
cards, users can also associate their PayPal
accounts, to transfer funds to other peer Facebook
Messenger users. However, at this moment the
service is limited to only a handful of countries
such as the US (in US Dollars), United Kingdom
(in Pound Sterling) and France (in Euro). Facebook
4 Zachary Amsden et al., “The Libra Blockchain”, 2019, Available: https://developers.libra.org/docs/assets/papers/
the-libra-blockchain.pdf.
5 https://www.isumsoft.com/apple/compare-apple-pay-with-alipay-and-wechat-pay.html
6 Edward A. Morse & Vasant Raval, Private Ordering in Light of the Law: Achieving Consumer Protection Through
Payment Card Security Measures, 10 DePaul Bus. & Comm. L.J. 213 (2012).
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Messenger enables splitting any group payment
amongst the participants, such as having a group
meal with the friends. Personalised payment
requests can also be sent out to the users who
owe (or expect to transfer) money.
In 2019, Facebook disclosed their roadmap
for implementing Libra as a blockchain based
cryptocurrency. Libra will be governed by the
independent Libra Association. It will utilise
the Byzantine Fault Tolerant Consensus
mechanism. Unlike other cryptocurrencies,
to provide Libra with intrinsic value, it will be
backed by reserved assets – analogous fiat
currencies. Calibra will be Facebook’s native
digital wallet for Libra4.
Apple Pay
Apple Pay 5 developed by Apple is becoming
increasingly popular in Europe, the Middle East,
US, and some parts of Asia. Apple Pay is currently
limited to Apple devices. The major difference
between Apple Pay and its counterparts is that
Apple Pay enables users to withdraw funds
directly from a bank’s ATM machine with an NFC
device.
REGULATORY CHALLENGES
While the social media payment platforms, along
with mobile payments systems, are becoming
tremendously popular and have already changed
the way we pay or transfer funds, they are criticised
for being an easy route for money laundering. Due
to several limitations, such payment platforms
cannot be regulated and monitored by regulatory
bodies or other relevant Government agents,
in the same way as for traditional banks. Lack
of appropriate laws and regulations in many
countries is also another concern. Therefore, to
ensure that these payment platforms remain safe
for the users, the privacy, security, regulatory as
well as legal and ethical issues should be carefully
addressed and continuously monitored by the
relevant bodies6.
Integrating Industry 4.0
Elements in Chemical
Engineering Education
By Ban Zhen Hong, Lam Weng Hoong,

FEATURE
Noraini Mohd, Tan Peng Chee,
Ten Joon Yoon, Parthiban Siwayanan
Xiamen University Malaysia

C
hemical Engineering (ChE) is a well-
recognised branch of engineering that
applies the core scientific disciplines of
chemistry, physics, biology, and mathematics to
transform raw materials into useful or valuable
end-products. ChE covers the development,
design, and operation of chemical processing
plants by considering elements such as techno-
economic viability, operability, safety and
sustainability for the extraction, conversion, and
recovery of materials. ChE has consistently been
one of the most rewarding engineering professions
worldwide. Leveraging the teaching excellence
and research reputation at Xiamen University
China (XMU) and demands from the Malaysian
chemical and process industries, Xiamen
University Malaysia (XMUM) has established
Figure 2: XMUM incorporated the element of
its ChE Programme with the aim of enriching Industry 4.0 in teaching and learning (Graphic
chemical engineering education in Malaysia by inspired by Boston Consulting Group discussion
bringing XMU’s teaching and research excellence on Industry 4.0)
from overseas. The ChE programme offered by the
School of Energy and Chemical Engineering has
been accredited by the Engineering Accreditation and applications related to Industry 4.0 have
Council (EAC) Malaysia and provides a cohesive been utilised in chemical and process industries,
learning and knowledge-building environment for including big data and analytics, simulation,
the pursuit of quality teaching and research. system integration, Internet of Things (IoT), cyber-
Industry 4.0 incorporates a number of digital physical systems, advanced materials, additive
and physical advanced technologies to create a manufacturing, advanced analytics, artificial
greater physical-to-digital-to-physical connection, intelligence, and robotics [1]. Chemical and process
which has the potential to transform the chemical industries are presently seeking engineers who are
industry by enabling strategic growth and not only equipped with complex problem-solving
streamlining operations. With the rise of Industry capabilities, critical thinking, creative, innovative,
4.0 in this globalisation era, more technologies and decision-making abilities but also engineers

31
 INGENIEUR
Figure 3: XMUM students during laboratory
activities
with Industry 4.0 skillset. Beyond providing strong
chemical engineering foundations, the ChE
programme at XMUM incorporates elements of
Industry 4.0 in selected ChE courses with the aim
of significantly enhancing students’ preparedness
in facing new challenges and changing demands
of the future. The elements included in these
courses will enable students to explore chemical
reaction processes at all scales, right from the
Figure 4: The ChE courses incorporating the Industry 4.0 elements
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atomic level up to a commercial plant size, as
illustrated in Figure 4. The selected ChE courses
include Molecular Simulation, Computational
Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Process Simulation, System
Optimisation and Process Control. The courses
features are described in the sections below.
Molecular Simulation
Molecular simulation is a powerful approach for
the design of materials and the prediction of
their behaviour and performance. Students are
exposed to molecular simulation through the
Multiscale Modelling and Simulation course and
with use of the Materials Studio software. In
essence, the Materials Studio is an integrated
molecular modelling environment, which
enables simulations on a variety of lengths and
timescales such as electronic, atomistic, or
mesoscale simulation. For instance, students
are taught the prediction of reaction kinetics
parameter s using DMol 3 module, which
calculates the electronic properties of a system
using the density functional theory. Specifically,
reactant and product structures are prepared
then followed by mapping their corresponding
atoms before identification of their transitional
state (TS) structure. By taking the Diels-
Alder reaction as an example, atom mapping
is shown in Figure 5. A reaction kinetics run
is then carried out to determine parameters
such as activation energy and pre-exponential
factors. In addition, a reaction kinetics run can
be performed to acquire the reaction kinetics
data as input into CFD simulation for reactor
design. Meanwhile, in molecular dynamics Figure 5: Atom mapping between reactant
(ethane and butadiene) (left) and product
simulation, the trajectories of all the atoms
(cyclohexene) (right) for Diels-Alder reaction.
in the model are predicted over time. The
trajectories of the atoms can be analysed to
extract proper ties such as gas diffusivity,
solubility parameters, etc. Considering liquid
to liquid extraction as an example, it is well-
known that solvents play a crucial role in
determining separation efficiency. Hence,
students are asked to determine a suitable
solvent for phenol extraction from wastewater
using the simulation approach. By determining
the solubilit y parameter, the miscibilit y
between phenol and various solvents can
be predicted. To do so, amorphous cells for
phenol (see Figure 6) and different solvents
are constructed, equilibrated, and run to
determine cohesive energy density for solubility
parameter calculation. The solvent having a
closer solubility parameter with phenol will Figure 6: Amorphous cell of phenol for calculation
of solubility parameter
demonstrate better separation ef ficiency
due to its better interaction with phenol.
Overall, molecular simulation is a feasible and
sophisticated technique in providing insight Computational Fluid Dynamics
into a material’s chemistry and fundamentals.
In fact, it is especially impor tant for the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is one of the
development of new materials in industry. mathematical modelling approaches that predict
Instead of performing laborious experiments, the fluid flow phenomenon. CFD has been utilised
the properties of different materials can be in various chemical engineering applications in
studied easily through molecular simulation, recent years as part of the Industry 4.0. It can be
which is more cost and time effective. It used in both academic and industrial applications
has enormous potential for widespread such as reactions in a reactor, chemical dispersion
implementation in various industries that in air, catalyst performance and many more. A
include but not limited to the pharmaceutical simulation can be used for study at different
industr y (drug research), the oil and gas scales, from small scale such as microreactor to
industry (study of natural gas properties, phase a large-scale chemical reactor and can even be
equilibrium etc.), the energy sector (selection of extended to the study of up to a few kilometres
electrodes), and catalysis applications (design of environment gas dispersion case studies. The
of new catalysts with better performance). CFD study typically involves not only fluid flow and

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 INGENIEUR
Figure 7: A CFD study on the airborne virus
such as COVID-19 concentration trapped on the
surface of a mask.
heat transfer, but also mass transfer, reaction,
multiphase flow, and other models that might be
required depending on the case study. The CFD
results can help engineers make better decisions
and provide engineering solutions. This can aid
in cost and energy savings as the study can be
done during the design stage, where no physical
material is required for the study. There have been
CFD engineers and specialist jobs available in the
industry in recent years.
Hence, CFD plays a significant role in part
of the multiscale modelling, bridging chemical
Figure 8: A CFD simulation on cyclohexane production via the mixing of ethylene and butadiene
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reactions from the molecular level up to
plant equipment and process modelling. CFD
modelling is introduced to students in their third
and fourth years of study in XMUM. The students
learn about the basics of CFD simulation
and utilise data from molecular simulation
or process modelling simulation in a CFD
simulation. In addition, CFD is also introduced
in the final year research project (FYP) and
postgraduate research, where it is coupled
with an artificial intelligent method used in the
research project to study various phenomena
such as prediction of an illegal burning location.
Another interesting CFD project involves the
study of airborne viruses such as COVID-19
concentrations trapped on the surface of a
mask and how heating in an oven helps to
disinfect the mask as shown in Figure 7.
In another project, students are required to
run molecular simulations to obtain the required
reaction kinetics data, such as activation energy,
and to run a reaction study in CFD. Molecular
simulations are able to provide detailed insight
into reaction kinetics. Hence, a CFD simulation
can model the reaction rates based on the
kinetics data, coupled with the effect of fluid flow
and heat transfer. The project is about mixing
ethylene and butadiene and how they react to
form cyclohexene. The CFD simulation result for
the mass fraction of cyclohexene in the T-junction
is shown in Figure 8.
Figure 9: Production of methanol from natural gas feedstock developed by students using Aspen Plus
Process Simulation
In chemical engineering, process simulation is
a key technology in the design of a chemical
production plant. Chemical plant designs involve
chemical process synthesis, which explores
the design of established chemical processes.
Process synthesis often encompasses the
modification and optimisation of a chemical
process to cater to critical business decisions
in the industry. Meanwhile, process simulation
enables optimisation in decision-making for the
design and operation of a complex chemical
plant. This could help engineers in performing
material and energy integration, risk assessment,
cost optimisation, operational feasibility, and
to develop Industry 4.0 strategies. Industry 4.0
has been a significant driver for educators in
embracing digital technologies and specialist
software to equip students to better face constant
changing challenges in the industry.
At XMUM, process simulation is introduced
to students in the Modelling and Simulation of
Chemical Processes course using a process
simulation software, Aspen Plus. In this course,
problem solving, critical assessment, decision
making, and teamwork skills are developed
through problem-based learning using simulation
software. Students are tasked to solve an open-
ended problem by designing a chemical process
coupled with various technological, environmental,
and economic constraints. They are required to
evaluate various established chemical processes
in the industry, consider various modifications
and optimisation strategies in established
chemical processes and make sound decisions.
Such a study involves the scrutiny of countless
chemical processes which revolve around
performing repetitive material and energy balance
calculations. In this case, Aspen Plus can aid in
eliminating iterative calculations, and the role
of the students can be condensed to focus on
problem solving, critical analysis and making
important decisions.
Chemical process safety is inherently an
integral part of a chemical plant design. In one
of the assessments, process safety evaluation
is integrated into a specific section of the design
during process synthesis and simulation. The
section of interest is carefully selected to study
any scenario that might raise safety concerns, for
example, gas leakage in a methanol production
plant. CFD analysis is used to simulate the
distribution of the methanol gas in the plant using
the ANSYS Fluent, exploring any safety hazards
that might occur in the plant. This allows students
to understand the interaction between the process
design and any inherent safety concerns.
System Optimisation
The scientific discipline of process systems
engineering (PSE) covers the development of
methods to model, design and control processes
and enhancement of decision-making processes
for the synthesis of the chemical supply chain.
Mathematical modelling and optimisation, process
synthesis and design, product design are among
the topics that fall under PSE. As the principles
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 INGENIEUR

