Category Archives: Events

Phoenix Contact SEA’s First Ever Carnival

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Lo and behold… We are holding our very first carnival!

Gone were the days when industrial/electrical components are only seen and talked about in exhibitions and seminars. This is going to be the most interactive, fun-filled event that you’ve ever participated in! We have specially designed activities for you to learn more about products in an exciting way. Goodie bags worth more than 50 EUR are up for grabs during the carnival!

Below is a sneak peek at some of the activities we have planned for you.

Printing Station

Have a hands-on experience of using our software and enjoy the ease of printing our labels through it! You would only be briefed on the products you will be in touch with in this station, and then you will be tasked to produce a print on your own!

Fix-it-Yourself

In this station, you will be tasked to complete an assembly using the tools that are available to you. Here, you would get a chance to experience our very user-friendly and handy tools.

PxC Buildathon

Building a device sounds like too much work? Try doing it from scratch using PxC products! You can also get try out various connection technologies and experience the ease and convenience they bring.

Print x Connect Day will be held in Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore in May, June and September 2019 respectively. So, what are you waiting for? Get in touch with us if you are interested! If you are from other South East Asia countries, you can also let us know of your interest at marketing@phoenixcontact.com.sg so that we can bring the carnival to you in due time!

Hannover Messe 2019

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Hannover Messe is truly the centre of the global industrial community. In the month of April, the city of Hannover sees hundreds of thousands of visitors congregating. Leading solution providers and manufacturers often take this event as an opportunity to showcase their innovation in new applications and products. This year, we can still see, undoubtedly, the continuous hype around the initiative of Industry 4.0, and the unwavering push towards its adoption around the world.

What exactly is Industry 4.0?

One might explain this as an industrial revolution where:

  1. A higher level of “Interconnectivity” is necessary with security implemented
  2. There is a need to create a digital twin through “Digitalization”, sharing digital information along the entire process
  3. There is smart system intelligence to allow “Decentralized Decision”

At Phoenix Contact, the COMPLETE Line System, for example, provides control cabinet manufacturers a holistic digitalized solution to plan and visualise their cabinet design and concept, before it goes into production. This will account for an optimized engineering process and improve productivity.

The highly celebrated PLCnext Technology Ecosystem takes automation into a whole new dimension. In collaboration with the ever increasing community of innovators, a digital marketplace has been launched, featuring purpose built-applications for automation, and software libraries to help accelerate PLC programming.

Taking advantage of the PLCnext hardware performance and open software system structure, PLCnext Technology will be a cornerstone for digitalized automation. The digital data can be upload to Phoenix Contact Proficloud, that provides the much needed visualisation (i.e.: augmented reality) across different stake holders of the organization.

Aside from the embrace of new technologies like IIoT, Cloud Computing, Augmented Reality which aid the transformation from the technological perspective, what about the enhancement of operational processes and the skill development the workforce within the organisation?

The Economic Development Board (EDB) of Singapore has launched the “Smart Industry Readiness Index (SIRI)” and its accompanying Assessment Matrix / Prioritisation Matrix, to provide companies a self-diagnostic tool to assess their readiness and architect roadmap towards this digital transformation.

Source: EDB Singapore

As seen from the above overview, SIRI provides the industry with a much needed guideline that identifies the 3 fundamental building blocks of Industry 4.0, namely: Technology, Process and Organisation.

These building blocks are then sub-categorised into 8 key pillars that represent the critical aspects which the company needs to focus on and subsequently into 16 different dimensions of assessment. The implementing company can then use these tools to evaluate their facility readiness, benchmarking their scores against others in the industry and finally plan and prioritise their implementation.

Interested to find out more? Get in touch with us at marketing@phoenixcontact.com.sg!

Happy Chinese New Year 2019!

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Phoenix Contact would like to wish all of our customers and employees a blessed and prosperous 2019 Year of the Pig! We look forward to serving you in many more fruitful years to come!

Energy Day

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Over the past decade, we have done quite a number of seminars, but the Philippines’ Energy Day seminar concluded last Nov 22, was truly a successful one. Highlighting on the success was the jam-packed seminar room hitting more than 100% of the expected attendees, smooth registration, and attentive, lively and participating audience. I can’t say anything more but an unfading thanks to the speakers Gary and James, PxC PH team, Marcom team, IMAXX team, and of course to all the companies, guests and attendees who have lent their ears on these upcoming trend topics in the Philippines, which are Surge Protection and IEC 61850.

Clearly shows a very satisfied crowd and thumbs up on our two great speakers. This had made up my mind to repeat this success and to conduct Energy Day Part 2.