Figure 10: The design of optimal conversion pathways in an integrated biorefinery

of sustainability have received increasing

attention in industrial practices, education and
research fields, numerous pivotal decision-
making criteria in process synthesis and design
including, the efficiency of raw material usage,
energy consumption, environmental performance,
process safety and occupational health, and
integration of process efficiency are now included
in PSE.
One commonly studied process synthesis
model is the design of an integrated biorefinery,
which incorporates several chemical reaction
pathways for the conversion of biomass as a
sustainable source of energy into value-added
biochemical products along with heat and power.
Our students enrolled in the System Optimisation
course are tasked with utilising systematic
screening approaches to identify optimal
conversion pathways depending on various design
objectives using mathematical optimisation
tools. Aspects such as economic performance,
raw material allocation, environmental, safety
and health impacts are considered during the
preliminary design. Figure 10 shows the optimal
conversion pathways in an integrated biorefinery
synthesised through superstructural mathematical
optimisation techniques.
Meanwhile, screening chemical candidates
for a particular process application is crucial
to obtain optimal process performance. This
problem is known as chemical product design,
which involves the development of chemicals
and formulations possessing the required
specifications and characteristics to satisfy
customer needs. Product design problems are
often solved through computer aided molecular
design (CAMD) techniques, which have emerged
Figure 11: Optimal working fluids for an ORC
application
as effective tools for designing a vast number of
molecules with the desired properties through the
use of optimisation tools. CAMD methodology can
be adopted in the chemical processing industry
for the replacement of hazardous chemicals
with less hazardous alternatives that also exhibit
compatible property attributes and performance.
For instance, students are also assigned to search
for promising working fluids for an Organic Rankine
Cycle (ORC) through CAMD, with the optimal
chemical candidates shown in Figure 11. Through
CAMD, the application of chemicals with reduced
hazards in processes can minimise the magnitude
of consequences or the likelihood of occurrence of
an unwanted industrial accident.
Process Control and Machine Learning
Machine learning is a method of data analysis that
automates analytical model building. It is a branch
of artificial intelligence based on the idea that
systems can learn from data, identify patterns, and
make decisions with minimal human intervention.

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Figure 12: Closed-loop simulation diagram of a linearised fluidised bed reactor for Polyethylene
production simulated via Scilab XCOS. (Developed by students)

Figure 13: Temperature profiles of different PID tuning settings fluidised bed reactor for Polyethylene
production simulated via Scilab XCOS. (Developed by students)

37
 INGENIEUR

Figure 14: Closed-loop simulation diagram of a linearised Transesterification Process for Biodiesel
production simulated via Scilab XCOS. (Developed by students)

Figure 15: Biodiesel concentration profile of Transesterification Process simulated via Scilab XCOS
(Developed by students)

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This method allows software applications to
become more accurate at predicting outcomes.
For example, Neural Network which is one of
a machine learning tools that can be applied to
learn the dynamics and behaviour of a chemical
process [2]. The Neural Network model can be
utilised to design an efficient process to control
the chemical process.
The concept of machine learning has been
included in chemical engineering teaching and
learning in XMUM. In the Process Control and
Instrumentation course, students are given an
assignment to develop a dynamic model and
process control for chemical processes. In this
assignment, the concept of machine learning
can be applied where an open loop simulation
is carried out to analyse the dynamic behaviour
of a process. The simulation can be performed
using the Scilab XCOS software. The analysis of
process dynamics provides an insight into the
stability, nonlinearity, and other characteristics of
the chemical processes.
After the analysis, a process controller can
be designed, and a closed loop simulation
be performed. Figure 12 shows a closed
loop simulation of a fluidised bed reactor for
Polyethylene production performed by students.
Figure 13 shows the results of these simulations
including the temperature profile of different
PID tuning settings for the fluidised bed reactor.
It has been shown that the PID controller can
successfully control the reactor temperature.
The behaviour of a Biodiesel model can also
be analysed and used as a reference to design
a suitable PID controller. As shown in Figure 14,
students simulate the transesterification process
for Biodiesel production. Even though the process
is nonlinear, the Biodiesel concentration can
be controlled efficiently by a PID controller as
shown in Figure 15. Students are able to apply
the machine learning concept, which is a model-
based control system, by analysing the model’s
behaviour prior to designing a controller.
Simulation Integrated Pilot Plant
In addition to embracing specialist software to
prepare our students for Industry 4.0, at XMUM,
we are constantly engaged in incorporating new
digital technologies in our curriculum. In traditional
chemical engineering education, practical
training is incorporated in the curriculum in the
form of industrial training as well as industrial
visits. As students are not qualified engineers,
they are generally not allowed to perform
essential operations in these environments.
More importantly, the chemical plants in the
industry often involve equipment with elevated
temperature and pressure, which could be a
considerable safety risk to students. Therefore,
they are constrained to cognitive enhancement
with limited psychomotor training in the chemical
plant.
In 2018, XMUM started a joint-development
project with Qinhuangdao Bohe Science and
Technology Development Co., China, to develop
a Simulation Integrated Process Plant (SIPP)
on our campus. SIPP consists of scaled-down
equipment in a chemical plant. The operations of
the equipment are controlled using an industrial
grade Distributed Control System (DCS) coupled
with an advanced computer algorithm that
allows them to mimic the actual operation in an
industrial environment. Students will be able to
perform actual operations under various plant
environments such as normal operation, start-
up, shut down, and various commonly occurred
industrial incidents without worrying about their
safety and any damage to the equipment that
might invite any financial repercussions.
Figure 16: 3D Model of SIPP
To further enhance Industry 4.0 in our
curriculum, SIPP is equipped with a 3D Virtual
Factory mode. A Virtual Reality (VR) simulator is
used to allow students to experience the process
plant in VR mode and access critical information
of the process plant virtually.
39
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INGENIEUR
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 INGENIEUR
Figure 17: SIPP 3D Virtual Factory mode (published with permission from SIPP producer)
CONCLUSION
As part of the digital transformation agenda,
institutions of higher learning, particularly those
offering engineering education, have made
significant efforts to integrate with and adapt to
Industry 4.0. These institutions have embraced
the digital transformation spurred by Industry
4.0, not just for educational purposes but also to
train future engineers [3]. This article emphasises
the integration of Industry 4.0 elements into
chemical engineering education at XMUM, as
well as the importance of providing chemical
engineering students with Industry 4.0 skillset
prior to graduation. Industry 4.0 elements have
been embedded into a number of undergraduate
courses with the aim of enabling future engineers
with both Industry 4.0 and complex problem solving
competencies. In addition to strong engineering
foundations and acquired soft skills, it is anticipated
that the chemical engineering graduates of XMUM
with an Industry 4.0 skillset, will have the edge in
succeeding in the chemical industry and remaining
relevant in Industry 4.0 era.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The authors would like to thank Yvonne Choo for
proofreading the article.
REFERENCE
[1] Industry 4.0 and the Chemicals Industry.
https://www2.deloitte.com/cn/en/pages/
consumer-industrial-products/ar ticles/
industry-4-0-and-chemicals-industry.html
[2] Y. Ma, A. J. A. Daniel A. Noreña-Caro, T. B.
Brentzel, J. A. Romagnoli, and M. G. Benton,
“Machine-learning-based simulation and fed-
batch control of cyanobacterial-phycocyanin
production in Plectonema by artificial neural
network and deep reinforcement learning,”
Comput. Chem. Eng., vol. 142, 2020.
[3] Chemical Engineering Education in the
Age of Disruption. https://ichemeblog.
org/2020/08/26/ chemical-engineering-
education-in-the-age-of-disruption/
Work From Home:
Occupational Safety and
Health Perspective
By Ir. Ts. Dr Majahar Bin Abd Rahman

FEATURE
Ts. Muhammad Shah Bin Ab Rahim
Mohd Faizal Bin Mohd Hatta
Department of Occupational Safety and Health Malaysia

A
ccording to the International Labour
Organisation (ILO), work from home (WFH) is
defined as a work arrangement in which an
employee fulfils his or her job responsibilities while
at home. In the context of occupational safety and
health, this definition can be more specific as a
work arrangement in which an employee fulfils his
or her job responsibilities while at home safely and
healthily.
In Malaysia, the implementation of WFH is
recognised as an alternative method of working to
reduce the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. This
is also recommended by the Government since
the outbreak of this pandemic began on March
18, 2020, to minimise contact among workers to
prevent the spread of COVID-19, especially in the
workplace environment.
Benefits of WFH
According to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM),
Singapore, there are various benefits that can be
obtained by employers and employees through the
implementation of WFH, including:
i. Reduction of operating costs including
travel time;
ii. Greater autonomy and flexibility in the
organisation of work;
iii. Better work-life balance;

43
 INGENIEUR
iv. Increased motivation;
v. Decreased turnover;
vi. Increased productivity and efficiency of
the company;
vii. Hiring is not based on a specific
geographical location;
viii. The work environment is adapted to work
from home; and
ix. Saving office space and other amenities.
WFH Challenges
Although many benefits can be obtained
through WFH, there are some constraints in its
implementation, such as:
i. WFH can result in reduced or no social
interaction between fellow employees or
customers. The impact of this lack of social
involvement has a significant impact on
individuals whose social relationships are
an essential element of work. This should
not be ignored as it can lead to depression
or other mental health problems.
ii. Overtime can occur more frequently
during WFH. This is because the boundary
between work assignments and homework
is not fixed. Most likely there is a potential
reduction in the balance between work
and life.
iii. In addition, a home environment that
does not have a good layout has the
potential to lead to accidents caused by
WFH. According to the Social Security
Organisation (SOCSO), for the period
March 2020 to June 2021, the agency
has paid compensation amounting to
RM 15.41 million to 1,504 workers who
suffered accidents and occupational
diseases while performing their duties
on a WFH basis. Among the recorded
accident scenarios were falling off a chair,
tripping, or spraining during WFH.
WFH and Occupational Safety and Health
Legislation
Referring to Section 15, Occupational Safety and
Health Act, 1994 (Act 514), “it is the duty of every
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employer and every self-employed person to ensure,
as far as practicable, the safety, health and welfare
at work of all his employees”. This shows that
employers still need to be responsible for the safety,
health and welfare of their employees who are
working even when the work is done on a WFH basis.
Similarly,according to Section 24, Act 514, “an
employee must be responsible for the safety and
health of himself and others who may be affected
by his actions or omissions while working”. This
means that the employee must be responsible
for his or her safety and health, and other people
who may be affected while performing their duties
even in a WFH manner.
WFH Implementation Method
WFH requires management and co-ordination to
ensure control over employee OSH risks or other
problems that may arise due to changes in work
execution methods. Employers need to look at
the best method of preparing for WFH-based work
arrangements before instructing or authorising
employees to perform WFH.
Responsibility for the arrangement of WFH
should be performed by the employer with the
involvement of employees to ensure that it is
practicable, in line with the general duties of
employers and employees set out under Act 514.
Before implementing WFH, the employer
should assess the feasibility and practicality of the
job function to be implemented on a WFH basis.
As a guide, there are five main steps in WFH
management, namely:
i. Develop WFH guidelines for companies;
ii. Identify the feasibility of job functions and
tasks that can be done at home;
iii. Identify functions and evaluate the
infrastructure, facilities and equipment
available to WFH;
iv. Assess the employee's condition in terms
of OSH in his home environment as well
as the actual ability to implement WFH
through risk assessment methods; and
v. Monitor, review and communicate with
employees on a regular basis to avoid
the impact that may arise on the lives of
employees following the implementation
of WFH.
Work-Life Balance and WFH Conclusion

To improve work-life balance, employers should do
the following:
i. Clearly set his working hours and work
schedule;
ii. Promote work-life balance and a healthy
lifestyle;
iii. Provide mental well-being support to
employees experiencing life-work balance
conflict; and
iv. Refer to relevant guideline s for
promoting work-life balance and healthy
lifestyle, as issued by the Ministry of
Health Malaysia.
Driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, WFH is an
alternative method of working that is increasingly
being practised by employers and employees
in Malaysia. However, the OSH aspect needs to
be emphasised by employers and employees to
prevent accidents and reduce health risks arising
from employment activities, including those
implemented through WFH. With this, the safety
and health of workers continue to be protected,
enhancing productivity and prosperity of the
country and the people.

GUIDE TO PROVIDING A SAFE AND HEALTHY WFH ENVIRONMENT

The following figures provide general guidelines that can be used as examples in providing a safe and
healthy work environment for WFH purposes.

Figure 1: Appropriate and comfortable workspace layout

45
 INGENIEUR

Figure 2: A conducive environment without risk to self and others

Figure 3: Adaptation of workspace at home

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Figure 4: Practical methods for staying mentally healthy as well as work-life balance

REFERENCE
i. Akta Keselamatan dan Kesihatan Pekerjaan, 1994 [Akta 514]
ii. Pekeliling Perkhidmatan Bilangan 5 Tahun 2020 – Dasar Bekerja Dari Rumah – JPA.100-
1/4/2(12), Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam, Malaysia
iii. International Labour Organisation (ILO). (2020), an Employers’ Guide on Working From Home In
Response To The Outbreak Of COVID-19.
iv. Health and Safety Authority, the Metropolitan Building James Joyce Street, Dublin 1. (2020),
Guidance on Working from Home for Employers and Employees.
v. Safety and Health Services. (2021), Home Working Guidance, University of Bristol.
vi. Coronavirus (COVID-19) Related Homeworking Guidance, James Hallam Risk Management
(2020)
vii. Work@Home – An Employer‘s Guide to Implementing ICT – Enabled Home-Based Work, Ministry
Of Manpower, Singapore
viii. Home Office, Mobile Office – Managing Remote Working, IOSH, UK
ix. Home Working and Staying Healthy Infografic- www.covid19.ergonomic.org.uk

47
 INGENIEUR
MODULAR WIRING
SYSTEM
By Dato’ Ir. Dr Abu Hashim Abd Ghani
FEATURE
E
lectrical installations have remained
relatively unchanged for decades, relying
on traditional hard-wired systems which are
labour intensive, offer little in flexibility, and are
not cost-effective or time efficient.
The concept of using prefabricated components
in the construction industry is certainly not new
and continues to be cost-effective and efficient.
While great strides have been made in fast-
tracking many building construction tasks,
simplifying electricity installations remains slow
and engineers have been reluctant to uptake
modern trends such as modular wiring systems.
Buildings can go up in double-quick time, but
fitting-out the electrical installation takes just
as long as a traditional hard-wired electrical
installation.
Modular wiring systems have been in existence
for more than two decades in the UK, Europe
and North America, leading the way to modular
wiring installations. The Petronas Twin Towers in
KLCC, the ERICCSON Head Office in Cyberjaya,
the Securities Commission HQ in Damansara,
Bank Negara Financial & Resource Centre in
Bank Negara and the NUCLEUS Tower in Mutiara
Damansara are among the first few projects here
in Malaysia where modular wiring systems have
been used.
Nevertheless, today many practising engineers
and contractors still resist using modular wiring
systems. This usually stems from a lack of
knowledge and familiarity with the design and
installation of prefabricated wiring systems. The
biggest impediment to adopting modular wiring
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systems is the reluctance to change and try
something new. They see any change in approach
as a potential risk.
Given only a promise of increased efficiency
and better use of resources, most engineers are
reluctant to try something new and comfortably
fall back on the same old traditional method of
hard-wired installations due to familiarity and a
proven track record.
In Malaysia, the construction industry is
experiencing a labour shortage because it is
very much dependent on cheap foreign labour. In
the current COVID-19 situation, these resources
are being repatriated to their respective home
countries and have created a huge vacuum that
local resources are just not available to fill.
With the COVID-19 situation remaining for
some time, our industries should reflect on the
future, and not rely on the traditional hard-wired
system and cheap foreign labour. The industry
should move forward and embrace available new
technologies. Given the inevitable shortage of
labour and semi-skilled workers, local industry
players should resort to prefabricated components
and not rely on traditional hard-wired systems.
What is Modular Wiring System?
Modular wiring systems are the perfect solution
to avoid intensive labour usage and they
offer flexibility and cost-savings. The modular
system is designed and prefabricated off-site
in a manufacturing facility that ensures quality
control. They are functionally tested, and clinically The TB provides connectivity via a length
assembled according to design requirements. of Modular Fly Cord lighting or power (3-Cores
This eliminates the need for on-site electrical 1.5 mm2 PVC/Copper Wire) lighting or power
connections, reduces the number of qualified connected to the lighting or the power sub-circuit
on-site electricians and other workers needed to supply to a Modular Ceiling Distribution Box.
carry out the installation work.
The modular wiring system has many Modular Ceiling Distribution Box
indisputable advantages compared with the
conventional wiring system, such as:
● Minimum installation time;
● Minimum site labour required;
● Factory pre-assembled and pretested;
● Utilising Plug and Play components;
● Less containment required by using a cable
basket;
● Quality assurance as the system is
manufactured in a factory;
● Safe installation as the system is colour
coded and has polarised connections;
● Zero wastage as the system is pre-
assembled in a factory; and
● Cost savings.
The modular Ceiling Distribution Box (CDB) is
for the lighting or power distribution sub-circuit
Modular Wiring System Components connections. It provides two-way connections for
(I-MOS SYSTEM) the lighting and power sub-circuits using plug and
play modular components.
Modular Terminal Box This CDB provides connectivity via a length of
Modular Fly Cord lighting or power (3-Cores 1.5
or 2.5 mm2 PVC/Copper Wire) connected to the
Luminaire Box (LB) or Power Box (PB).

Modular System Switch Box

The Terminal box (TB) is placed or mounted next to

the incoming cable management trunking or cable
basket. It is installed using a metal clamping base
plate accessory.
It provides easy electrical installation for the
lighting and power sub-circuits. The sub-circuit
wiring is installed using trunking or cable basket
from the Distribution Board to the TB. This is the
first operation on-site by the installer.
This Switch Box (SB) is for the sub-circuit light
switch connections. It provides switched and
unswitched (by-pass) connections from the light
switch to the CDB and the LB using plug and play
modular components.

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 INGENIEUR
Modular Wiring System Installation Illustration

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 The SB provides connectivity via a length of
Modular Fly Cord lighting (3-Cores 1.5 or 2.5
mm2 PVC/Copper Wire) connected to the CDB or
the LB.
Modular Splitter (T) with Dropper (ST-LD)
The Splitter T Light (S-LD) is for the sub-
circuit tapping-off connections. It provides a
branch connection from the sub-circuit to the
luminaire.
This SB-LD provides connectivity via a length
of lighting wire dropper (3-Cores 1.5 mm2 PVC/
Copper Wire) connected to the luminaire.
Modular Luminaire Box (LB)
This Luminaire Box (LB) is for the luminaire sub-
circuit connections. It provides the sub-circuit
connection to the luminaire using plug and play
modular components. The LB is installed and
assembled to the luminaire at the factory.
This LB provides connectivity via a length of
Modular Fly Cord lighting (3-Cores 1.5 or 2.5 mm2
PVC/Copper Wire) connected to the CDB or the
LB.
Modular Fly Cord
This Fly Cord (FC) is the lighting and power sub-
circuit wire connector for the modular wiring
system. It provides interlink connections for the
TB, CDB, SB, ST-LD and LB using plug and play
modular components.
This FC is custom fabricated into a designated
length of between 1.5m to 15m using 3-Cores 1.5
or 2.5 mm2 PVC/Copper wire and jacket with fire-
retardant (FR) flexible conduit with rated 3-pole
polarised male/female plug and socket at both ends.
Conclusion
It takes the disastrous COVID-19 pandemic to
change the business world, the way people live
and work, and the emergence of new technologies
connecting people. It has completely altered the
landscape of industries and ushered in a New
Normal. Construction industries in Malaysia must
welcome the changes, embrace new technologies
and move forward.
For the Construction Industry to make the
bold move forward, it needs recognition and a
leading push from the custodians of the Malaysia
Regulatory Authorities, mainly The Jabatan
Kerja Raya (JKR) and the Construction Industry
Development Board (CIDB), to step up and take
the lead in embracing new technologies, such as
the Modular Wiring System.
Once the authorities encourage the use of
this new technology, market forces will drive
industry with advanced technologies to reduce the
dependence on unsecured cheap foreign labour,
improve construction time, increase construction
efficiency, saving both direct and indirect costs.
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INGENIEUR

JU
A
G

R
A

U
B

T
M

E
LE

R
A
M ALAY S I A

BOARD OF ENGINEERS MALAYSIA

CONFERENCE
GUIDELINES

CIRCULAR NO. 002

CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT (CPD) REQUIREMENTS

This Circular is a revised version of Circular No. 002 (Rev. No.: 0, Date: 6.2.2017)

IN exercise of powers conferred by Sections 13(2) and 13(3) of Act 138 Registration of Engineers Act
1967 (Revised up to 2015), and Regulation 20(1)(b) of the Registration of Engineers Regulations 1990
[P.U.(A) 128] (Revised up to 2015), the Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM) hereby prescribes further
conditions to be satisfied for the purpose of issuance of the Certificate of Registration to Registered
Professional Engineers with Practising Certificates, Registered Professional Engineers and Registered
Inspectors of Works as stated herein below.

1. The BEM in performing its functions under Section 4(1)(ec) of Act 138 Registration of Engineers Act
1967 (Revised up to 2015) has caused a mandatory Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
Programme to be undertaken by all Registered Professional Engineers with Practising Certificates,
Registered Professional Engineers and Registered Inspectors of Works.

2. This Circular states the conditions prescribed by the BEM in respect of the fulfilment on the required
CPD Programme for the purpose of renewal of the annual Certificate of Registration for Registered
Professional Engineers with Practising Certificates and Registered Professional Engineers; and the
triennial (once every three years) Certificate of Registration for Registered Inspectors of Works.

DEFINITIONS

3. For the purpose of this Circular the following definitions shall apply. Unless defined below, all other
terms used shall be as defined in the Registration of Engineers Act 1967 (Revised up to 2015).

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CPD Programme : The cumulative CPD Activities over a calendar year

which contribute towards the Continuing Professional
Development of a Registered Professional Engineer with
Practising Certificate (PEPC), a Registered Professional
Engineer (PE) or a Registered Inspector of Works (IOW).
Such a contribution would be reflected by the CPD Hours
collected by the said PEPC, PE or IOW.

CPD Activities : Engineering or related activities, not within the job scope
of a Registered PEPC, PE or IOW while being employed or
professionally engaged, such that these activities directly
contribute to the competence of the said PEPC, PE or IOW.

Formal Education : Engineering or related studies leading to the award of a

certificate, diploma, degree or higher degree with a formal
assessment process and recognized by BEM or Malaysian
Qualifications Agency (MQA).

On Job Learning : Engineering or related understudy and learning from a

subject matter expert or equivalent, so as to be able to
perform new engineering tasks.

Private Study : Self-study of engineering or related reading materials

with the aim of increasing knowledge, capability and
competency.

Conference and Technical : The attendance and participation of a Registered

Training PEPC, PE or IOW in engineering conferences, seminars,
workshop, forums and similar technical gatherings and
trainings which provide the environment to gain insight
and knowledge as well as be abreast with engineering
development.

Presentation or Publication of : Presentation of research based or case study papers in

Papers engineering or related areas in a conference, seminar or
similar activities.

Publication of research based or case study papers in

engineering or related areas in refereed journal.

Engineering Service Activities : Engineering or related activities performed in the course of

contributing to and promoting the engineering profession
such as giving talks, serving on committees, participating
in engineering programme accreditation, becoming a
mentor to graduate engineers or intern inspectors of
works, and serving as an industry adviser to an institution
of learning.