Highlights Workshop 2018 – What We Did (Or Didn’t) Do Well

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On the 1st and 2nd of August, 2018, the Phoenix Contact SEA team organized Highlights Workshop 2018, a product-driven event for all our staff as well as distributors within Southeast Asia. The main purpose of this workshop is to enable participants to familiarize themselves with our new products. Accompanied by our guest speakers from Germany, the organizers and presenters worked really hard to make this event a huge success. (Hey, planning and execution of a large-scale event isn’t always as easy as it seems!)

Besides planning the program schedule, we also had to source for suitable locations for the event. After analysing our options, we have decided to hold the event at the same location as Highlights Workshop 2017 last year, which was at Changi Village Hotel. Miscellaneous preparations such as décor also had to be done, such as blowing balloons and arranging LED coloured lights. If you think that’s tedious, it was nothing compared to the preparations needed on the event day itself! Organizers have to be up really early to ensure everything is smooth-flowing, and that there are minimal hiccups throughout the event.

On the first day of the workshop, the confusion began, especially with regards to directions. Although the entire program list had been printed out on the agenda, some participants still took a fair bit of time to figure things out. Some were asking us where the washrooms were, while others could not find their respective venues. Splitting up a huge group into four different teams (unlike last year) has its benefits, such as encouraging more feedback in smaller groups. However, we realise that with separate venues, especially during different timings, clarity is key when it comes to directions. While we were able to usher participants into their respective rooms, time would be spent better if they could figure it out themselves on the spot. For example, we should have placed a signboard at the central reception area to indicate the directions to each room, as well as the washroom. On the second day, it was less haphazard as participants already knew what to expect.

The sharing sessions were extremely informative. Most participants preferred being in smaller groups, rather than in a large, combined group. More people were willing to ask questions and share their opinions with others. Each group was rotated evenly throughout their time slots and everyone had a chance to listen to every single speaker. Distributors also got a chance to meet their competition (a.k.a. other distributors) during this workshop, and discuss relevant experiences and challenges faced.

During the prize presentation ceremony, we handed out the ‘Long Service Distributor’ Awards as tokens of appreciation, to distributors who have worked with us for 20 years or more. Yes, we have been established that long! Additionally, other awards such as huge, successful SEA projects were handed out to the appropriate country representatives.

We did have some negative feedback about the food served during the tea-break, as well as during lunch/dinner time. Not everyone found the quality or taste of the food up to their expectations (we can’t please everybody!), though we can only learn from this and improve on it in the years to come.

Highlights Workshop 2018 would not be a success without the organizers, our fellow colleagues and our beloved distributors. We hope to see you again next year. Till then, your feedback is definitely appreciated.

Phoenix Contact Table Soccer Competition 2018

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With the excitement about the FIFA World Cup, Phoenix Contact Singapore organised our very own Foosball Tournament!

Also known as Table Soccer/Table Football, the goal (pun absolutely intended) is to score by kicking the miniature soccer ball into the opponent’s gate, which is always on the right, using the miniature players on rods known as foosmen. In the case of our tournament, the match would end when one team scored 10 goals against the other or when 5 minutes was up, whichever was first.

Tensions were high, voices were loud but most importantly fun was had in spades. Who would have known that Phoenix Contact had so many up-and-coming star players?

Where’s the ball? Where’d it go???

If they can’t see my face, they can’t read my moves…

Fantastic plays were made, brilliant defences engaged and spectacular saves were executed. Spectators and participants alike had a great time during the exciting matches, having fun and relieving stress; some might even say it was better than watching the actual FIFA World Cup! (Although to be fair, the people who said this probably don’t actually watch the FIFA World Cup.)

Future Proofing Industry Seminar in Yangon, Myanmar

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Our slogan: “Inspiring Innovations”. It embodies what we do – Phoenix Contact never fails to come up with new and innovative products for the industry. As such, we are honored to be one of the market leaders and trendsetters of our industry.

Together with our partner in Myanmar, Synopsis Technology, we were proud to have brought you the “Future Proofing Industry” Seminar, held on the 31st of May 2018 at Lotte Hotel Yangon.

Seminar Poster

Alongside the topic of driving innovations, the main highlight of this “Future Proofing Industry” seminar was to introduce new applications and products for the education sector in Myanmar. It is of paramount importance to help the future engineers be ready for the industry.

Within the short time span of a day, we were elated that we had the opportunity to share our company history and actual success stories across South East Asia. Aside from that, we managed to introduce our innovative products as well.

First speaker: Mr Jiang

Our first speaker, Mr Jiang, who is also our Solution Manager, spoke about our new Industrial Cloud and Networking products for the first half of the seminar. Ideas and experiences were shared with the attendees.

Second speaker: Mr Maw Kon

The second speaker of the day was Mr Maw Kon, who is from Phoenix Contact Myanmar. He introduces our bread and butter products – the various connectors ranging from Terminal blocks to heavy duty connectors.