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INGENIEUR

CPD Hour : One (1) hour of involvement in a CPD Activity undertaken

by a Registered PEPC, PE or IOW. Under all circumstances
the BEM has the final discretion in determining the actual
CPD Hour to be accorded to a CPD Activity.

RATIONALE OF CPD

4. Engineering learning and technical training activities eligible to be considered as CPD activities shall
provide the Registered PEPC, PE or IOW with:

a. systematic maintenance, improvement and broadening of engineering and technical knowledge

and skills such as to enable continuing competent performance in engineering practices.

b. avenues for development of personal qualities for execution of professional and technical
duties throughout the Registered PEPC's, PE's or lOW’s working life.

5. An acceptable CPD Activity shall therefore fulfil at least the following objectives:

a. to maintain engineering and technical knowledge and skills to perform an engineering job
competently.

b. to stay abreast with engineering developments, advancement and innovations in the relevant
field of engineering practice as well as in general engineering knowledge.

c. to keep up-to-date with changes in engineering codes, regulations and guidelines.

REGISTERED PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS WITH PRACTISING CERTIFICATES

6. In administering the CPD requirement as provided by this Circular, the policy adopted by the BEM for
Registered Professional Engineers with Practising Certificates (PEPC) shall be:

a. The CPD requirement shall apply to all Registered PEPC.

b. CPD Hours required by a Registered PEPC shall be an annual average of 50 CPD Hours over
three (3) rolling consecutive years; or any other quantity as may be prescribed by the BEM from
time to time.

c. A Registered PEPC may apply to the BEM for an exemption of the CPD requirement on a case-
to-case basis, provided fulfilling that all criteria set by BEM are fulfilled. The approval of which
shall be at the discretion of the BEM.

d. Formal pre-approval of an engineering activity as an approved CPD Activity by the BEM is based
on set criteria. Approved CPD Activities can be carried out by credible and bona-fide learning
and training organizations. The BEM can carry out deemed approved CPD Activities at its own
discretion.

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e. An engineering or related activity which fulfils the criteria set by the BEM to be considered a
CPD Activity but which has not been pre-approved by the BEM can be submitted as part of the
CPD Programme. The details of the activity that must be made available include information on
the content, hours of involvement, mode of delivery, venue and dates of activity together with
the profile of persons conducting the activity.

f. Engineering learning and training activities offered by professional institutions, educational

institutions, employers and the industry shall be duly approved upon application and fulfilling
of the criteria set by the BEM. The decision of the BEM in approving or otherwise of any such
application shall be final.

g. The BEM will administer a CPD audit system whereby up to 10% of Registered PEPC shall be
randomly audited each year.

7. There are 5 categories of CPD Activity:

Category 1 : Formal Education

Category 2 (a) : On Job Learning
Category 2 (b) : Private Study
Category 3 : Conference and Technical Training
Category 4 : Presentation or Publication of Papers
Category 5 : Engineering Service Activities

8. The weightage and the allowable maximum CPD Hours for each of the recognised CPD Activities
stated in Para 7 are given in the table below:

CATEGORY OF CPD ACTIVITY TIME MAX CPD

WEIGHTED HOURS*
FACTOR

1 Formal Education 2 No limit

2 (a) On Job Learning 1 Maximum 20

2 (b) Private Study 0.5 Maximum 10

3 Conference and Technical Training 1 No limit

4 Presentation or Publication of Papers 10 Maximum 30

Note: 1 paper/presentation = 1 Hour

5 Engineering Service Activities 1 Maximum 30

*Annually

9. In the annual renewal of the Certificate of Registration by Registered PEPC, a submission shall be
made via MyBEM Online Registration System (https://engineer.org.my) stating the CPD Programme
undertaken for the immediate preceding year.

10. The types of CPD Activity and allowable maximum CPD Hours stated under Para 8 may be amended
as and when necessary at the discretion of the BEM.

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INGENIEUR

11. In the event that a Registered PEPC in his application for the renewal of the annual Certificate of
Registration, fails to meet the required number of CPD Hours over three (3) consecutive rolling years
shall be renewed at the sole discretion of the BEM.

REGISTERED PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS

12. In administering the CPD requirement as provided by this Circular, the policy adopted by the BEM
for Registered Professional Engineers (PE) shall be:

a. The CPD requirement shall apply to all Registered PE.

b. CPD Hours required by a PE shall be an annual average of 25 CPD Hours over three (3) rolling
consecutive years; or any other quantity as may be prescribed by the BEM from time to time.

c. A Registered PE may apply to the BEM for an exemption of the CPD requirement on a case-
to-case basis, provided fulfilling that all criteria set by BEM are fulfilled. The approval of which
shall be at the discretion of the BEM.

d. Formal pre-approval of an engineering activity as an approved CPD Activity by the BEM is based
on set criteria. Approved CPD Activities can be carried out by credible and bona-fide learning
and training organizations. The BEM can carry out deemed approved CPD Activities at its own
discretion.

e. An engineering or related activity which fulfils the criteria set by the BEM to be considered a
CPD Activity but which has not been pre-approved by the BEM can be submitted as part of the
CPD Programme. The details of the activity that must be made available include information on
the content, hours of involvement, mode of delivery, venue and dates of activity together with
the profile of persons conducting the activity.

f. Engineering learning and training activities offered by professional institutions, educational

institutions, employers and the industry shall be duly approved upon application and fulfilling
of the criteria set by the BEM. The decision of the BEM in approving or otherwise of any such
application shall be final.

g. The BEM will administer a CPD audit system whereby up to 10% of Registered PE shall be
randomly audited each year.

13. There are 5 categories of CPD Activity:

Category 1 : Formal Education

Category 2 (a) : On Job Learning
Category 2 (b) : Private Study
Category 3 : Conference and Technical Training
Category 4 : Presentation or Publication of Papers
Category 5 : Engineering Service Activities

14. The weightage and the allowable maximum CPD Hours for each of the recognised CPD Activities
stated in Para 13 are given in the table below:

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CATEGORY OF CPD ACTIVITY TIME MAX CPD

WEIGHTED HOURS*
FACTOR

1 Formal Education 2 No limit

2 (a) On Job Learning 1 Maximum 10

2 (b) Private Study 0.5 Maximum 5

3 Conference and Technical Training 1 No limit

4 Presentation or Publication of PapersNote: 1 10 Maximum 20

paper/presentation = 1 Hour

5 Engineering Service Activities 1 Maximum 15

* Annually

15. In the annual renewal of the Certificate of Registration by Registered PE, a submission shall be
made via MyBEM Online Registration System (https://engineer.org.my) stating the CPD Programme
undertaken for the immediate preceding year.

16. The types of CPD Activity and allowable maximum CPD Hours stated under Para 14 may be amended
as and when necessary at the discretion of the BEM.

17. In the event that a Registered PE in his application for the renewal of the annual Certificate of
Registration, fails to meet the required number of CPD Hours over three (3) consecutive rolling years
shall be renewed at the sole discretion of the BEM.

REGISTERED INSPECTORS OF WORKS

18. In administering the CPD requirement as provided by this Circular, the policy adopted by the BEM
for Registered Inspectors of Works (IOW) shall be:

a. The CPD requirement shall apply to all Registered IOW.

b. The triennial CPD Hours required to be obtained by a Registered IOW shall be 30 CPD Hours; or
any other quantity as may be prescribed by the BEM from time to time.

c. A Registered IOW may apply to the BEM for an exemption of the CPD requirement on a case-
to-case basis, provided fulfilling that all criteria set by BEM are fulfilled. The approval of which
shall be at the discretion of the BEM.

d. Formal pre-approval of an engineering activity as an approved CPD Activity by the BEM is based
on set criteria. Approved CPD Activities can be carried out by credible and bona-fide learning
and training organizations. The BEM can carry out deemed approved CPD Activities at its own
discretion.

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INGENIEUR
e. An engineering or related activity which fulfils the criteria set by the BEM to be considered a
CPD Activity but which has not been pre-approved by the BEM can be submitted as part of the
CPD Programme. The details of the activity that must be made available include information on
the content, hours of involvement, mode of delivery, venue and dates of activity together with
the profile of persons conducting the activity.

f. Engineering learning and training activities offered by professional institutions, educational

institutions, employers and the industry shall be duly approved upon application and fulfilling
of the criteria set by the BEM. The decision of the BEM in approving or otherwise of any such
application shall be final.

g. The BEM will administer a CPD audit system whereby up to 5% of Registered IOW shall be
randomly audited each year.

19. There are 5 categories of CPD Activity:

Category 1 : Formal Education

Category 2 (a) : On Job Learning
Category 2 (b) : Private Study
Category 3 : Conference and Technical Training
Category 4 : Presentation or Publication of Papers
Category 5 : Engineering Service Activities

20. The weightage and the allowable maximum CPD Hours for each of the recognised CPD Activities
stated in Para 19 are given in the table below:

CATEGORY OF CPD ACTIVITY TIME MAX CPD

WEIGHTED HOURS*
FACTOR

1 Formal Education 2 No limit

2 (a) On Job Learning 1 Maximum 10

2 (b) Private Study 0.5 Maximum 5

3 Conference and Technical Training 1 No limit

4 Presentation or Publication of PapersNote: 1 10 Maximum 20

paper/presentation = 1 Hour

5 Engineering Service Activities 1 Maximum 15

* Triennially (every 3 years)

21. In the triennial renewal of the Certificate of Registration by Registered IOW, a submission shall be
made via MyBEM Online Registration System (https://engineer.org.my) stating the CPD Programme
undertaken for the immediate preceding three (3) years.

22. The types of CPD Activity and allowable maximum CPD Hours stated under Para 20 may be amended
as and when necessary at the discretion of the BEM.

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23. At the sole discretion of the BEM, a Registered IOW who in his/her application for the renewal of
the triennial Certificate of Registration, has failed to submit to the BEM a CPD Programme with the
required minimum of 30 CPD Hours, may be allowed to continue to be registered subject to strict
remedial actions as follows:

a. His/her having already obtained at least 15 CPD Hours at the point of making the application;

b. Having obtained at least 15 CPD Hours in the first year of being allowed to continue to be
registered;

c. Having obtained a minimum of 45 CPD Hours (inclusive of the 15 CPD Hours mentioned in item
b. above) when the next application of renewal of registration is submitted to the BEM.

failing which may cause the refusal by the BEM of the said application for renewal.

24. Notwithstanding Para 23, the BEM may in certain circumstances allow the renewal of registration
of an IOW.

REINSTATEMENT, REVERSION AND SUSPENSION

25. Any Registered PEPC, PE or IOW who wishes to reinstate their professional registration shall be
required to fulfil the terms and conditions that are set by the BEM. Upon approval of reinstatement
application, CPD requirements would start anew.

26. Any Registered PEPC who reverts his/her registration to PE, CPD requirements shall be as a
Registered PE.

27. Any Registered PEPC, PE or IOW, who is under an order of suspension of registration under Section
15(1A) of Registration of Engineers Act 1967 (REA) (Revised up to 2015), is not required to fulfil any
CPD requirements. Upon lifting of the suspension, CPD requirements would start anew.

EFFECTIVE DATE

28. The implementation of CPD requirements as intended by this Circular shall be as of the date of
1st January 2022.

[347th Board Meeting / 13th October 2021]

DATUK Ir. HAJI MOHAMAD ZULKEFLY BIN SULAIMAN

President
BOARD OF ENGINEERS MALAYSIA

59
 INGENIEUR
This brings both opportunities and challenges in
managing the innovation and interdependencies

Do You
associated with this digital transformation.

a. Decision for the whole life asset

Know?
First, there is an opportunity to see projects as
interventions in civil infrastructure systems. Owners
and operators of infrastructure, for example in water
and transport, are beginning to make investment
decisions in relation to total costs rather than
capital or operational expenditure.