Third and final speaker: Mr Gary

Our last speaker, Mr Gary, never fails to draw the attentions of the attendees when it comes to introducing our surge protection devices. Live demonstrations and interactive activities were carried out and our attendees were all having a blast.

Last but not least, there was a mini competition held during the seminar.  All the attendees were encouraged to participate in the #futureproofingseminar and @phoenixcontactsea photoshoots. All they needed to do was to just take a photo during the seminar and upload them on their Facebook with the hashtag #futureproofingseminar together with a tag @phoenixcontactsea! The winner of the seminar was announced via our official Facebook page!

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

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What crosses your mind when people talk about Teamwork? Working hand in hand as part of a group of 5 or 10? What about 100 people striving to achieve one goal, from different departments, cultures and nationalities? Do you think it’s possible?

Time sure flies! Phoenix Contact’s Annual offsite meeting in Bangkok, Thailand has just ended. This event in the Land of Smiles also served as a reunion with subsidiaries and representative offices’ colleagues. Kudos to everyone from the various event teams! The planning, preparation, active participation in and execution of the event was certainly no easy feat. Everyone has demonstrated key elements of teamwork, which I will elaborate on:

Coordination and Communication

There was a ton of coordination work which needed to be done to prepare for the events, not limited to the meeting and training from 4 to 6 Dec 17, but also the Themed Dinner on 7 Dec 17 and Teambuilding on the 8 Dec 17. Facing the challenge of limited resources, to interact with the hotel and colleague in Thailand and overseas team and vendors, all parties have maximised the available online outlets such as video calls, texting, and emails effectively with minimum cost incurred. Not to forget, the participants had excellent time management and communication despite the tight schedule to meet customer needs. Everybody was cooperative, asking for clarifications if they were unsure, which made this event happen with minimal disruption.

Sales & Marketing Team

Fun shot!

Commitment and Trust

I am glad to share that the management in Phoenix Contact believes in giving empowerment to the employees to host this event, especially the Themed Dinner on 7 Dec 17. The event committee was formed by volunteers from different departments, such as Marketing, Logistics, Purchasing, IT and HR. With the common goal of making the day one to remember, the committee managed to execute the existing plan with the trust given to each other. However, there is no such thing as a perfect plan. Despite some unexpected circumstances, the committee managed to minimise the undesired impacts by brainstorming and giving ideas and advice from previous undesirable experiences.

Nominees for the “Best Dressed” competition!

Creative Freedom

Although the committee had no experience in organizing the themed dinner event, with combined expertise and experience; they were able to bring new ideas to fruition. For instance, using the latest iPhone X technology, “Animoji” as the opening ceremony, effectively and successfully captivated the audience. Creativity does not always mean creating new ideas; it could be as simple as improvisation of an existing approach.

Adaptability

We all know change is constant but how do we manage it, or at least adapt to it? Although the plan had been prepared meticulously, last minute requests or changes in environment are unavoidable, both expected and unexpected. Take for example, when the weather was hotter than the online weather forecast during the teambuilding event on 8 Dec 17. Props to the committee and colleagues who endured the amazing race under the hot sun with a positive mindset! In addition, they wracked their brains over Thailand’s History in order to gather bicycle parts to build a usable bicycle for unfortunate children. The buckets of sweat paid off when we saw the elated and joyful faces of the children!

Build the bike CSR

To recapitulate, the overall event at the Land of Smiles was smooth with minimum hiccups due to everyone’s efforts which reflect as good teamwork. So in my opinion, Teamwork does not mean we need to hold hands, side by side to move forward, the quintessential elements are still trust, communication and adaptability, having each other’s support. It does not matter if we are spread far and wide across islands and countries, even if it involves hundreds of people, as long as everyone has same clear goals in mind, we will be able to achieve our dreams. Till next time!

HR Team

Phoenix Contact at IRSE ASPECT 2017

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Institution of Railway Signal Engineers (IRSE) was originated in the UK and it is the professional engineering institution for all those engaged or interested in railway signalling, control and communications and allied disciplines. The purpose of IRSE is to promote high standards of professionalism and to support train control technology for the benefit of public.

IRSE ASPECT 2017 is supported by Singapore and Australian Sections and it was held in Singapore from 28th-29th November.  This 9th ASPECT event is the first event to be hosted outside the UK with the themes of Metro Technologies, Professional Development, High Speed Rail and Condition Monitoring.