Digital Economy
Digital information enables them to make
decisions that consider changes in patterns of
use, maintenance and new build solutions, with
By Pang Soo Mooi alliancing approaches enabling the supply chain to
be engaged in the discussion of outcomes before
the outputs of a project are defined. The Digital
T h e im p a c t o f d i g i t al i s a t i o n o n t h e
Built Britain agenda is starting to consider this
transformation of engineering practices is
wider context of digital information.
unprecedented and swift. The Government
recognises the importance of keeping in step
b. Real-time decision making
with such technological leaps. The launch of
As digital data sets get larger, running into millions
the Malaysian Digital Economy and the National
of documents on the largest projects, it gets
IR 4.0 Policy is timely and the right move. A
harder for engineers and managers involved in
statistician mentioned that businesses also
delivery to overview and understand aspects of
need to re-examine their operation model and
the infrastructure design.
explore new opportunities through digitalisation
There are opportunities to automate existing
as well as consider accelerating the adoption
approaches to identify interdependencies in
of digitalisation to increase their resilience
complex systems and to develop new collaborative
while optimising business processes. As we
visualisation approaches to enable engineers to
attempt to uplift the digitalisation effort for
have more informed conversations before making
local industry, including engineering firms, it is
decisions.
important to update ourselves on what and how
others in the region look at digitalisation.
c. Asset vs technological life cycle
Infrastructure owners and operators will need
to develop strategies to store digital information
Digital Transformation: Engineers
and integrate and use different generations of
need to keep pace – Institution of Civil
sensor technology, robotics, continuous survey,
Engineers
visualisation and data analytic technologies.
An exponential increase in computing power
over the past 50 years has transformed the
Capturing the AI Dividends - James
infrastructure lifecycle. Professionals expect to
Lambert
be able to monitor and update information in real-
time, through intuitive interfaces.
In the race to become the leader in artificial
Rather than base-line project schedules being
intelligence, China and the US are way ahead of
batch-processed on room-sized computers,
the rest of the world. What does that mean for the
now smaller, cheaper devices and the use of
other countries? Will these two global technology
digital information and analytics have become
giants soak up the AI economic dividend all for
pervasive across the use, operation and delivery
themselves?
of infrastructure.

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 The answer is No. There is a huge opportunity
for smaller, more agile economies in Asia — to
borrow from Isaac Newton — to stand on the
shoulders of the two giants to reap the benefits of
AI application in their own industries.
Other Asian countries can benefit from
China’s recent experience in AI in pursuing their
own virtuous cycle of AI integration. That means
cultivating an open attitude toward AI adoption
and integration within the industry, emphasising
technology skills development and retention, as
well as being open to foreign investment and
technology trade. The AI economic dividend is
not a prize being fought over by two international
heavyweights. It is a universal economic
opportunity that all Asian countries can pursue;
one that will shape the competitive landscape
across the region over the next decade.
Responding to the Fourth Industrial
Revolution – World Economic Forum
The Fourth Industrial Revolution is a fusion of
technologies that is blurring the lines between the
physical, digital, and biological spheres.
There are three reasons why today’s
transformations represent not merely a
prolongation of the Third Industrial Revolution
but rather the arrival of a Fourth and distinct
one: velocity, scope and systems impact. The
speed of current breakthroughs has no historical
precedent. When compared with previous
industrial revolutions, the Fourth is evolving
at an exponential rather than a linear pace.
Moreover, it is disrupting almost every industry
in every country. And the breadth and depth of
these changes herald the transformation of
entire systems of production, management, and
governance.
The possibilities arising from billions of
people connected by mobile devices, with
unprecedented processing power, storage
capacity and access to knowledge, are unlimited.
And these possibilities will be multiplied by
emerging technology breakthroughs in fields such
as artificial intelligence, robotics, the Internet
of Things, autonomous vehicles, 3-D printing,
nanotechnology, biotechnology, materials science,
energy storage, and quantum computing.
Engineers, designers, and architects are
combining computational design, additive
manufacturing, materials engineering, and
synthetic biology to pioneer a symbiosis between
micro-organisms, our bodies, the products we
consume, and even the buildings we inhabit.
The largest beneficiaries of innovation tend
to be the providers of intellectual and physical
capital—the innovators, shareholders, and
investors—which explains the rising gap in wealth
between those dependent on capital versus
labour. Technology is therefore one of the main
reasons why incomes have stagnated, or even
decreased, for the majority of the population in
high-income countries; the demand for highly
skilled workers has increased while the demand
for workers with less education and lower skills
has decreased. The result is a job market with a
strong demand at the high and low ends, but a
hollowing out of the middle.
On the supply side, many industries are
seeing the introduction of new technologies
that create entirely new ways of serving existing
needs and significantly disrupt existing industry
value chains. Disruption is also flowing from
agile, innovative competitors who, thanks to
access to global digital platforms for research,
development, marketing, sales, and distribution,
can oust well-established incumbents faster than
ever by improving the quality, speed, or price at
which value is delivered.
Major shifts on the demand side are also
occurring, as growing transparency, consumer
engagement, and new patterns of consumer
behaviour (increasingly built upon access to
mobile networks and data) force companies to
adapt the way they design, market, and deliver
products and services.
A key trend is the development of technology-
enabled platforms that combine both demand
and supply to disrupt existing industry structures,
such as those we see within the “sharing” or “on-
demand” economy. These technology platforms,
rendered easy to use by the smartphone, convene
people, assets, and data—thus creating entirely
new ways of consuming goods and services
in the process. In addition, they lower the
barriers for businesses and individuals to create
wealth, altering the personal and professional
environments of workers. These new platform
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 INGENIEUR
businesses are rapidly multiplying into many new
services, ranging from laundry to shopping, from
chores to parking, from massages to travel.
On the whole, there are four main effects
that the Fourth Industrial Revolution has on
business—on customer expectations, on product
enhancement, on collaborative innovation, and on
organisational forms.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution will change not
only what we do but also who we are. It will affect
our identity and all the issues associated with it:
our sense of privacy, our notions of ownership, our
consumption patterns, the time we devote to work
and leisure, how we develop our careers, cultivate
our skills, meet people, and nurture relationships.
It is already changing our health and leading us to a
“quantified” self, and sooner than we think, it may
lead to human augmentation. The list is endless
because it is bound only by our imagination.
In the end, it all comes down to people and
values. We need to shape a future that works for all
of us by putting people first and empowering them.
In its most pessimistic, dehumanised form, the
Fourth Industrial Revolution may indeed have the
potential to “robotise” humanity and thus deprive
us of our heart and soul. But as a complement
to the best parts of human nature—creativity,
empathy, stewardship—it can also lift humanity to
a new collective and moral consciousness based
on a shared sense of destiny. It is incumbent on us
all to make sure the latter prevails.
Should We Be Afraid of AI - Forbes
The fear of AI seems to stem from a few
common causes: general anxiety about machine
intelligence, the fear of mass unemployment,
concerns about super-intelligence, putting the
power of AI into the wrong people’s hands, and
general concern and caution when it comes to
new technology.
General anxiety about AI
One of the most widespread fears of AI is just
general anxiety about it and what it is potentially
capable of. A recurring theme in movies and
science fiction is AI systems that go rogue. The
fear is that as AI systems are becoming more
intelligent and human intelligence surrounding
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these systems is increasing, there is no clear
direction where things could go.
AI is a Job Killer
Another major fear of AI is rooted in the idea of
mass unemployment of human workers, replaced
by AI workers. A big concern is that in the previous
wave of automation, mostly blue-collar jobs like
manufacturing-oriented jobs were automated
away; in this new wave, it will be mostly white-
collar service-oriented jobs, based around
knowledge workers, that will bear the brunt of
intelligent forms of automation.
The fact is that a lot of industries are already
being disrupted by the advancement of technology
and a lot of it has nothing to do with AI. Rather, it
is due to automation and streamlining processes
that make it easier and quicker to go about
inputting work for ourselves and not relying on
businesses and other organisations to be the
middleman when it comes to getting things done.
Bad People Doing Bad Things
Another common fear of AI is that bad actors can
do bad things when it comes to AI. Leaders in
Russia say that whoever leads the advancement
of AI will be one of the top rulers of the world. It is
no surprise that countries are pouring significant
amounts of investment and research into
developing AI systems from everything to military
advancement to intelligence systems that can
influence the news. We can expect Governments
to continue to use AI systems in ways that will
make us increasingly uncomfortable in the ways
they are applied to warfare, surveillance, law
enforcement, and other purposes.
The fear is all stemming from the unknown.
In addition, there hasn’t been a strong counter-
argument as to what could be the best way to
approach this particular scenario and what it
means for the future.
The Super-Intelligence
Probably the biggest fear of AI making media
waves is that of super intelligence or that AI will
reach a point where it doesn’t care for or about
the existence of humanity anymore, such as what
happened with Skynet in the Terminator series of
movies. Technology will get to a point where it can
teach itself and improve and invent on its own,
instead of becoming a force for the betterment
of humanity, resulting in humanity becoming a
servant of technology. The fear is that our brains
will just not be able to keep up with advancement,
development and invention after a certain point
because things will be moving way too fast.
While a lot of the technology is moving quickly
to realise the goals of narrow AI, there are parts
that are not working particularly well. Data is still
the cornerstone of AI, and a lot of it is still messy
and dirty — the achilles heel of AI.
All of these fears boil down to the fact that we
just don’t know where AI is going and how soon
it will take us to get there. Technology makes
surprising and unusual leaps and bounds in ways
we never think it will. Things we think will take a
while don’t and things we thought would be here
sooner aren’t here yet. It’s a situation where we
just have to wait and see.
Defining New Digital Technologies –
Institution of Civil Engineers
Two stand-out areas where digital is changing the
way we work are collaboration and information
management. Emergent new technologies are
redefining engineering practice and in turn, the
behaviours and skills that make up the engineer’s
profile.
a. Building Information Management (BIM)
BIM Level 2 has reached early adopters but has
yet to filter down the entire supply chain. BIM
unlocks the true value of the data asset but
attitudes and experiences vary. An innovative,
collaborative, information-focused mindset is
important for realising the full benefits.
b. Augmented reality
Augmented reality (AR) offers a live direct or
indirect view of a physical, real world environment
where elements are augmented (or supplemented)
by virtual computer-generated sensory input
(sound, video, graphics or GPS data). Users can
visualise site limitations, detect clashes, and
overlay time (from 4D-BIM platforms) and cost
information (from 5D-BIM platforms) to experience
a real-time dry run of a project before real
construction begins.
c. Mixed reality
A mix of reality and virtual reality. For example,
using AR and video chat to teleconference live
with someone in another country to both explore
and discuss a hard-to-access place (e.g. a sub-sea
tunnel), with information overlaid on your view.
d. Mobile technology
The use of phones, tablets and apps offer live and
more efficient communication and collaboration
on project sites. They make access to information
far easier and more widespread.
e. Smart sensors
Advanced monitoring technology can relay
real-time information about the condition of
infrastructure to inform asset management (i.e.
‘intelligent assets’).
f. Drones
These are used increasingly in the construction
sector to inspect sites and assets. The right
kinds of skills are needed to generate the right
kinds of data to be fed into, say, BIM or analysis
processes.
g. Photogrammetry
Advances in 3D photo image recording can build
real-time information about asset conditions,
informing decision making.
h. Artificial Intelligence
AI is becoming increasingly relevant to
engineering, especially machine learning, i.e.
algorithms, that, through a set of training data,
allow computer programmes to learn something
they were not explicitly programmed for. AI is often
based on artificial neural networks (ANNs), which
are modelled on the neurons in the human brain
and consist of a network of nodes (analogous
to neurons) connected with varying degrees of
correlation (analogous to synapses).
Super Quantum Computer - BOAO Forum
According to the British "New Scientist" magazine
website, IBM has developed a quantum computer
"Eagle" that can run 127 qubits, which is by far
the world's largest superconducting quantum
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 INGENIEUR
computer. It is reported that the company plans to
launch a computer with more than 1,000 qubits
in two years.
A qubit is the most basic information unit of a
quantum computer. Unlike an electronic computer
which can only be 0 or 1, qubits can be 0 and 1 at
the same time, so its computational performance
is more powerful. Increasing the number of qubits
makes the performance of quantum computers
exponentially better.
Teams around the world are working
on practical quantum computers using
superconductors and entangled photons, but it is
not clear which approach will ultimately prevail.
In 2019, Google announced that its Platanus
processor achieved quantum supremacy.
"Quantum supremacy" is a term invented
by John Preskill, a physicist at the California
Institute of Technology, to mean that "quantum
computers have capabilities that conventional
supercomputers don't have" after an exponential
increase in storage and communication bandwidth.
The processor contains 54 qubits. Since then,
the University of Science and Technology of
China has launched a 62-qubit programmable
superconducting quantum computing prototype.
D-Wave Systems of Canada has also been selling
machines made up of thousands of qubits but
customised using quantum annealing algorithms.
These are not fully programmable quantum
computers.
IBM's Bob Souto says that their success in
creating a computer with more than 100 qubits
shows that the technology is scalable. The "Eagle"
proved that a quantum computer with enough
computing power to solve interesting problems
can be developed and is a stepping stone to a
more powerful machine.
Peter Ricker of the University of Oxford
in England said it was useful to assess the
performance of quantum computers in terms of
the number of qubits they can run, but there were
other metrics that Eagle had not yet published.
Scott Aronson, of the University of Texas at Austin
in the US, also said more details were still needed
to judge the Eagles' performance.
IBM said it hopes to demonstrate a processor
capable of running 400 qubits next year, and a
1,000-qubit quantum computer called the Condor
the following year.
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Sandbox and Accelerator – World
Economic Forum
Sometimes regulators simply observe the
consequences of a new technology in the safety of
an isolated environment. This environment, called
a sandbox after the closed operating system
researchers use to observe computer viruses,
provides enhanced regulatory support and enables
firms to test their models and develop proofs of
concept. In this way, regulatory structures can
also emulate a start-up accelerator by deliberately
encouraging innovation. In April 2020, the
Financial Conduct Authority of the UK launched
a digital sandbox for financial organisations
experimenting with innovative business models
and products to tackle the pandemic.
Many countries are piloting sandbox approaches
for drones. Sandboxes in India, Malawi, Japan and
the US have had success in moving from pilot to
scale across the country. Malawi’s sandbox was the
first in Africa, established to test the use of drones
for humanitarian purposes such as delivering
medical supplies. In the US, the Department of
Transportation and the FAA conducted a pilot
study with 10 public-private partnerships to test
unmanned aerial systems. “The pilot programmes
will test the safe operation of drones in a variety of
conditions currently forbidden,” said Elaine Chao,
Secretary, Department of Transportation. “These
include operations over the heads of people,
beyond the line of sight and at night.”
The pandemic has also highlighted the role
drones can play in moving medical supplies,
minimising human contact and supplying
essentials to remote areas. In April 2020, the UK
Civil Aviation Authority admitted a drone operator
to the sandbox to test beyond visual line of sight
(BVLOS) operations in shared airspace.
Meanwhile, Digital Jersey, a Government-
backed economic development agency and industry
association in the Channel Islands, has launched
an IoT sandbox for the island. Like other sandboxes,
it relaxes legal barriers to encourage businesses to
test new ideas. The sandbox is open to businesses
outside of Jersey as well. A Swiss company tested
the model of a “flying weather station” in which a
drone embedded with sensors collects atmospheric
data that can be used to forecast weather and
develop other innovative services.
Repurposing Old
Mining Ponds for Water

PROJECT REPORT
Sustainability
By Air Selangor

Figure 1: An open cast mine in Malaysia circa early 20th century [1]

Aqua Pura
Aqua Pura means pure water in Latin. Water is the world’s most precious
resource as it gives life to living beings and nature. Globally, water
resources are scarce due to pollution and the lack of proper management
that reflects their full value. These have contributed to the decline of
civilisations and are becoming a threat to the vitality and viability of
communities, cities and countries today [8].

I
n 2013, the shift in weather conditions in
Peninsular Malaysia resulted in Selangor
experiencing prolonged and extreme climate
change of dry weather from El Niño. The new
and uncertain climate condition encouraged
the Selangor State Government to consider an
operation to pump raw water from alternative
ponds along Selangor River to supplement the
raw water supply to the intakes during the dry
season from June 2014 [3]. The continuation
of the dry weather caused storage levels in
all dams in Selangor to fall to a critical level
(around 30%) in 2016, which risked water supply
security.
The changing rainfall patterns had also missed
the upstream catchment areas which resulted in a
high volume of run-off water. This led the Selangor
State Government to shift from the conventional

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 INGENIEUR
practice of sourcing raw water from upstream to
identifying new raw water sources downstream,
such as unused mining ponds [2]. The shift from
dams to ponds was made as there was a greater
yield of water downstream which could be treated
for consumption purposes. However, extracting
water from downstream sources is challenging in
terms of managing water quality issues.
The water quality issues are mainly due to
Malaysian rivers having high turbidity levels caused
by high sediment load and high pollutant load
from numerous discharge points along the rivers,
triggered by rapid urbanisation. This resulted in
the Selangor State Government’s decision to
repurpose old mining ponds into Off-River Storage
(ORS) which do not only serve as a new source of
water but also as a Natural Pre-Treatment System
(NPTS) utilising impounded water extracted from
fresh river water.
ORS has also proved to be an effective risk
mitigation option during dry weather and river
pollution incidents [4], which sometimes cause
plants to shut down and services disrupted.
For the state of Selangor, the functionality of
Figure 2: Semenyih 2 Water Treatment Plant (100 MLD1) commissioned in 2018
1 Million Litre Per Day (MLD)
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ORS is similar to conventional dams except the
ORS is located downstream whilst dams are
built upstream. This new philosophy enabled
the Selangor State Government to build a
treated water reserve margin and meet future
water demand considerably due to its cost-
effective, climate-resilient, and innovative
characteristics.
The ORS adoption contributes to value creation
in terms of:
● Environmental – water quality, reduced
residuals from Water Treatment Plant (WTP)
● Economic and Operational – cost
efficiency, supply resilience, provide
additional water resources
● Social – circular economy, sustainability.
Environmental
Water Quality
ORS helps to manage the issue of poor water
quality downstream. The average levels of
ammonia, iron and manganese in raw water are
Figure 3: Labohan Dagang Water Supply Scheme (200 MLD) commissioned in 2019

Figure 4: Sungai Labu Water Supply Scheme (105 MLD) commissioned in 2012

reduced by 80 to 90% after the water is channelled
through ORS. The natural sedimentation, flow,
and added retention time also reduces the water
turbidity level leading to improved water quality
prior to treatment process which elevates the level
of water purity.
Reduced Residuals from WTP
WTP residuals are classified as scheduled
wastes by the Malaysian Depar tment of
Environment (DOE), under the Environmental
Quality (Scheduled Wastes) Regulations 2005.
Thus, the residuals shall be disposed at approved
landfill sites by DOE which would incur an
additional cost for residuals management and
disposal processes2. Through ORS, the reduced
turbidity level in the raw water channelled for
treatment results in lesser residuals production
as a by-product of the water treatment process.
This reduces its environmental impact and
increases cost savings in terms of lower residuals
management costs.

2 The incurred cost is calculated by Ringgit Malaysia (RM) per Metric Ton of disposed residuals.

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 INGENIEUR

Figure 5: Future Rasau Water Supply Scheme (1400 MLD) to be commissioned in 2025 and 2028

Figure 6: Major pollution incidents in Selangor (2019)

Economic and Operational
Cost Efficiency
The improved raw water quality from ORS
compared to direct abstraction from rivers
significantly reduces the amount of chemicals
required for the treatment process, requiring lower
doses of coagulants and flocculants to achieve the
National Drinking Water Quality Standards set by
the Malaysian Ministry of Health (MOH). This has
led to overall cost efficiency in the water treatment
process with reduction in chemical costs per
cubic metre (m³) of treated water. However, the
presence of substances such as Total Organic
Carbon (TOC) and algae bloom may require
additional treatment processes and additional
chemical consumption.
Supply Resilience
In 2019, Air Selangor experienced three major
incidents of WTP shutdowns due to pollution
detected in Semenyih River, which is a tributary
of Langat River. These pollution incidents affected
the Sungai Semenyih and Bukit Tampoi WTPs,

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 1. Early Treatment in Water Treatment Ponds
A biological approach of utilising nanotechnology
(aquritin) as a natural treatment
2. Monitoring and Surveillance
● 24 hours monitoring by ‘Skuad PANTAS’
● High-tech drones for water analysis, area
surveillance and evidence for legal indictment
● Utilisation of early pollution warning system using
Total Organic Carbon (TOC) Analyser technology
3. Building Infrastructure to pump directly from pond
near Sungai Selangor (end 2022)
To guarantee supply of water despite pollution
incidents (excluding prolonged drought and pollution
occurring for more than 5 days)
4. Enforcement of Lembaga Urus Air Selangor (LUAS)
Enactment (Amendment) 2020
● Fine: RM200,000 (minimum) and RM1 million
(maximum)
● Mandatory imprisonment
● Power to seize without warrant
● Claims for damages
● Informant rewards

Figure 7: Skim Jaminan Air Mentah (SJAM) [7]

Figure 8: Air Selangor’s brand promise is Joy In Every Drop

69
 INGENIEUR
which were designed to directly extract raw water
from the Semenyih River for treatment. However,
the Semenyih 2 WTP which was also located
along Langat River was not affected by these
events as it utilises ORS. Thus, ORS can also
provide sufficient water supply in the event of river
pollution incidents, mitigating risks of water supply
disruption to consumers at large.
Provide Additional Water Resources
With ORS, new WTPs were built, and this
contributed to a healthy reserve margin as they
provide sufficient water supply for the demand
centre. With the commissioning of the latest
Labohan Dagang WTP in 2019, consumers around
the Kuala Langat demand centre experienced an
improvement in the average water pressure.
Social
Circular economy
ORS provides an avenue for the Selangor State
Government and Air Selangor to harvest quality
raw water from downstream for the production of
clean and safe drinkable water for the consumers.
Furthermore, having quality raw water will further
enhance the economic growth of the State and
nation through distributed GDP economic value
encompassing a circular economy i.e., from
sediment delivery to transport, purification,
fisheries, and even eco-tourism [8]. As a reference,
Marina Barrage water catchment in Singapore is
an example of this, having been converted into
an eco-tourism area to protect, preserve, and
conserve water resources and generate tourism
income for the country [6].
Sustainability
The Federal and State Governments also play
a proactive role in ensuring continuous water
sustainability through the enforcement of
Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM)
[5] and Skim Jaminan Air Mentah (SJAM) initiatives
[7] to mitigate the key challenges of water
pollution via continuous regulatory control and
public awareness programmes.
Joy In Every Drop
Challenges are prevalent in the water industry and
for Air Selangor, success is all about bringing joy
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in every drop of water to our consumers. That is
our brand promise. Consumers are at the heart
of everything that Air Selangor does. The ORS
initiative serves as a driver of sustainable safe,
clean, and high-quality water supply for our
consumers.
REFERENCE
[1] A. Teh, “Of magic and opium - hardship
faced by early tin prospectors!”. https://
w w w . n s t . c o m . m y/ l i f e s t y l e /s u n d a y -
v i b e s /2 01 9/0 5/4 8 9 672 /m a g i c - a n d -
opium-hardship-faced-early-tin-prospectors
(accessed Jul. 6, 2021).
[2] Bernama, “Palanivel: Good move by
Selangor to source raw water from mining
ponds”. https://www.thestar.com.my/news/
nation/2014/04/26/water-sourcing-from-
ponds-good-move-palanivel (accessed Jan.
20, 2021).
[3] Lembaga Urus Air Selangor, “Hybrid Off-River
Augmentation System (HORAS) Project and
Pumping Operation from Alternative Ponds to
Selangor River (OPAK)’. https://www.narbo.
jp/data/events/materials_6thgm/2_03.%20
HORAS%20LUAS.pdf (accessed Jul. 21,
2021).
[4] M. Anis, “Reactivate off-river storage plan,
suggests SPAN”. https://www.thestar.com.
my/news/nation/2019/12/24/reactivate-off-
river-storage-plan-suggests-span (accessed
Jul. 6, 2021).
[5] Malaysian Water Partnership, “IWRM”.
https://www.mywp.org.my/iwrm/ (accessed
Jul. 6, 2021).
[6] PUB, “Marina Barrage”. https://www.pub.gov.
sg/marinabarrage (accessed Feb. 3, 2021).
[7] S. Amirudin, “Skim Jaminan Air Mentah
(SJAM)”. https://www.amirudinshari.com/
posts/ skim-jaminan-air-mentah (accessed
Jan. 20, 2021).
[8] WWF, “Valuing Rivers: How the Diverse
Benefits of Healthy Rivers Underpin
Economies”. https://awsassets.panda.org/
downloads/wwf_valuing_rivers__final_.pdf
(accessed Jun. 25, 2021).