There were more than 200 delegates who registered for the conference inclusive of international railway signalling companies such as Siemens, Thales, Bombardier, Alstom and ST Electronics; the consultants such as CH2M, Aecom and other system and component suppliers. Aside from them, the other important delegates included those of railway authorities and operators from different parts of the world such as Singapore (e.g. LTA, SMRT Trains, SMRT Corporation and SBS Transit), Australia (e.g. Rail System Australia, Metro Trains Melbourne, Queensland Rail, Melbourne Metro Rail Authority, Public Transport Authority of WA, Victorian Level Crossing Removal Authority, Transport for NSW, Public Transport Victoria, Metro Trains Sydney), Indonesia (e.g. PT Len Railway Systems, PT Lens Industri), Malaysia (e.g. MRT Corporation), Japan (e.g. East Japan Railway Company), Thailand (e.g. Bangkok Expressway and Metro), Finland (e.g. Finnish Transport Agency), UK (Ricardo Rail UK), Ireland (Northern Ireland Railways), Switzerland (e.g. Swiss Federal Railways).

Phoenix Contact had participated the 2-day exhibition on 28th and 29th November during all the breaks in the ASPECT Conference. Our key message to the participants of this event was to show the competency of Phoenix Contact as their partner for reliability and safety in signalling. The components exhibited included power supply and redundancy modules, UPS and battery, network switches, signal and power SPD, terminal blocks, heavy duty and data connectors, markers and tools.

Phoenix Contact booth at IRSE ASPECT

Thank you to those who dropped by our booth and expressed interest in our products such as MRT Corporation, E-MAS, Singapore RE, LTA, PT Len Raiway Systems, Selectrail, IEEE, STE, SMRT, Public Transport Authority Western Australia, Melbourne Metro Rail Authority etc.

On top of those components, there are three essential solutions for the railway signalling application as follows:

  1. SPD deployment solutions for both signal and power lines with easy installation, monitoring, maintenance and troubleshooting.
  2. Redundant DC power supply system for critical equipment to ensure continuous operation with digital and analog signal monitoring.
  3. Customized panel solutions as per special requirements

“Speeding Test”

We also had a fun time with participants who joined our “Speeding Test” by inserting the conductors into Phoenix Contact Push-In (PT) Terminal Blocks and releasing it, with the time taken being recorded for 22 pieces of terminal blocks. The fastest speed record for inserting and releasing is 30s and 15s respectively!

If you had missed this exhibition and would like to find out more information, please feel free to contact us at marketing@phoenixcontact.com.sg!

Be the Future-Ready Graduate

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Phoenix Contact is constantly in need of the energy and enthusiasm that young graduates bring to the organisation. One of the efforts to make the talent hiring more straightforward is the participation in career fairs hosted for fresh graduates. Phoenix Contact participates in career fairs twice a year in renowned Universities and Polytechnics in Singapore.  In the second half of this year, Phoenix Contact joined Singapore Polytechnic (SP) Career and Education Fair on 15 November 2017. There were fifty organisations participating in this event from various industries, such as Energy and Engineering, Marine, Oil and Gas, Construction, Banks and Government Agencies as well Educational Institutions.

During the event, the company gets to connect with the students who are exploring career options or internship opportunities. There are hundreds of applicants expressing their interests through discussions and submitting their resumes directly to the Company. This is one of the unique personal experiences that students cannot find through an online job portal.

Based on previous career fair experiences, we noticed that students need to put more effort to leave a lasting impression on the employer, either for employment or internship opportunities. By looking at past experiences, here is some advice that could help students to make the most of the career fair:

  1. Select your preferred company

Before the event, most career fairs advertise the list of participating employers through the internet or student portal. Think about which employers you want to connect with and prioritise them accordingly, taking into account personal interest and suitability.

  1. Do your homework

Studies proved that students who researched the companies they are interested in tend to present themselves as well-prepared and motivated and are more likely to impress the recruiters.

  1. Prepare your resume

Companies who participate in career fairs are not just there to offer opportunities to fresh graduates, but they are also looking out for post graduates who could potentially fit into their organisations. Therefore, an updated resume is a must whenever visiting career fair.

  1. Dress to impress

What you wear and how you look will ensure you make a lasting and positive first impression, so dress professionally and comfortably.

  1. Remember your own WOW factor

Every employer at the career fair is meeting hundreds of young people like you. You need to find out what makes you different from everyone else, this extra effort ensures you show up as an enthusiastic job seeker, and ensures you will be noticed.

  1. Follow up with an email 

Even though an employer may accept your resume at a career fair, it does not automatically make you stand out as a candidate for the job. Get the email address of the recruiter at the company’s booth and send a thank you email to the recruiter for his or her time, and attach your resume again. Do not forget to show enthusiasm and demonstrate your desire for the job in your email.

Career fairs are all about being remembered among a sea of candidates, above check list will direct you to leave a lasting impression on recruiters in a career fair.

So, are you ready to embark on an exciting career with us at Phoenix Contact?