Steady-State Thermal
Transmission Properties
Test for Building Materials
By Ir. Dr. Abdul Murad Zainal Abidin
Mechanical Research Laboratory
Centre of Excellence for Engineering and Technology
Jabatan Kerja Raya Malaysia
M
aterial testing is one of the most critical
areas in materials engineering, whether
in research, or in product design. Testing
is one of the measures employed to evaluate
the performance of a material. With respect
to building construction, one of the building
material’s properties that is usually tested is its
thermal conductivity. Thermal conductivity, the k
value, of an insulating material is a measure of
the ease with which heat is transferred through an
insulating material into the ambient air; a measure
of how heat is lost. The k value is dependent on
the density, pore structure, moisture content and
temperature difference within the material. In
the context of measurement, there are standard
methods to calculate the k value (in Watts per
metre Kelvin (W/mK)), such as the guarded
hot plate method and steady-state thermal
transmission method.
In normal engineering practice, these methods
are employed by manufacturers as one of their
quality assurance measures. However, these
methods are seldom used as a verification tool
for compliance criteria for materials installed in
building projects. During the construction phase
of a building project, the contractor is required
to submit the materials for approval prior to their
delivery and installation on site. Site personnel
and designers usually depend on trade catalogues
that have been approved in the contract. There
is the potential that material testing could be
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
used as part of the acceptance criteria to ensure
compliance with the contract before installation
takes place.
The Mechanical Research Laboratory (MRL)
at the Centre of Excellence for Engineering and
Technology (CREaTE) was awarded the MS ISO/
IEC 17025 accreditation by the Department of
Standards Malaysia in May 2021 for the Steady-
State Thermal Transmission Properties test
for building materials. The laboratory has the
capability not only to conduct materials research,
but also material testing for industry and
academia. There is a huge opportunity for MRL
to play a role beyond its official remit by assisting
the Public Works Department with regard to the
material approval process to ensure compliance
with acceptance criteria.
The aim of this article is to describe the
testing conducted at MRL and to demonstrate
the feasibility of testing going beyond the
scope of materials research and can be part
of the acceptance criteria for building material
compliance in building projects.
THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY TESTING
This section provides a brief description of the
procedures for thermal testing using an example of
an insulation material installed in air-conditioning
ducting.
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 INGENIEUR
Testing Standards
The thermal conductivity test is applicable to
any number of different materials of various
thicknesses and conductivity levels. The
Standard Test Method for Steady-State Thermal
Transmission Properties by Means of the Heat
Flow Meter Apparatus (C518-17), published as an
updated version by The American Standards for
Testing Materials (ASTM) in 2017, is used as the
guide for the tests conducted at MRL.

Specimen Selection
An example of a typical building material is the
flexible elastomeric foam open cell which has
nitrile rubber as part of its constituents. This
material is used as acoustic insulation for heating,
ventilating, air-conditioning and refrigeration
(HVAC/R) equipment. Due to its thermal properties, Figure 2: Climate chamber
it is applied as external insulation for the supply
and return air ducts in an air-conditioning system
to prevent heat loss from conditioned air, the
physical features of this are shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3: Conditioning sample in climate chamber

ASTM C518-17 Standards, before being taken out

for the testing, shown in Figure 3.

Heat Flow Meter

Figure 1: Typical specimen (open cell nitrile
rubber insulation)
Sample Conditioning
The material sample must be conditioned to
comply with required standards prior to the actual
test. The sample is first stored in the climate
chamber, shown in Figure 2.
The condition inside the chamber is then set
at a temperature of 22°C and relative humidity of
50% for a period of 24 hours as required by the
The equipment used for the testing is the Fox 314
Heat Flow Meter, shown in Figure 4. It consists of
two isothermal plate assemblies that are outfitted
with a dedicated cooling system. It also has a
central and peripheral group of thermoelectric
elements, which are controlled independently
to eliminate radial temperature gradients in
the plates. The heat flow meter operations are
controlled by the Digital Signal Processor (DSP).
The heat flow meter is a two heat flux
transducers-type, the assembly of which is shown
in Figure 5.
The transducers are made of small
thermocouples to provide high sensitivity. These
thermocouples are positioned next to the surfaces

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 Start

At 220C and 50% Specimen

relative humidity over
24 hour period selection

Thickness of Specimen
specimen during
actual test conditioning

Specimen size must Measurement

cover the entire heat
flow metering area on specimen

Figure 4: Fox 314 heat flow meter Thermal Source of

conductivity uncertainty
testing identification

Generation of
results

Figure 5: Transducer position in Fox 314 Heat Measurement

No
Flow Meter of uncertainty
≤ 3%?

Yes
of the plates to provide accurate readings of the
Generation of
surface temperatures of the sample.
test report
Testing Procedure
The process flow for the thermal conductivity test End
is shown in Figure 6.
It is important that the size of the specimen
to be tested covers the entire heat flow metering Figure 6: Procedures for thermal conductivity
area to ensure uniform thermal conductivity, this testing of building materials
procedure is shown in Figure 7.

Test Results
The average thermal transmission properties of
a specimen, in this case the elastomeric foam
with nitrile rubber, is shown in Figure 8. It can
be observed that the average k-value for the
specimen is 0.05981 W/mK, whereas the value
in the manufacturer catalogue is 0.056 W/mK, a
difference of 6%. It should be noted that the value
in the catalogue was measured using EN 12667, a
different testing standard which is currently under
review. Figure 7: Material sample in the heat flow meter
chamber

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 INGENIEUR

SETPOINT NO. 1
Setpoint Upper: 15.00°C
Setpoint Lower: 40.00°C
Temperature Upper : 15.01°C
CalibFactor Upper : 0.014827
Results Upper : 0.05857 W/mK
HeatFlux Upper : 58.61 W/m2
Temperature Lower : 40.03°C
CalibFactor Lower : 0.013529
Results Lower : 0.06104 W/mK
Percent Difference : 4.13%
HeatFlux Lower : 61.08 W/m2
Temperature Average : 27.52°C
Results Average : 0.05981 W/mK
Resistance Avg : 0.4179 m2K/W
R/unit Avg : 16.72 mK/W
R-value : 2.373
Figure 8: Test results for nitrile rubber insulation

MEASUREMENT UNCERTAINTY IN TESTING AS PART OF ACCEPTANCE

TESTING CRITERIA IN QUALITY ASSURANCE

The results from the steady-state thermal
transmission properties testing are not 100%
accurate since there exist elements of uncertainty
that may affect the measurement. Sources
of uncertainty in measuring with a heat flow
apparatus can be divided into three categories,
namely (a) uncertainty in the precision of the
standard reference material used as a calibrating
specimen; (b) uncertainty in the precision of the
heat flow meter and other measuring devices like
callipers; and (c) uncertainty due to the fact that
the calibrating specimen and the test specimen
are not identical, thus they do not have identical
heat transfer properties.
Therefore, it is crucial that the overall
uncertainty is minimised. In the case of the
testing done at the MRL, the maximum allowable
uncertainty is 3%.
The article has demonstrated the potential
of the steady-state thermal transmission
properties test for building materials as a quality
assurance tool. The test could assist building
designers and project supervisors in ensuring
construction materials delivered on site comply
with what is agreed upon in the contract prior to
installation.
REFERENCE
ASTM Standard C518, 2017, Standard Test Method
for Steady-State Thermal Transmission Properties
by Means of the Heat Flow Meter Apparatus, ASTM
International, West Conshohocken, PA, 2017, DOI:
10.1520/C0518-17, www.astm.org.

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What Others Say About
Digital Economy
By Samniang Saenram
Digitalisation in engineering practice and industry
involves the development of new highly intelligent
tools containing civil, mechanical, electrical,
software and communication components. As
these complex products are the result of multi-
disciplinary engineering processes, digitalisation
also forces companies to raise, adapt and revise
their engineering competencies and process
capabilities to increase agility and maintain
competitiveness. The Government effort in
spearheading the Emerging Technology sector
under MOSTI is commendable for local engineering
firms to tap into the digitalisation technological era
in order to stay relevant and competitive regionally.
The digital economy as the new driving force
for economic growth especially during the post-
pandemic period has to be given special focus
for national economic growth. In this context, this
collection of what others say about the Digital
Economy can act as a good reference for the
industry embarking on this technological journey
of innovation, adaption and application of digital
tools that are being updated at a rapid pace.
What the digital experts are saying
(Source: Institution of Civil Engineers &
Memorable TV)
Stuart Calvert, Digital Railway
Civil engineers will need to understand digital tools
– whether that’s surveying tools, BIM tools, planning
tools, virtual reality, or the associated control systems
that support civil engineering. Understanding
how they all come together as a system to solve a
problem is the most important thing.
REPORT
Susan Bowen, Cogeco Peer
Organisations have to be thinking about the
breadth and scale of the talent that they draw
upon and nurture to fill different roles. The diverse
challenges that businesses are faced with require
insight, perspectives and qualities that don’t all
come from the same traditional background.
Mat Kellett, Topcon
Civil engineers should always be ready to reinvent
themselves as there are always people out there
that will do it faster and quicker. Make sure you
keep up to date.
Brian Higgins, Business Development Manager
EMEA,(ISC)2 Inc
Organisations shouldn’t rely just on engineers —
traditional engineers — to look after digital tools
because it’s too big an ask. Get people in who can
help them.
Elon Musk
AI is a fundamental risk to the existence of human
civilisation.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the way we
work and live in ways that were once dismissed as
the stuff of science fiction. The technology has the
capacity to improve our lives, but it also presents
new challenges and potentially grave risks.
Brad Smith, President of Microsoft
If we’re not careful, George Orwell’s 1984 could
come to pass in 2024.
In this insightful and provocative programme,
those working at the cutting edge of this
technological revolution give their insights into
how AI should be used and controlled.
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 INGENIEUR
Research scientist
Technology is never neutral, some technologies
are in favour of tyranny… Surveillance and social
control are what AI is good at.
AI and machine learning are driven by the data
we create every time we interact with our devices.
Missy Yong, Chief Information Officer, Switch
It’s estimated that 90% of the world’s data was
created in just the last 2 years alone.
Increasingly, AI is being embedded into military
hardware and strategic planning.
Congressman Seth Moulton, Chair, US Future of
Defence Task Force
Every weapon system that our troops use will
have some component of artificial intelligence
integrated into it; in fact we’ve made it a
requirement that for every new weapon system
they develop artificial intelligence capability.
Former Google software engineer
Google should not be involved in the business of
war. I kind of felt like I had blood on my hands.
Decisions made now on who will control this
technology will have a critical impact on our future
world.
Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary General
The time that we’re living in now is a crossroads
for the human race and if we get it right it could
be a golden era for humanity… If we get it wrong
we could create a dystopian technology, reinforce
global dictatorship; we could even lose control
over the world to our own technology.
Behaviours and skills of engineers in AI
(Source: Institution of Civil Engineers)
As this mass emergence of new technology
takes place, we shouldn’t lose sight of the role
of people—the engineers and professionals who
work in our core world and increasingly, beyond
it. Clearly there’s a balance to be struck between
the benefits of automated decision-making,
standardised design and human expertise.
As our engineering environment evolves it is
crucial that humans adapt too. As Darwin said: “It
is not the strongest of the species that survives,
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nor the most intelligent. It is the one that is the
most adaptable to change.”
In an engineering context, this means that our
behaviours and skills need to evolve to continue
to find new and ingenious solutions to engineering
challenges. There’s been much debate about
future skills while behaviours are perhaps less
considered. So what are the skills and behaviours
that can facilitate the transformation to digital?
Here are some:
i. Leadership
Strong, aligned leadership is crucial for enacting
organisational change to facilitate uptake of digital.
This may include linking business objectives to the
right digital solutions, developing culture change
within the organisation and forward planning to
secure new skills.
ii. Collaboration
Digital allows us to work together in a host of new
ways throughout planning, design, construction
and operation. It can also enable better integration
with supply chains and more efficient procurement
processes. An open approach to sharing is
important for realising full benefits and developing
a collaborative culture within organisations and
communities.
iii. Analytics
‘Big data’ is upon us but the next trick is turning
this into ‘useful data’ — interpreting and using
data to make decisions that maximise asset
performance. Data analysis is becoming a core
civil engineering discipline but also a skillset we
may need to supplement from outside of our
traditional spheres.
iv. Creativity
True innovation often comes from deep within the
supply chain or organisation. Practitioners should
be empowered to commit time and resource to
explore new approaches and leaders have a role
to play to help us move away from a risk-averse
culture.
v. Security
Digitally enabled infrastructure can deliver
many benefits but also creates new security
vulnerabilities. Security-minded behaviour should
be mainstreamed within the industry with the
onus on every individual as well as the Board.
Harnessing Fourth Industrial Revolution
Technologies in a COVID-19 World
(Source: World Economic Forum)
Efforts to recover from COVID-19 have triggered
a tsunami of innovations in work, collaboration,
distribution and service delivery and shifted many
customer behaviours, habits and expectations.
Several of the emerging technologies of
the Fourth Industrial Revolution — for instance,
artificial intelligence (AI), mobility (including
autonomous vehicles), blockchain, drones and
the internet of things (IoT) — have been at the
centre of these innovations and are likely to play
a dominant role in what emerges post-pandemic.
These technologies power applications that
are themselves revolutionary, creating a self-
reinforcing cycle that spins like a flywheel, surging
on its own momentum.
AI and data analytics have helped Taiwan
predict the risk of infection. China has used drones
and robots to minimise human contact. The United
Arab Emirates (UAE) is using blockchain to provide
seamless digital services to its citizens, and the
United States is using autonomous vehicles to
deliver test samples to processing labs. Many
countries are employing mobile apps as sensors
for contact tracing.
While these emerging technologies have the
potential to drive enormous social breakthroughs
and economic value, they also have the potential
to lead to adverse and unintended consequences.
An essential consideration for Governments,
businesses and civil society is how these
technologies can be harnessed appropriately to
maximise the benefits and mitigate potential risks
or misuse.
Good technology governance, policies and
norms are foundational to realising the benefits
of technology while minimising the risks. The
challenges to getting this right are clear: new
technologies and business models of the Fourth
Industrial Revolution do not fit easily into the
frameworks regulators have traditionally used
to supervise markets. They evolve rapidly, cross
traditional industry boundaries, devour data,
defy political borders and benefit from network
effects when they share information. In the
Fourth Industrial Revolution, old conceptions of
regulatory silos no longer apply.
AI does not quite fit into existing regulatory
frameworks. International blockchain ledgers may
violate current national financial laws. Drones and
IoT have the potential to cause privacy concerns.
Autonomous vehicles may transform traditional
assessments of safety risks. All of these
disruptions translate into a suite of technologies
and capabilities poised to slip through gaps in
governance.
Governing these new technologies will
require new principles, rules and protocols that
promote innovation while mitigating social costs.
Public-private collaboration will be crucial to
making the right choices for future generations.
A faster, more agile approach to governance is
needed to effectively respond and adapt to the
ways these technologies are changing business
models and social interaction structures — both
seen and unforeseen. Such governance is not
only a matter of supervision and regulation
from Government but also encompasses a wide
range of frameworks such as multi-stakeholder
approaches, self-regulation, non-binding
guidance standards, certifications and non-profit
guidance.
The Digital Future of Construction
(Source: McKinsey)
In general, R&D spending in construction runs well
behind that of other industries: it accounts for less
than 1.0% of revenues, versus 3.5% to 4.5% for
the automotive and aerospace sectors. Ditto for
spending on information technology.
Traditionally, the sector has tended to focus on
making incremental improvements. But this will
no longer do. Projects are ever larger and more
complex. The growing demand for environmentally
sensitive construction means traditional practices
must change. And the shortage of skilled labour
and supervisory staff will only get worse. These
are deep issues that require new ways of thinking
and working.
Here are five ways the industry could transform
itself over the next few years:
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 INGENIEUR
a. Higher-definition surveying and geolocation
New techniques that integrate high-definition
photography, 3-D laser scanning, and geographic
information systems, enabled by drone and
unmanned- aerial-vehicle technolog y can
dramatically improve accuracy and speed. They
are more accessible than ever because costs have
come down substantially.
Photogrammetry, for example, provides high-
quality, high-definition images of survey areas.
Light-detection-and-ranging (lidar) technology is
much faster than conventional technologies and
provides high-quality 3-D images that can be
integrated with project planning tools, such as
building information modelling (BIM).
Used in conjunction with ground-penetrating
radar, magnetometers, and other equipment, lidar
can generate above-ground and underground
3-D images of project sites. This is particularly
important in dense, environmentally sensitive, or
historical project sites, where disturbance needs
to be minimised.
b. Next-generation 5-D building information
modelling
The construction industry lacks an integrated
platform that spans project planning, design,
construction, operations, and maintenance.
Instead, it still relies on bespoke software tools.
In addition, project owners and contractors often
use different platforms that do not sync with one
another.
The use of 5-D BIM technology can be
further enhanced through augmented-reality
technology via tablets or wearable devices.
A wearable, self-contained device with a see-
through, holographic display and advanced
sensors can map the physical environment, for
instance. Companies are developing BIM-like
design and construction solutions for these
platforms. In this “mixed reality” environment,
users can pin holograms to physical objects and
interact with data using gesture, gaze, and voice
commands.
c. Digital collaboration and mobility
One reason for the industry’s poor productivity
record is that it still relies on paper to manage its
processes and deliverables such as blueprints,
design drawings, procurement and supply-chain
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orders, equipment logs, daily progress reports,
and punch lists.
Now owners and contractors are beginning
to deploy digital collaboration and field mobility
solutions. A large global construction firm recently
announced it was working with a software provider
to develop a cloud-based, mobile-enabled field-
supervision platform that integrates project
planning, engineering, physical control, budgeting,
and document management for large projects.
Several large-project developers have already
successfully digitised their project-management
workflows.
d. The Internet of Things and advanced analytics
Project sites generate vast amounts of data, but
little of this is captured, let alone measured and
processed. The Internet of Things — sensors and
wireless technologies that enable equipment
and assets to become “intelligent” by connecting
them to one another — could change that. On a
construction site, the Internet of Things would
allow construction machinery, equipment,
materials, structures, and even formwork to
“talk” to a central IT platform to capture critical
performance parameters. Sensors, near-field
communication devices, and other technologies
can help monitor productivity and reliability.
Potential uses include equipment monitoring
and repair, inventory management, quality
assessment, energy efficiency, and safety.
e. Future-proof design and construction
New building materials and construction
approaches can lower costs and speed up
construction while improving quality and safety.
i. Building materials
These usually account for more than half the
total cost of projects. Traditional materials such
as concrete, cement, and asphalt make up most
of this demand. But there has been a wave of
innovation in construction materials over the past
few decades; a number of products have been
developed with specific uses in mind.
ii. Construction approaches
About 80% of all construction work is still done on-
site, but project developers and contractors are
deploying new approaches that show promise.
iii. 3-D printing
Printing submodules or complete concrete
structures before assembly and internal work
could transform the industry in design, cost, and
time. However, 3-D printing is still in the early
stages of its development and cannot yet be
deployed at the scale and speed required for large
projects.
iv. Robot-assembled construction
Construction projects are inherently unstructured
and often unpredictable; they can also be sited
in difficult terrains and environments. For these
reasons, the use of robots has been limited so far.
However, robots are now being selectively used
for repetitive and predictable activities, such as
tiling, bricklaying, welding and spool fabrication,
demolition, and concrete recycling.
Blockchain (Source: World Economic
Forum)
The pandemic has revealed limitations in the
capacity of global infrastructure to respond to
crises – what role can blockchain play in future
crises?
As the world economy embarks on its journey
of recovery, new questions are emerging about
the role that disruptive technologies may play in
preparing global infrastructure to respond to the
next crisis. Certainly, no technology — including
blockchain and digital assets — can ever serve as
a silver bullet in this regard. Despite challenges
and a limited number of large-scale projects to
date, the characteristics of blockchain and digital
assets — such as their capacity to increase trust
through transparency of transactions and the
establishment of a “single source of truth” — may
help in meaningful ways in the longer term.
For example, blockchain could offer the kind of
auditability that ensures that material provenance
is completely traceable. The use of smart contracts
— self-executing contracts that contain conditions
embedded in code — could provide situational
flexibility as supply chains experience changing
circumstances. Blockchain’s characteristic
immutability and transparency of transactions as
a “single source of truth” could increase trust in
the accuracy of critical official data during a crisis.
Industrial robot welder welding i beam steel
structure
The proliferation of digital assets could also help
facilitate stimulus payments and charitable giving
during a crisis. The list goes on.
While blockchain and digital assets may not
serve as an immediate solution in the current
crisis, initiatives in development could illustrate
the potential of the technology for future crises:
a. Supply-chain optimisation
Blockchain can be deployed to drive collaboration
between diverse actors in the supply chain.
Collaborative ecosystem solutions such as these
may one day lessen the stress placed upon supply
chains during a crisis, especially during its early
stages
b. Central bank digital currency
Anticipated benefits include greater efficiencies
in Government services such as tax collection or
stimulus payments.
c. Blockchain-based global remittances
Global remittances represent an important part of
support for families across the globe — especially
during times of crisis. The system enables
Bangladeshi expats in Malaysia to transfer
remittances to their home country without the
limitations of the more labour-intensive traditional
approach — in essence increasing transparency
and allowing funds to be distributed at speed.
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ENGINEERING NOSTALGIA

Kuala Kangsar Flood 1967

By Cheo Hong Keyong

Residents in Kuala
Kangsar, Perak were
taken by surprise and
shock on Januar y
6, 1967, when they
experienced the worst
flood in many years.
Thousands of residents
were evacuated. Most
of the shophouses in
the commercial and
market areas were
under floodwater as
shown in the photos.

Shophouses in Kuala Kangsar

inundated by floodwater

Kuala Kangsar town centre

inundated by floodwater

The main Federal Road connecting Kuala

Kangsar from the north and south was under
water and impassable to traffic. Part of the Kuala
Kangsar — Lenggong Road — was under 11 feet
of water.
Floodwater reached the base of the town’s
clock tower, one of the town’s landmarks, and the
scene was featured in the Engineering Nostalgia
article in The Ingenieur in 2007 (picture, right).

(Photos : Jabatan Penerangan Malaysia)

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 Trademarks displayed in this material, including but not limited to Grundfos, the Grundfos logo and “be think innovate” are registered trademarks owned by The Grundfos Group.
All rights reserved. © 2020 Grundfos Holding A/S, all rights reserved.
INGENIEUR
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